he demanded.

I nodded slowly, handing him the pin and staying as still as possible.

I felt so exposed, so open. I held my breath when his fingers brushed my temple, replacing the hairpin I was wearing with the one he’d bought for me. He dragged his fingers from my temple down my cheek. I hoped he wouldn’t go even lower, that... ahhh, turned out to be just wishful thinking. He only skimmed his fingers down my neck, but I was barely hanging in there.

“There. It looks great on you.”

“Thanks, Winston.”

He took a small step back but was still close enough to make my body hum.

“Ready for tonight?” I asked. “It would be cool if you could stay a while.”

Winston’s smile grew more pronounced.

“Of course I will. Have to cash in on that open promise you made.”

“I never promised!”

“Yes, you did. Got me to join, didn’t you?”

“If you were so sure I’d accepted, you wouldn’t bring it up.”

“Just thought I’d remind you. Say yes, and I’ll stay however long you want me to.”

“You’re negotiating?”

He tilted his head. “Anything to get what I want.”

“And what’s that?”

“A ‘yes’ from you, Sienna.”

My palms grew sweaty. Just when I thought I had a grip on things, Winston changed the rules of the game. I couldn’t say no, could I? If it kept him here, it was good for everyone’s morale. Who was I kidding? I wanted to say yes to whatever this man demanded of me, pure and simple.

I nodded, and his eyes turned almost feral. That hum in my body intensified by the factor of a million.

For the rest of the day, I had a ball of anticipation and euphoria lodged in my stomach. Every time I touched the hairpin, I couldn’t help smiling to myself, just as I couldn’t help the butterflies in my stomach or the electrifying heat jolting through me.

Later that afternoon, one of my colleagues, Jane, approached my desk.

“Hi, Jane. How can I help you?”

“I want to ask your advice on something.”

“Sure.”

“So, in the gift exchange, I got Winston.”

“Okay.”

“I bought him socks. You think that’s okay?”

Okay? That was terrible.

I wanted to reassure Jane in some way, but I’d never had a good poker face.

“He won’t like it, will he? I just had zero time for shopping.”

Tags: Layla Hagen The Bennett Family Romance
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