“No,” I cut him off. I might be at a higher risk, but Mallory is more important. Ryan is the best, and that’s why he wants to be on me. I want the best on Mallory. Without her, I wouldn’t last. If something happened to her, I’d be done for. I don’t tell Ryan this because it’s fucking crazy and I know it. He already thinks I’m losing it as it is. I need him to do as he’s told.

“Are you saying your team isn’t good enough?” I look over at him and watch his jaw tighten. No one is more anal about their work than Ryan.

“I’ll make sure I’m on her detail.” He rises from his chair. I give him a nod as he exits the room, and then look back at the monitor. Paige still hasn’t come out and I’m not thinking she will.

I go over to the couch, kicking off my shoes and unbuttoning my shirt, getting ready to lie down. I don’t want to go back to my bedroom. The bed is unmade from when we made love. I’m not sure how I’d react if I still smelled her on the sheets, or worse, if the smell was gone.

I think back to the bathroom today. I’d waited for the perfect moment to corner her. Ryan had told me she was on her way back up to her desk. I needed to talk to her. Just a little taste to take the edge off. Even more so after I’d seen how the little prick next to her in the meeting was looking at her. I need to remember to have Ryan pull his file for me.

“Time,” she’d said after she kissed me. And she had kissed me. I may have taken her mouth first, but she came back at me just as hungry. It was there. I know she felt it. There was no way I was alone in this.

I’d give her what she asked for, but I’d do what I’d planned to do from the beginning: try to get her attention, date her. Slowly make her fall in love with me. It was going to be damn hard after I’d rushed so much already. Now I know what it’s like to have her in my bed and under me, where she belongs. Her legs spread for me as I come inside her, never taking my mouth from her body.

My cock jerks at the reminder. Reaching down, I pull myself from my slacks and think about the next time I’ll get her to myself. Maybe this time I’ll tie her to the bed so she can’t slip away in the middle of the night. Crawl between her legs and bury my face there. Make her beg me to eat her until she begs me to stop. Until she can’t move because I’ve exhausted her with pleasure.

“Mallory.”

I moan her name as the erotic thoughts flash through my mind and come lands on my stomach.

“Fuck,” I growl, sitting up.

I’m never going to make it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Mallory

* * *

Tuesday

“Delivery for a Ms. Mallory Sullivan.”

I turn to see a man standing in our office and holding a bouquet of pale pink peonies. Skyler stands up, leans over to my cubicle and lets out a whistle.

“Right here,” she says, pointing at me, and I stand too, a little shocked.

I take them from him and he makes me sign a form before giving me a small salute and walking out.

The blush hits my cheeks as I turn and place them on my desk. There’s a small envelope attached, and I unpin it from a leaf, looking up to see Skyler waiting expectantly. I raise an eyebrow at her, and she rolls her eyes and laughs as she gives me some privacy.

Last night Paige and I talked some more before I went to bed and had a better night’s sleep than I’d had in days. It wasn’t anywhere close to as good as the one I’d had with Oz, but I’ll take it over being a zombie any day of the week. I left my phone off, not really ready to talk to him yet. I still need to think things over and get my head on straight. But I guess Oz found a way around my silence. At least he’s giving me space, in his own way.

When I saw the flowers, I knew right away he’d sent them. No card was needed, but I pull it out anyway, wanting to see what he has to say for himself. Seeing his beautiful, neat handwriting does something to my insides, but I try to ignore it.

Mallory,

Nothing is as lovely as you.

Missing your beauty.

Love, Oz

The blush on my cheeks deepens, and I sit in my chair, trying to think of what to do next. Do I thank him for the flowers? I’ve never gotten flowers from anyone before. God, why does he have to be so...so...charming? He makes it hard to be mad and I want to hang on to that anger. I can’t let him steamroll over me.

Placing the note in my bag, I go back to work, wanting to think about my response before I give him an answer. If I even will.

It turns out I don’t have time to think of a response before the next bouquet is delivered. This time it’s a larger arrangement of lavender dahlias. Eric perks up at this and asks if it’s my birthday. Skyler rolls her eyes at him. I wait until I have a moment alone before I read the note.

Mallory,

Nothing is more precious than your touch.

Missing the feel of your softness.

Love, Oz

I grab my phone from my bag and squeeze it. I want to turn it on and text him, but I know I have to stay strong, too. This man lied to me, and I need some space to think over what I want. But instead he insists on doing things that are going to make me break; I know it, and a small part of me wants to know what he’ll do next.

The next delivery of flowers arrives an hour later, and so goes the rest of my day at work. I spread them all over the department, so I won’t have all of my work space taken up. People ask questions, but Skyler helps me out with that. She says it’s a joke, and people shrug it off.

All day the notes come, and I keep every one of them, each one melting me more and more, breaking down my anger. He sends red tulips, peach plumeria, violets, hydrangeas, and even a bouquet with bells of Ireland. Every arrangement is beautiful and special. They aren’t your typical flowers—each of these looks to have been specially picked—and I know in my heart he did that.