5

9

BODI

I’mstaringatthe manuscript in front of me, but the words won’t settle in my brain because I’m too occupied thinking about the brunette with the big curls.

When I found her this morning, sitting on my kitchen island wearing, well, nothing, I swear my dick had a fucking heart attack. Seeing her toned leg bob softly, taunting me with its silky skin. It made me forget whatever reasons I had found last night to not take her right then and there. And trust me, I had to dig deep, because really, my mind wanted to drag her to my bedroom as soon as I got home after work. The worst part is that she had no clue. She was just sitting there, eating her breakfast, completely content, not even aware of what she does to me.

Every single part of my body begs me to cross the line with her one last time, and if I didn’t have such a strong mind, I’d be fucked. I need to put her in the friend corner real quick.

I’m helping out a friend.

There is a friend staying with me.

I helped my friend with a job.

My very hot and sexy friend.

“Dammit!” I slam my hand on the desk at the same time a knock sounds on the door. “Come in,” I grunt like a damn grizzly bear.

Kayla’s chipper head pops in, giving me a smile I can’t be mad at, only pissing me off even more.

“Everything alright?”

“Peachy,” I reply with a tight jaw.

She presses her lips together, clearly not buying my shit, then tilts her head in skepticism. “Really? Because you seem stressed.”

You have no idea, babe.

“I’ll be alright.”

She saunters toward me with a list of documents pressed against her chest. Her hips sway from left to right, effortlessly bringing out her gorgeous curves. I raise my chin, forcing myself to look at her face in an attempt to stick to my plan.

She’s a friend, McKay.

“I just did some research on your foundation.”

I quirk an eyebrow in interest, silently wondering why she didn’t just ask.

She shrugs, as if she can read my response. “You never really disclosed what the foundation is about, and I wanted to know what cause I’m working for.”

“Understandable,” I hum.

“Your mom was a drug addict?”

“She was,” I muse.

“So, now you created a foundation that builds low-cost rehab facilities with private level care?” I can see the pride in her eyes, and it hits me right in the heart.

I nod.

“That’s amazing, Bodi. It’s really a good cause.”

“Thank you.” Our eyes stay fixed, the tension rising again. It’s like we can have a complete conversation without uttering a single word, every small feature in our face telling us exactly what we need to know.

“Do you need anything?” I ask to break the spell.

She clears her throat, then takes the seat in front of my desk to hand me a piece of paper. Leaning forward, I grab it, letting my eyes roam over the words.

“What is this?”

“I know you asked me to contact all the suppliers to confirm the date and everything.” She pauses. “But I’ve been bold.”

My eyes snap up to her face, and I’m met by that contagious smirk. The one that makes me forget why she annoys me with her unfazed behavior.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” I mutter, my eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Hear me out. You want to keep the costs as low as possible, right? It’s a charity thing. But at the same time, you want it to look exclusive and luxurious, so you want to hire the best caterer, for example.”

I grunt. “Please tell me you didn’t cancel my caterer?”

“I didn’t. But I threatened to go to the next one on the list because he was charging way too much.”

“You what?” My eyes grow wide. “That’s the best caterer in the city! Do you know how much begging it took me to get him to agree on that date?”

“He was charging way too much, Bodi!”

I just blink. She really has been bold, and I’m not sure if I’m impressed by it or pissed.

“Don’t look at me like that.” She frowns, a little offended.

“Like what?”

“Like I messed it up.” She slogs off in the chair, an assured grin on her pretty lips. “I got him to give us a ten percent discount.”

“You’re kidding.” There is no way in hell the biggest and best caterer in Atlanta gave out a ten percent discount. He’s booked until next year.

“Not even a little bit.” Her expression is serious, but from the way her mouth purses to one side, it shows me she is feeling cocky about this.

It turns me on.

Fuck.

“How did you pull that off?”