Page 23 of Falling for Her Grumpy Boss

She nods slowly, though neither of us looks convinced.

The air between us remains charged enough that I can practically feel it pressing against my skin.

“I crossed a line,” I continue, forcing the words out steadily. “Professionally.”

Tess’s gaze sharpens slightly. “I kissed you back.”

“That doesn’t help as much as you think it does.”

A small smile threatens briefly at the corner of her mouth before disappearing again, and the sight of it nearly strips the rest of my restraint clean away.

I stand abruptly and cross toward the windows before I do something profoundly stupid. Behind me, the office stays quiet enough that I can hear the subtle shift of fabric when she changes her stance.

“You hesitated before taking this job.” I keep my eyes on the street below instead of turning back toward her. Cars move steadily through downtown Iron Ridge, sunlight flashing briefly across windshields before disappearing again, but I’m barely seeing any of it now.

Quiet settles behind me for a moment.

Then, softly, “Yes.”

Something in the honesty of it pulls my attention back before I consciously decide to move. I turn just enough to find her still standing near my desk, one hand resting lightly against the edge of the file she brought in. She doesn’t look uncomfortable exactly. Careful fits better. Like she’s weighing every word before letting it leave her mouth.

“Why?”

Tess exhales slowly and folds her arms loosely across her waist, fingers disappearing beneath the sleeves of her blazer for a second before reappearing again.

“Because of your reputation.”

The answer lands squarely in the center of my chest.

Not because it surprises me. Because it doesn’t.

I look away before irritation flashes too openly across my face. The movement turns sharper than intended, and I drag a hand back through my hair instead, my fingers catching briefly in the strands. The slight pull sends an immediate flash of memory through me. Tess standing against my desk with her hands buried in my hair while we kissed, her fingers tightening every time I pushed deeper into her mouth. Heat curls low in my stomach instantly, making me close my eyes for half a second before I force myself to focus again.

“Jeremy warned you.”

“He did.” Her voice stays even, free of defensiveness or embarrassment. “Subtly. Jeremy cares about both of us, and I think he wanted to make sure I walked in with realistic expectations before I agreed to anything.”

That cuts through my irritation cleaner than anything else could have because she’s right. Jeremy would absolutely try to protect both of us, even if this entire situation already feels far beyond protecting.

I brace one hand against the window frame and drag a slow breath into my lungs before looking back at her again. “And what exactly did he say?”

Tess studies me quietly for a second, dark eyes steady enough that I get the uncomfortable feeling she sees more than I intended to show. “He said assistants don’t usually last here.”

Fair.

A humorless smile pulls briefly at the corner of my mouth before fading again. “He’s not wrong.”

Her fingers bunch the fabric at her wrists briefly before she smooths it back into place. “Jeremy didn’t say it outright, but between his warning and your reputation, the rest wasn’t hard to piece together.”

That one settles more heavily.

For a second, neither of us speaks. Traffic moves somewhere below us, softened by glass and distance, while cool air drifts through the office vents overhead. None of it cuts through the silence stretching between us.

“I don’t lie to women,” I tell her finally.

Tess’s gaze doesn’t waver.

“No,” she murmurs after a moment. “I don’t think you do.”