Finally, she quirked a small smile. "You said it was mandatory to show my ink and wear the Monroe."
"Yeah, and now I'm rethinking it. It's a little hard to see your half-sleeve without imagining the rest of it. And I can't imagine the rest of it without picturing you naked. And every time I look at the Monroe, I can't help but remember how it caught the light in your room when I made you come."
She held up her hand to stop me. "See? This is not a professional conversation you should be having with your employee."
"Good thing we're not at the office."
"And this just proves why I have to move."
I ran my finger along her jaw to her chin. "You can make me keep quiet about my thoughts, but you can't make them go away. Just know that whenever I look at you, I'm thinking about being inside you. I'm thinking about making you scream my name while coming on my cock." I took one step closer. "And when you're locked in your office … " I lowered my lips to her ear, taking notice of how her breath hitched as I did so. "Just know that I'll be thinking of you in my arms. I'll be picturing the way we'll look together when we're fifty, sixty, seventy years old. I'll be imagining the smile on your face when we say our vows to each other, and the look in your eyes when you're pregnant with my children."
She released an audible sigh and placed her hand on my chest to hold me off.
I leaned away and regarded her, even though she avoided eye contact. However, the pink hue that had tinted her cheeks didn't go unnoticed. "So move if you have to, if seeing this pier is too much for you. Close the office door if you need to. I'm okay with that, because I know it won't last. I know that one day, you're going to live with me, and there won't ever be a reason for you to shut me out again."
With that, I turned around and walked away, leaving her with my thoughts.
And taking her in mine.
20
Standing on my balcony Friday morning and looking out over the horizon, I watched as the sky began to show the first signs of life. Over the past week, this had become my routine before getting ready for work. If I leaned over the banister enough, I could see the pier. Although, I never saw Eden there, and I knew I wouldn't ever see her there again.
In the few days since our meeting on the pier, things seemed to be settling down. We remained completely professional at work, only interacting when it was business related. However, in the evenings, when she wasn't on the clock, I allowed myself to send her one text message. I'd sent two since our momentous conversation, both saying the same thing.
Marry me.
She hadn't responded to either text, and the one time she'd tried to bring it up at work, asking me, "Were you drinking last night when you sent me that text," I simply told her that was a personal question that didn't belong in the workplace. She hadn't asked about it since, nor had she given me an answer.
I went back inside and took a look around. The furniture, picture frames on the wall, all the way down to the television set in the living room were picked out by Gabi. Despite years of living here, this place wasn't mine. There wasn't one thing in here that belonged to me. Realizing that, I knew exactly what to do.
Instead of going to my office first, I made a stop at legal. I sat down at Heidi's desk and told her what I needed, hoping she'd be able to help. "Well, that's not my general scope of the law, but I'm sure we can get something drawn up. Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
I nodded, feeling hopeful. "The sooner the better. I'm supposed to go see her on Monday, and I'd like to have all this wrapped up by then." I didn't know why I hadn't thought about it sooner, but I was just happy I'd realized it when I did.
We both stood and shook hands before I left her office and headed to mine. I no longer peeked in to check on Eden. I decided to stick with the plan I'd been following all week, not wanting to chance her following through with her threat and quitting. It was hard to only be able to see her when something needed to be signed or I had to send her files to check over, but that was still better than not seeing her at all. So, I decided I'd take what I could get, and while remaining professional at work, I'd still give her glimpses of me to show her this-what we had between us-was real. I knew I might've been toeing the line, but I couldn't make myself stop altogether. So far my plan was bearable at best. If I had things my way, I'd see her every minute of every day for the rest of my life.
"Hey, Dane?" Eden came into my office shortly after I sat down at my desk. She didn't wait for my response before getting to the point of her visit. "I was wondering if it'd be okay if I left a little bit early today. Maybe two hours. If that's pushing it, or if I can't get my job done by three, then I at least would like to leave by four."