I bit back my smile and moved around his desk until I could perch myself on his lap. His hand rested possessively on the curve of my butt.
“You didn’t have to bring me coffee, but thank you.”
“I know you always have one around this time. I figured I’d go ahead and get it without you having to come out and yell at me about it.”
“I can see I’ve trained you well.”
I rolled my eyes at him and took a sip of the hot liquid.
“Did you see the email from Carina?” he asked, conducting business as though his hand wasn’t caressing up and down my thigh.
“I did.”
“Any questions?’
“A few, but I emailed her back personally.”
“Good. You can always come to me for help, too.”
“Thank you, Erik.”
He set his coffee aside and leaned up to press kisses along my neck. “Who knows, maybe marketing is the path you take. I know your internship requires two years here, but there are marketing roles we can have you focus on.”
I smiled and tipped my head to the side, liking the picture he was painting of my future. I wanted to respond, but everything became hazy with the wet heat of his tongue slipping along my collarbone.
“How do we do this?” I asked.
He paused his assault and lifted his gaze to mine. “Let’s keep it between us. Not because I don’t want people to know, but I want to avoid rude gossip. I’m also not big on PDA in the office.”
“Says the man who has me on his lap and is assaulting my neck.”
“All is fair behind closed doors.”
Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his and shivered as his hand moved from my thigh up to my breast, his thumb stroking my nipple. I was ready to straddle his lap and really dive in when there was a knock at the door.
“Erik,” Jared called through the door. “Remember our meeting is in twenty.”
Erik sighed and his head fell forward to rest on my shoulder. “Yeah, be there in ten.”
“Does Jared know?”
He huffed a laugh. “I think he’s always known.”
“Umm…” I didn’t know what that meant.
“He and Ian gave me shit from the first moment they saw the way I looked at you.”
Heat burned my cheeks. “Oh. Do they think…”
“No. They don’t think that’s the only reason you’re here.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. That’s good.”
“I have no doubt you’ll prove your worth, Alexandra.”
“Thank you.” I leaned in as he stroked his thumb across my cheek. “Is the meeting with Jared about your other activities?”
He smiled. “No, this meeting is just a boring analysis of a new program.”
“Can I ask a question? I don’t want to keep you.”
“I can make a little more time for a pretty girl on my lap.”
I pressed a quick peck to his lips, basking in his praise. “You mentioned before that you made enemies when you first started. What did you mean?”
His eyes dropped and his chest rose with a deep breath, pressing against my arm.
“You don’t have to tell me. I was just curious and I worry about you.”
“There’s no need to worry.” He brushed hair back from my face. “I don’t go on extractions anymore.”
“But you did.”
He swallowed. “I did.”
“Why don’t you anymore?”
He held my stare and the longer he went without saying anything, the more nervous I got.
“Tell me,” I whispered.
“I was loud my first year, calling myself Robin Hood, and like I said, I made enemies. One time, about a year into it, one of my enemies caught up with me. I went into his trap and let’s just say, I almost didn’t come out.”
“Erik,” I gasped, my hand covering my mouth.
“A few of his guys remained behind to rough me up. I probably would have died if Jared hadn’t found me. He was looking into the same sale.”
Tears burned my eyes. “Did they catch him?”
He winced. “No.”
“Erik, oh my God. And you still do this? He could come after you.”
“Baby, relax.” He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “I don’t go under the same name anymore. I buried Robin Hood after that and I don’t go out anymore. A security firm handles it all. We just track the sales. Besides, for all they know, they think I’m dead.”
I took in his words, they eased the pressure his confession had caused in my chest. Then I thought about how he’d shown up at the hotel the first night. “But you came for me.”
His eyes softened, warming to a deep green. “Of course I did.”
“Erik.” I wiped my eyes. “Promise me you won’t put yourself in danger again. Please.”
“Don’t worry, Alexandra. I already promised my mom. And your case was different. I wouldn’t have gone otherwise.”
“And when you came for me again when my sister tried to sell me?”
His tone turned hard. “Don’t ask me to not come save you. I can’t ever promise that.” He narrowed his eyes. “But of course, we won’t have that issue if you don’t go off on your own either.“