Falling Under You: A Fixed Trilogy Novella (1001 Dark Nights) Read Online Free PDF Page A

cold. Or was that a fever? Whatever, I came back tired, achy and soaked in perspiration, and the buzz between my legs was stronger than ever.
    I was distracted by it through the rest of the morning. Gwen and I caught up on America’s Got Talent before she planned to go to bed for the day—her job at a nightclub kept her on a strange schedule. Afterward, I couldn’t remember a single thing I’d watched, but I could recall with clarity every moment I’d spent with Boyd the night before. That wasn’t a subject I planned on discussing with Gwen, though. So most of my responses to her were nods and grunts. Then she’d gone to sleep, thankfully, except after that I was left alone with the agony of my desire.
    The rest of the night was more of the same, and Sunday as well. By Monday morning, I’d run over twenty miles, cleaned my entire house, taken five showers, and not thought about Boyd Barrett about a thousand times. Maybe even two thousand times. And now I had to go to work and face him.
    Help me God.
    I decided to go in early. That way I could sneak into my office without having to pass him on the way in. It wasn’t until I was in the elevator on my way to my floor that I remembered I also didn’t want to see Hudson. Several years with a clean, respectable work record, and in one evening I’d shattered my reputation with not one, but two, colleagues. The two colleagues who were the most important to me, no less.
    Jesus, maybe I did need to quit.
    It wasn’t yet seven, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Hudson were already working. Often, he slept in the loft above his office, which made an early appearance more probable than one from Boyd. Anxiety rose in my chest, an odd feeling for me since I was usually composed and calm. As soon as the doors opened, I ducked my head and scurried down the hallway, letting out a sigh of relief when I made it past Hudson’s office without seeing him.
    And then gasping sharply when I ran into him, instead, outside my own office.
    “Norma, I was hoping you’d be here early. I wondered if I could have a few minutes of your time.”
    Oh, fuck. This was it. He was going to bring up Friday night. He’d even come to my office to talk instead of calling me to his like usual, probably so he could remind me of my place. Or for some other psychological reason that I hadn’t figured out yet in my head.
    Strangely, I wasn’t that anxious about it. I was more worried about Boyd.
    Glancing past Hudson to make sure my assistant wasn’t yet here, I said, “Yes, sure. Come on in. Let’s talk.”
    “Excellent.” He followed me into my office and made himself comfortable while I turned on the lights and booted my computer.
    When I was ready, I pasted on a confident smile and said, “Shoot.” I braced myself for the firing, sure that he wouldn’t actually let me go, but worried I’d want to when he was done.
    But, instead of scolding, he said, “I’m having second thoughts on the Pershing purchase. Can we reevaluate that before we complete the sale?”
    And just like that we were back to normal. Which was why the confrontation with Boyd worried me more. I’d guessed there was a good chance that Hudson would pretend my advances never happened and would treat me just like he always did. He was good at compartmentalizing. The master.
    Boyd, on the other hand…
    I didn’t know yet how he would be, but it wasn’t him I was concerned about—it was me . How the hell was I supposed to face him without blushing? Without feeling squirmy and overheated? Without wanting more of…well, of whatever it was he wanted to give me. Which I absolutely should not want. Or act on. Or even dream about.
    Fortunately, my meeting with Hudson was distracting. And it was brief enough that he was gone before anyone else arrived. As soon as he left, I shut my door. As if that would hide me from Boyd. I laughed at the idea.
    Then I sat down, and when I could finally get myself to focus on something other than my