Page 84 of No Boss
“Breathe.”
It was not an order. It was… coaxing.
She dragged in a breath. It broke halfway through. He didn’t move. Just held her there.
“Again.”
She tried. Then once more.
Each breath came easier. The tremor in her shoulders eased. His thumbs moved across her skin, grounding her, drawing her back to herself.
The sobs faded.
Her breathing evened out. But he did not step away. His gaze stayed on her, as if he meant to remember this version of her.
“Are you finished yelling at me?”
Her chin lifted a fraction. “No.”
His mouth curved, closer to approval than amusement.
“Seven days.”
She blinked, still caught between everything that had just happened and the warmth of his hands on her face. “What?”
“Seven days. Show me this place. Show me why it matters. Why I should not sell it.”
His thumbs brushed her cheeks once more, softer now, closing a moment neither of them had planned. Then he drew his hands back.
He braced his palms on either side of her chair, still close enough that his presence pressed into her space. “Seven days to change my mind.”
The words took a second to sink in. Then another. And then… “Oh my God.”
The shift came at once.
Her eyes lit, the heaviness gone in an instant.
“Yes!” She sprang up, the word bursting out of her, arms lifting without thought.
His hands rose on instinct to steady her, but her balance tipped.
They went down together.
His back met the carpet. The impact forced the air from his lungs in a low breath.
Her gasp followed, sharp, startled.
She ended up over him.
Her hair fell forward, brushing his jaw. Her breath warmed his throat. One hand pressed against his chest, fingers curling as she tried to balance herself.
He stayed still, one arm curved around her from reflex, his hand at her waist. The other hand pressed into the carpet, grounding himself against the sudden closeness.
Their eyes met, breathing ran uneven.
A tear had dried along her cheek. A strand of hair clung to it. Her lips parted, eyes wide, startled.
“You celebrate like this often?” His voice dropped, rough at the edges.
