As badly as the board had handled the spying and hacking scandal, Heather knew she wouldn’t have been able to get a better deal if she had pursued a lawsuit on her own. Simon’s power was so expansive that he still called the shots even after he had resigned.
If she refused everything he was offering, Dover would lose him. Which would put all their jobs in serious jeopardy, including hers. There was no way Dover could survive over the long term without Simon’s leadership. Not after a senior board member getting arrested for hacking and stealing ideas from Simon.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I agree to these conditions.”
“In that case, the board is going to need a few hours to discuss this,” Agnes said. “In the meantime, perhaps you can return to your office while we deliberate, Ms. Hall.”
Heather could sense the board’s resentment, but there was nothing she could do about it now. This was corporate politics at the highest level, and she didn’t have the skills for it.
With a nod, Heather headed over to the door and stepped out when Simon opened it for her.
“That went well.” He shut the door behind him and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Simon, why didn’t you tell me that you planned to do all that?” she asked.
“Because you would have tried to talk me out of it.” He took a step towards her, now standing so close that the heat of his solid body practically burned through her clothing.
She craned her neck to look up at him, but she didn’t have the heart to give him the glare he deserved. Not now that they were alone together for the first time in days. They hadn’t seen each other since the arrest, and just standing near him made her heart flutter.
After days away from him, she had to remind herself that they were at work. He might not be the CEO at the moment, but she still had to be professional.
Heather held up her hands between them, trying to create a boundary so she didn’t do something rash like kiss him. “Do you think they’ll agree to your terms?”
He shrugged. “That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“It depends on whether they want me as badly as I want you.” His gaze lowered to her mouth, the hungry look in his breathtakingly blue eyes sending a thrill through her. It wasn’t like him to be so intense at work. Simon usually kept his desires in check, maintaining an air of professionalism.
But now that his future at Dover was up in the air, he was looking at her like he was ready to tear her clothes off and devour her.
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed. “Simon, we’re at work.”
“I’ve missed you.” His voice was a low, seductive growl that turned her insides to jelly.
A soft sigh escaped her and suddenly his hand lifted to the nape of her neck and he guided her closer to him.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said breathlessly.
His lips hovered so close to hers that they were only a hair’s breadth from actually kissing.
A delicious heat settled in her stomach and all she wanted was to fall into his arms.
“Come away with me,” he said.
Surprise made her head jerk back. “What? What are you talking about?”
“Your vacation,” he said. “If the board lets you take time off and grants me a leave of absence, why can’t we spend that time together?”
Her heart was racing at the thought of finally spending real time with him. Only...
She tilted her head, scrutinizing him. “Simon, what are we?”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“I mean...” She blushed again and chewed on her bottom lip as she grappled to find the words. “I mean, after everything we said to each other last week and over the weekend, I want to know what our relationship is. Are we friends? Are we dating?”
“I thought we’d already settled that.” He frowned, his brow furrowing. “Heather, I love you. I adore you. Can’t you guess what that means?”
“I don’t want to guess, I want to hear you say it,” she chided. They had finally found the courage to bare their souls to each other and declare their love. But she still had to know exactly what he wanted. “I need to know your intentions.”