Boss (8 page)

Her hands were still trembling as she selected some music then put in her earbuds and walked toward the fitness center.

Though the area wasn’t large, it was well equipped with a small free weight area, a few circuit machines and plenty of cardio pieces, all of which faced windows and had views of a downtown park.

She froze when she saw Nathan on the treadmill next to the one she liked to use. It was difficult to believe she’d been in the locker room for so long that he’d managed to beat her to the fitness center.

His headset was plugged into the machine, and he was watching business news on the attached monitor.

He wore a dove-gray T-shirt and shorts that showcased his powerful, muscular legs.

Damn.
How was it possible that he was more appealing out of a suit than in it? He ran with a fluid, purposeful grace, making the exertion seem effortless.

Everything in her responded to him. Her pulse thundered, her lips felt parched. On some deep, core level, she wanted to be possessed by him.

She’d never had that kind of visceral reaction to a man before, and it terrified her, made her edgy.

Kelsey had a moment of choice. Leave before he noticed she was there, or be brave and pretend it didn’t matter that they’d be alone, not just in the building but in the small room.

Then the decision was made for her.

Chapter Three

In the window’s reflection, Nathan met her gaze and didn’t let it go. He seemed focused on her in a way he hadn’t been earlier.

For a wild moment, she wondered if he’d known she would head for the fitness center rather than going home. Then she shook her head to clear it. The thought was ludicrous. Even if he cared what she did, a man like Nathan Donovan wouldn’t alter his plans to spend more time with her.

She rationalized that it would be ridiculous to skip her workout just because her boss was in the same room and she’d noticed how masculine and appealing he was, so she fiddled with the settings on her phone, pretending she’d been doing that all along.

As she walked behind him, he gave a curt nod.

Maybe he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to actually speak to her. She hoped.

After stepping onto the belt, she selected her favorite workout music, a mix of pop tunes from various decades by different artists. Kelsey pretended to ignore him and her questions about whether or not he was a Dom and concentrated on pushing the correct buttons to program her machine for an interval workout. Satisfied, she pressed the green button to begin.

She started at a medium pace. Over the next few minutes, the belt went faster until she was at an easy jog.

Even though the music in her ear was loud and she was into her own workout, she could hear his feet pounding on the machine next to her, making every part of her aware of him. He set a punishing, grueling pace that she realized was most likely a metaphor for the way he approached life.

Did he ever slow down or relax? And would she ever be able to keep up?

Helpless to resist his magnetic draw, she glanced over at him.

Sweat dotted his brow, and his Donovan Worldwide T-shirt clung to his damp skin. Seemingly unaware of her, he continued to focus on the screen in front of him.

Or so she thought, until he suddenly turned his head and caught her looking at him. He captured her gaze, compelling her not to look away.

What was it about him?

Unnerved, she missed a step and had to grab the rail to steady herself.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Obviously he hadn’t missed a thing. His lack of attention had been an act.

With a half-smile, she nodded and found her stride again.

For the next few minutes, she played with the controls for the television monitor, looking for something to occupy her interest—anything to drown out the overwhelming man next to her.

She found a comedy show, and since it had captioning on, was able to immerse herself. Until he reprogrammed his machine and slowed to a walk.

His machine beeped and he hit the stop button.

He was barely breathing hard, which seemed really unfair.

Then he pulled off his shirt and wiped it across his face.

If she hadn’t been holding on, she might have misstepped again.

She’d been very much aware of his size and breadth, but until now, she hadn’t realized just how muscular and toned he was. His abs were hard and tight, and there wasn’t any excess fat on him. Everything about him, from his posture to his attitude to the state of his body, screamed restraint and discipline and, damn it, sex appeal.

He went to find sanitizer and cleaned off the machine.

Finally.
She’d have the place to herself and could finish her workout in solitude.

Instead, he pulled his shirt back on before walking into the free weight area.

Because he was looking in a mirror to check his form, she was free to study his reflection.

