Clifton strikes away, choosing up his meals and taking a chew, clears his throat, and takes a drink of his espresso.

I did, thanks. I would as nicely be diplomatic, even when my first thought is to ghost him like he’d completed to me for weeks. Possibly he’d get the trace with my clipped response.

He would not. He texts once more and I choose up my cellphone, already irritated. Can I take you to dinner?

I roll my eyes, irritated. Why is he all of the sudden making an attempt so arduous after giving me the silent remedy for weeks?

I’ve plans. I don’t, however he would not must know that.

“Is every thing okay?” Clifton asks as I put my cellphone down a bit more durable than supposed on my desk. I look at him, not sure what to say. He gestures at my cellphone and I set free a sigh, unwilling to speak about my loopy ex’s new tactic.

As a substitute, I modify the topic. “Thanks for lunch. Iced espresso is precisely the pick-me-up I wanted.” I choose up my drink and take the straw between my lips.

“You’re very welcome.” He provides his espresso cup a shake, rattling the ice earlier than taking one other drink. However I wasn’t being attentive to any of that. I used to be taking a look at his hand, massive and highly effective, and questioning how it will really feel on me. I look at his lips, imagining them kissing down my physique and a low buzzing heats up my core.

“Are you okay?” he asks, arching an eyebrow at me as if absolutely conscious of my physique brief circuiting whereas fascinated by him. Earlier than I can reply, my cellphone chimes once more. And once more.

Aggravated, I choose it up and set it to silent mode.

And it begins to buzz.

“Possibly you need to reply that?” Clifton asks.

I shake my head no as my cellphone buzzes once more.

“You certain are standard.” There’s a smirk on his face as he says the phrases that inform me he is aware of precisely who’s messaging and he finds the state of affairs humorous.

“At the least somebody is messaging me,” I say, resorting again to our teasing enjoyable, turning my cellphone off to keep away from the barrage of messages.

His eyebrows race for his hairline and he immediately quips again. “Sterling is simply texting you as a result of there’s one other man in your life and he can’t deal with rejection or competitors.”

Rattling. He actually nailed Sterling in that one assertion. The man can’t deal with competitors, and we’d all seen how he handled not being the one man on my thoughts.

However these ideas took a backseat to the belief that Clifton had stated one thing very attention-grabbing.

I stated there was one other man in my life… referring to himself.

He sees himself as a person in my life.

He simply admitted he likes me and my physique revs up, excited at this affirmation. This was one more sign from him, a door he’d opened and supplied me to stroll by. And oh, man do I wish to. I get up and make my approach to him, leaning down and coming nose to nose with him.

“There’s one other man in my life, huh?” I ask.

A slight smile tugs the corners of his lips.

Then he closes the hole between us, kissing me once more. And this time, nothing interrupts us.

Chapter 13

Clifton

Regardless of the quiet in our workplace, I can hear the hum of the constructing as individuals start to shuffle out towards their automobiles and off to their lives.

I look over at Emma, questioning what’s on her thoughts. She flashes me a mushy smile, one which melts my insides like chocolate left within the solar on a scorching summer time day. I take into consideration the kisses we’ve shared even because the good facet of my mind tells me I must snuff out this growing spark between us.

“It’s about time to go dwelling,” I say, and she or he nods.

Some nights we keep late, however someway, we’re each forward of the instances we’re engaged on. Possibly as a result of we work higher collectively. Or as a result of being round her leaves me energized and able to tackle something.

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