Page 29 of Maid for My Billionaire Boss
Should I pat her back and say there, there?I think that only works with injured puppies.
Um, leaning in for a hug would be a bit of a logistics hurdle with how we were sitting.
If she were a computer, I’d reboot her until she switched modes, but she didn’t have a reboot button.
I didn’t know what to do, so I did nothing.
And I did it well.
I didn’t mind sitting here next to her.
She didn’t run away, so that told me she didn’t mind it either.
Or maybe I was only slightly better than being attacked by a swamp creature all alone?
I’d take it.
After a while, she turned her head farther toward me, and said, “I wouldn’t be greedy. There’s no way I’d want to live my life backward, but I would want one more day on repeat for eternity.”
“Like a never-never land,” I said in a hushed voice, not wanting to break her concentration.
She swapped her stoic expression for one daring more enchantment, piercing her eyes with a shimmer that radiated her inner beauty. “Exactly. When I allow myself to think about him, the strongest thought is I want to go back. Do you know what I mean?”
My brows flattened while I mused the comparison. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way.”
Turning her head more so she could fasten her gaze directly on mine, she paused briefly before saying, “Then I don’t think Tonya was the love of your life. If she had been, it would hurt. You would want it back. They say you know it was right when it hurts.”
A smooth wave of goosebumps proliferated up my arm nearest her, not stopping until they all seemed to pool in the center of my lips. Unavoidably, my lips parted as the stare she gave me cemented my body in place in a way I’d never felt before.
I couldn’t move.
I didn’t want to.
I just nodded.
Her eyes seemed to carve into mine, etching their own place that left a burn lingering deep into my core. They raged a war in my brain, begging me to surrender to her powers.
I totally wasn’t letting my imagination run wild.
Unfortunately, she had theworsttiming for ruining moments and her eyes flicked back toward the trail. “We should go back. It’s super dark now.”
Just like that, I knew exactly what she had meant. I wanted a pause button with a hint of rewind. I, too, hated the rules of time.
Fifteen
Atalie
Ineverhadthefeeling I wanted to be in two places at once. Part of my brain was flashing red alarms, warning me to stay away from Trey. The other part of my mind was starved for that level of human connection, yearning to stay near him longer. But I wasn’t stupid. He was only hanging out with me because I was helping him. He was a billionaire and billionaires weren’t interested in their housekeepers. In addition, he was obviously uncommitted because he strung his last girlfriend along fortwenty yearswithout ever marrying her. I would never be interested in that sort of arrangement, so for all these reasons, I stayed guarded.
Pushing all my yearning curiosity aside, I stood, knowing it was time to go back to the village. We were immersed in the night and eerily quiet would be the nicest way I could describe the vibe I was getting. Not taking chances on the wild and deadly out here, I grasped Trey’s wrist like a defiant child who needed to be dragged back out of a busy intersection. I flashed him a toothy grin and reminded him, “Remember you volunteered to be sacrificed first.”
He started to carefully step forward, leading us back. Even though he looked relaxed, my trepidation was building to maximum levels because it was hard to see even a few feet in front of us. Each step produced a new sound: a cracking of a stick or crunching of leaves that told us it was safe to proceed. We’d stayed out way too late, and my heart protested wildly in my chest, screaming a reality check at how reckless I had been to be out here. I took shallow steps, but I made the mistake of not lifting my foot high enough as I scooted to safety and then—wham!It happened.
My foot hooked a vine, sending me face-first into the mud!
My immediate danger was over, but my brain didn’t know. It propelled me into a state of immense panic which bled into my bones. I let out the most scared-for-my-life horror-filled scream I could muster as I desperately tried to run but was held back by my foot still entangled in the vine.
Trey dropped to a knee, silencing my scream with the palm of his hand. “Quiet, or they’ll hunt you because you sound like a mad animal,” he warned, but added in a sympathetic tone, “You’re fine. It’s only a root.”
