The Secretary and Her Boss

Chapter 22

I was wrapped in a warm blanket, half asleep on the living room couch. The television was still on, making everything loud. A nature documentary was playing, birds shouting, bugs buzzing monologues about their turfs.

"Turn it off," I muttered.

My blanket moved, and I rolled, trying to get it back, territorial of it as it was yanked away. But as I reached for it, the blanket shifted, warm and solid and nothing like a blanket—

My eyes snapped open, and I was horrified to find myself snuggled up against Laurence's chest on top of the platform, still in the middle of the rainforest. Apparently, my body hadn't received the memo that touching Laurence was a no-no. He appeared to still be asleep, body relaxed, one arm behind his head like a makeshift pillow, showcasing the lean muscles along his arm.

Panicked, I rolled in the opposite direction, and nearly fell off the edge of the platform— my eyes filled with the early morning light that painting the forest gold and made everything honey colored— before Laurence's arm wrapped around my waist and tugged me back against his body.

"Despite what HR would think about our current position, I hope you will attempt to work on staying away from danger. At least until I'm healed and better suited to stop your falls," Laurence murmured, his voice groggy with sleep.

"I thought you were asleep," I replied, breathless.

"Hard to sleep. You sleep talk," he replied.

Heart beating wildly— a side effect from nearly falling to my death and no other reason— I slowly peeled his arm away and sat up, staring down at the drop with a shudder. "Noted."

Standing to my feet with a stretch, I rubbed sleep from my eyes and did my best not to remember how utterly terrible the rest of the night had gone after our shared kiss. Not that much could top a kiss like that.

Laurence and I had had fallen into an awkward silence, staring at each other, unsure of how to proceed after screaming and kissing during a rainstorm— clothes drenched, bodies humming with unfinished business— and after several hesitant moments, we moved back under the rain jacket tarp, doing our best not to touch each other.

The rain continued through the night, so loud, and insistent that it took away all ability to communicate— which worked just fine for me, I didn't want to talk. Not with him. Not about what happened. As it currently stood, looking at him would be a challenge.

Moving to the edge of the platform, I tried to shake off the feeling of Laurence's arm wrapped protectively around my waist as I stared out at the view, trying to map our location.

It proved difficult, the forest swirling into a misty tapestry of green and golden colors before me, my mind heavy with unsettled sleep, hand throbbing with pain.

How on earth are we supposed to get home when I can't even look at him long enough to make a plan?

"LILY AUUUUUTUMNS!!!" A voice shouted, cutting through the morning like an airhorn. "LAURENCE ROOOOOYAL!"

Michale.

I bolted down the ladder awkwardly, trying to avoid certain fingers before I was running through the rainforest toward his voice, desperate to catch him before he could move on to look somewhere else. I ignored the way my legs wobbled, the pain in my hand, the touch of Laurence across my waist and instead focused on being found.

"MICHALE!" I shouted. "Over here!"

I was suddenly sideswiped, Michale tackling me from a nearby bush that I hadn't seen him looking into, and was knocked over, Michale wrapping his arms around me, eyes filled with tears. "DON'T EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!"