As he bench-pressed enormous plates, she noticed the flex of each of his muscles.

Her heart rate accelerated in a way that had nothing to do with the workout. She told herself she’d never hit the gym with her boss again. He was too dangerous to her physical state.

A few minutes later, he finished his weight training. He lifted a hand in acknowledgment as he passed behind her.

She waited a few minutes to make sure he was gone before ending her workout and crossing to the locker room.

Rather than changing into her regular clothes, she toweled off then reapplied some mascara.

After pulling on a lightweight jacket and slinging her bag over her shoulder, she grabbed her purse and exited into the hallway.

Nathan Donovan stood there, arms folded, leaning against the wall, waiting for her.

She stopped so quickly that her bag slipped to her forearm.

Quickly, he took two steps toward her to readjust it.

“I… That’s not necessary.” And because he raised an eyebrow, she added, “But thank you.”

With her in tennis shoes instead of heels, he loomed even taller, broader. He’d showered, if his damp hair and the scent of the woods after a rain were anything to go by. And he looked devastating. He wore a crisp, white, long-sleeved shirt, with the top two buttons open. His slacks were gray, and his shoes had a mirror-like polish. The addition of a buttery leather bomber jacket was enough to make her weak.

More than ever, she felt as if she were at a disadvantage. The man overwhelmed her.

“I think you should let me buy you dinner.”

To hide her shock, she said, “I’m sorry?”

“Today has been…unusual. I want to be sure we get off to a good start.”

“It’s a little late for that, Mr. Donovan.”

“Which is even more reason to let me buy you dinner.”

She gave him a false smile. “Really, it’s not necessary.”

“I insist, Ms. Lane.”

“I’m hardly dressed to go out,” she told him, especially with him looking so fresh and in charge. Though damn it, her traitorous pulse thundered at the idea.

She wanted to dislike him, and she certainly did on some level. But she also couldn’t deny how much he physically appealed to her.

Her resolve was complicated by the sudden, wickedly hot images tumbling through her mind…of being in his arms, of him looking at her purposefully before lowering his mouth toward hers, of him skimming his fingers up her spine.

She shook her head. Thinking of her boss in that way would be a rabbit hole leading to pure, pure madness.

Damn pheromones.

“We don’t have to go anywhere fancy,” he persisted.

“Perhaps another time.”

“You need to eat,” he countered. “If I’m correct, you skipped lunch, like I did.”

“Are you accustomed to always getting your way?” She tilted her head back.

“Yes.”

He let the word hang between them long enough that she squirmed and looked away. How the hell did he manage to do this to her?

“And I always get it when I’m determined to have it.” He paused. “When it’s important.”

Was he saying that she was important to him?

“We’re going to be working together, Kelsey. Presumably for a very long time.”

Somehow, he’d managed to read her mind. And that frightened her more than anything. “That’s exactly why it’s best to keep it professional,” she said, though she wanted nothing more than to accept.

“I’m not implying anything otherwise.”

What the hell was going on here? Of course he hadn’t implied otherwise. Just because she was having reckless thoughts about him being a Dom and spanking her didn’t mean it was mutual. Embarrassment clawed at her, heating her from the inside out.

“There’s a sandwich and coffee shop a few doors down.”

“Marvin’s,” she said quickly, too quickly, eager to move on from her revealing mistake.

“They have espresso drinks.”

“And the best chocolate cake on the planet.” And it was okay to pop in wearing workout clothes or a suit. “How do you know about it?” She frowned at him. Though Marvin’s had a good reputation, it was more of a neighborhood place, or somewhere people knew about if they worked nearby.

“I’ve needed coffee and food over the past few weekends. The building attendant recommended it.”

Which meant he
had
been spending time in this area.

“I’ll even buy your dinner,” he said.

“I’m pretty expensive,” she warned. That ought to slow his miserly ass down.

“Some things are worth the price,” he told her, a smile flirting with the corner of his mouth.

Her breath caught. Anything but that.
Anything
but him being charming.

