Henry’s gaze follows me the entire time.

By the time I’m done folding and putting away his briefs and socks—even the man’s underwear causes a reaction in me—he’s hanging up the phone.

“Abbi. Come here. Please.”

I take a deep breath, unsure if I’m ready for whatever he’s going to say after yesterday’s verbal public flaying. There’s an edge of contrition in his tone, at least. “Yes?”

He holds out a purple tie. “Will this work?”

His sheepish grin and his rare vulnerability instantly take the edge off my unease. “Yes.”

He waits quietly, tie in hand. He wants me to finish dressing him. I don’t understand why he keeps asking me to do this. He must know how to tie his own tie. Is this a strange power trip thing?

“How did you manage dressing yourself before I got here?” I accept the silky material and our fingers graze. Electricity courses through my limbs.

“Not as enjoyably.” His eyes skate over my hair. “You look different.”

“I wanted to try something new. Thank you for giving the okay.” I try to avoid his gaze but I can’t help steal a quick glimpse. Blue eyes bore into me. “I planned on paying for it.”

“Consider it part of your compensation package.” He pauses. “For being such a competent assistant.”

“Is that what I am?” I loop the tie around his neck, positioning it under his collar just so. Why do my hands always have to shake when I’m this close to him? Always!

“You’ve made some other changes, too.”

My mouth drops open. How does he know about that?

He nods toward my eyebrows.

“Oh, right.” I exhale with relief, earning his curious frown. “My mama always told me that I’d look silly with thin eyebrows.”

“She was obviously wrong.”

He’s acting so different now. But I guess he always does within these walls, and when we’re in private. It’s when we’re out there that the cold Mr. Wolf persona makes itself known.

I like this version—my private version of him—better. I wish we could hide in here all day.

“Have you called home lately?”

“I’ve had a few calls, but I haven’t talked to my mama since the night I arrived.” It’s a strange question to ask, coming from him. “Why?”

“No reason. I figured you were the type of girl to call home every day.”

“Calling home every day means getting a status report on my ex every day. No thanks.” Not even the mention of Jed can diminish the impact this man has on me when I’m standing this close to him, dressing him. And who thought dressing a man could be such a turn on?

“Still have your mind on him?”

“Not so much.” Not right now. The throb between my legs has begun again. I work quickly, needing to step away from him, to be alone with his calendar and my coffee and not able to do or say something stupid or unprofessional in front of him.

He smirks, like he knows it. “Are you still afraid that you’ll take him back if he comes to his senses?”

“Don’t you mean to ask if I’m still the silly farm girl pining over a spineless dickhead?”

He flinches, and it makes me feel good. Maybe he regrets his unsympathetic words. But why is he getting so personal, all of a sudden? “There. Done.” I run my hand over his tie to line the two ends together, swallowing hard as my fingers graze the hard curves of his chest. I’ve seen it bare enough times to know exactly what’s beneath his shirt. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse. Had I not witnessed him naked, I’d be left only to my imagination, and my imagination couldn’t have come up with something as incredible as the real deal.

Henry reaches up to touch a few strands of my hair and I freeze. I usually have it pulled back in a braid, but today I left it down, so in love with how silky it feels, how it cascades over my shoulders and back. “Thank you,” he finally offers, a rare softness flickering in his eyes.

His gaze drops to my lips, but it’s his exhale I feel skate across them as he sighs. “You understand why I said what I did to you yesterday, right?”

“Because I’m your assistant and people can’t get the wrong idea.”

His hand curls into a fist around my hair at my nape, tugging it softly until my head tips back. “There’s a lot at stake for me here, Abbi. Things are a lot more complicated than you can imagine.” He leans in closer, until his mouth is inches away from mine. So painfully close that a tiny gasp escapes my mouth. I can’t believe this is happening.

This can’t be my imagination or my wishful thinking anymore. Either Henry’s a cruel, cruel man...

Or he’s attracted to me.

The words are on the tip of my tongue, a plea for him to stop torturing me like this. But I stifle those words, afraid he won’t give in, that he’ll choose to dismiss me entirely.

“You are so goddamn sweet.” His lips skim over mine as he whispers, “I don’t even like sweet. I like filthy and unemotional. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m at a pivotal moment in my career and you are fucking with my head.”

“I’m sorry.” I close my eyes, silently begging him to press his lips against mine, to let me slide my tongue against his, taste his mouth. It has to be him making that move; I’ve humiliated myself too many times.

Our hot breath mixes between us, the seconds growing longer as my nipples grow tight and my breasts grow heavy and the throb between my legs becomes unbearable, my panties drenched.

And he hasn’t pulled back.

“I need to know that you can keep your feelings for me in check when we’re in public. Can you do that?”

When we’re in public? My heart pounds inside my chest. “What about in private?”

Henry’s phone begins to ring and he breaks free of me instantly, almost as if the sound was a warning alarm. I nearly topple over with frustration. Taking a step back to grab his suit jacket, he says, “We have our daily status meeting this morning, right?”

“Right. Because of your afternoon sail.” Oh God. Every part of my body is hot now, from my scalp right down to my core.

He lets out a deep exhale, the only sign that the unexpected moment had any effect on him at all. Not the only sign, I realize as he answers his phone and my eyes drift to the prominent bulge at the front of his dress pants.

What the hell just happened?

I trail him out, leaving all my rational thoughts scattered on the floor.

~ ~ ~ ~

The meeting runs exactly the same as it did the last two times, only now I’m out of sorts and struggling to pay attention. I’ve played our moment through my mind a dozen times since our silent walk from the cabin.

Henry nearly kissed me this morning. Why? I know my hair looks good, but I haven’t changed that much.

His knee bobs impatiently, mere inches away from mine. So much closer than he has been in the past. Close enough that I could reach over and touch him. My fingers itch with the urge, but I know that wouldn’t go over well.

What is happening between us?

“Staff update, Belinda?”

“We’ve had a few incidents.”

That helps break the spell that Henry has cast on me. I glance up to find Belinda’s sharp eyes flickering to me.

But it’s Pierre who speaks. “Two nights ago, one of the bar staff members took it upon herself to feed a celebrity guest free scotches all night at the bar.”

Now Henry frowns. “Why?”

“Apparently the guest was upset that she mixed up his scotch for a cheap brand, so she figured she’d ease his anger with a few on the house.”

“How many dollars’ worth?”

“A grand. It was a very rare bottle.”

Henry shakes his head to himself.

Now Belinda steps in. “That’s not all. Security has her going to his hotel room after her shift was over.”

“Bow-chicka-wow-wow,” Ryan mutters absently, the only indication that he’s paying attention as he scans his phone.

“You’ve terminated employment?” Henry asks.

“Not yet. I wanted to—”