Protect Me Not ((Un)Professionally Yours 2)

“Yeah, see you then,” Chance said with a wave, and jogged up the path toward his incongruously pretty house.

Ty walked the rest of the distance toward Worth Manor, his mind in turmoil. Skoobs remained unaware of the complicated situation that Ty had landed himself in with Vicki. Ty wasn’t sure he would ever be comfortable speaking of his inexcusable breach of policy to a company therapist, no matter how confidential their sessions were purported to be.

Skoobs had cleared him for duty after the incident last week. In fact, the man had given him the all clear after their very first session, and they’d subsequently spoken about Ty’s fear of close friendships and romantic relationships for the remaining two sessions. It had been such a relief to just talk this shit through with someone that Ty had requested additional sessions with the therapist.

Skoobs had been more than happy to schedule the extra sessions, and Ty now had a standing appointment with him every Thursday for the next few months.

None of that helped with his immediate problem, of course…facing Vicki again. A prospect that filled him with equal amounts of dread and excitement.

“You’re back.” Vicki inwardly cringed when she heard the inane words fall from her lips.

God, could she be any more gormless?

But seeing Ty waiting for her at the elevator—after nearly a week of absolutely no contact—left her feeling giddy and disoriented. She hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge how much she had missed him.

She’d been so furious with him after the comforting kiss BS. But after a week without him, she was so damned happy to see him, all of that anger just evaporated. Completely disappeared, like dew on a sunny day.

Seeing him right there, dressed in a navy suit—hair slightly longer than she was used to and starting to wave just a little on top—there was no denying that she’d longed to see him. She’d missed just being in his presence. These dangerous and self-destructive emotions scared her. How was she going to cope when his absence from her life became permanent?

But those were worries for a different day. Right at this moment, Vicki was incapable of preventing a smile from lifting her lips, and she was gratified when Ty seemed equally helpless to stop himself from returning that smile.

“I’m back,” he confirmed. That beautiful, broad smile created interesting furrows at the corners of his mouth. It deepened those rugged grooves in his cheeks, and crinkled the corners of his eyes. He literally stole her breath away when he smiled, but Vicki found that she didn’t even mind the theft. She would happily forego breathing if it meant keeping that expression on his face.

But this was Ty—while smiling suited him beautifully—he would never allow one to grace his face for too long. Within seconds his expression had settled back into neutrality, even though the lingering traces of that smile lived on in his eyes.

“Good,” she said—once she had recovered her breath—sweeping regally past him to enter the elevator. “That was a needlessly long vacation.”

“I wasn’t—” He started protesting as he followed her into the elevator but stopped and narrowed his eyes on her grinning face. “Very funny.”

“I thought so,” she agreed and her grin widened.

He sighed. The sound was long-suffering but belied by the twinkle still present in his eyes. He took up his customary position beside her. He looked at her for a moment, his gaze busily taking inventory of her face and body. The smile in his eyes faded somewhat as his expression darkened at the sight of the fading bruise.

He reached into his breast pocket, withdrew his sunglasses, and put them on, effectively closing himself off from her. Vicki shifted sideways until they were shoulder to—well, lower bicep—and jabbed his side with her elbow. He turned his head and angled it downward. The mirrored sunglasses gave no clue as to his emotions.

“I missed you,” she confessed. “Chance doesn’t glare and growl and scowl nearly as well as you do. It’s unnerving to be around so much good humor all day long.”

His lips twitched.

“Worse, he keeps trying to help out in the shop. Which would be great and all, if he wasn’t so completely hopeless at everything.”

He didn’t say anything, but she sensed his amusement, hard not to when his dimple appeared and disappeared as he fought to keep his smile at bay.

“Now, I know you didn’t miss me,” she continued. “But I thought you should know that I’m glad you’re back.”

“What makes you think I didn’t miss you?” The question surprised her. She stared into that impassive face for a long moment before shifting her shoulders in discomfort.

“You said you didn’t intend to miss me.”

“I don’t intend to miss you after this assignment ends,” he reminded her. “My assignment hasn’t ended yet. I’m allowed to miss you.”

“Just so you know, your rules are bizarre and confusing.”