“It’s only a meal,” he said with a light shrug. “What harm can there be?”

Intuitively she knew the question wasn’t as harmless as it sounded, not to her, anyway. With his searing eyes and inviting words, the man demolished her resistance.

“What do you say?” he asked. “We could have a truce for the time being.”

Damn him. He’d worn her down. Truth was, she wanted to spend time with him more than she wanted to avoid him. “Half an hour,” she relented.

He reached for her duffel bag.

“Thanks, but I can manage,” she protested.

“I’m sure you can.” Without further argument, he took it from her.

Though she’d never admit it, she appreciated him carrying the extra weight.

He led the way to the elevator and pressed the lobby button as the door closed to seal them inside.

She moved to the far side, away from him, overly conscious of her post-workout attire and the way his presence overwhelmed her. They were inside the elevator less than three seconds before she realized that agreeing to spend more time with him was a mistake.

Once they glided to a stop and the doors whooshed open, he stepped aside like a gentleman and allowed her to exit first.

“Evening, Mr. Donovan. Ms. Lane,” the on-duty security guard said.

More and more, she was discovering how well known her new boss was. Even though she’d never met him until today, it was obvious he had taken the opportunity to interact with people.

He held open the oversize glass door. The early November air hung heavy with moisture, chilling her. She zipped up her jacket a little farther.

Like he had when they walked to the conference room this morning, he fell in step next to her.

“Do you always work such long hours?” she asked.

“It’s not unusual,” he replied. “You?”

“Mr. Newman often told me I shouldn’t, but yes. I like to be organized.”

“It’s appreciated.”

When they entered the coffee shop, she inhaled the scent of sugar dancing on the air. It was a good thing she’d already worked out.

“Chocolate cake?” Marvin guessed when she walked to the counter after taking a peek at the pastry case.

“Come here often?” Nathan teased.

“I’ve been in once or twice,” she replied.

“A day,” Marvin added helpfully, after wiping his hands on his apron.

“There goes your tip,” she told the older man. “What are you doing here so late, anyway?”

“Lydia wasn’t feeling well,” he replied, mentioning his daughter. “So I sent her home. Told her I would cover for her.” He shrugged. “Figured I’d keep baking since I was here.”

“The place smells amazing.” Her mouth was already watering.

“Cappuccino to go with that?”

“Please.”

He glanced at the clock. “Decaf?”

“That would be perfect. Thanks.”

He started to enter the amount into the cash register but she hooked her thumb toward Nathan. “He’s paying.”

“About time you brought a young man in here.”

Heat seared her face. “He’s my boss.”

“Anything you say, Kelsey.” Marvin nodded, as if he didn’t believe her.

She glanced over her shoulder at Nathan, frantically hoping he wasn’t as mortified as she was.

Nathan quirked an eyebrow at the man and gave a conspiratorial shrug.

“What will it be, Kelsey’s boss?”

“We’re sharing the cake.”

“What?” She spun to face him. “I don’t share my cake. Not with you. Not with anyone.”

He swept his gaze over her before saying, “You can’t eat the whole thing.”

“Watch me.”

“Two forks,” he said to Marvin. Ignoring her scowl, Nathan continued, “I’ll have a cappuccino, as well. Regular.”

“I’m serious,” she warned him.

“Your
boss
must know you well if he knows you always get a to-go box,” Marvin said.

Shaking her head at both of them, she went to her favorite table and watched Nathan finish placing his order then pull out enough cash to pay the bill. She unzipped her jacket and hung her purse from the chair back while still watching him. He went up a bit in her estimation when she saw him stuff a five-dollar bill in the tip jar.

After putting his wallet back into his pocket, he sought her out with his gaze.

For a wild moment, she wondered what it would be like if they were more than employer and employee. But before the thought could careen across her mind and spin out of control, she shoved it aside and took her seat.

Nathan Donovan was her boss. Nothing more. Not ever.

He sat across from her and dropped her duffel bag at his side. “You know I invited you here for ulterior motives,” he said.