Free The Hookup Hoax by Heather Thurmeier Page A

was one of the few who could hold up her end of the conversation and do it with style, smarts, and sarcasm. The combo was a definite turn-on.
    “Better company than his best friend and his adoring little sister? Never.” Little sister hung in the air between them. No matter how much he enjoyed her company, or how attracted he was to her, she was still a fake date.
    No real relationship. No real ties. No real feelings.
    If only it wasn’t so exhausting trying to remember that all the time. He shifted in the booth. His whole body ached from tension, as if he’d run a marathon instead of having an average day at work. But maybe that’s because it wasn’t exactly average.
    Not with Olivia around.
    He’d expended more energy trying not to watch her all day than he had on actually accomplishing work. It had been exhausting, staring at a computer screen but not seeing a single idea through to fruition. Olivia in work clothes could definitely be considered a distraction. There was something so sexy about her business attire. The whole boss/secretary fantasy flitted through his mind—her lying across his desk, skirt pushed up her thighs, blouse open, and breasts exposed.
    He stifled a groan. Tomorrow, he’d get back into his normal work groove. Now was not the time to let his work slide, or his entire company would suffer. He wanted nothing more than to leave work at work, but he couldn’t. “Listen, about what happened in my office today—”
    “I never should have bothered you about not eating or about working too much. How you spend your day is your business, not mine.”
    “If you’d let me finish, I was going to say thank you for playing along and fetching me lunch. I would never normally ask you to, but when I saw Matt walk up, it was the first thing I thought of that sounded sort of boyfriend-y.”
    “I didn’t mind. I was just happy to know you got something to eat and had more than just coffee to drink.” She bit her lower lip, looking guilty. And sexy. “Did you enjoy your spinach salad and kale chips?”
    “They were awful and not nearly coffee-flavored enough.” Seriously, kale and chips should never be combined in any form.
    “You’re welcome.” She laughed and her energy lit up her eyes, making them sparkle.
    Leaning across the corner of the table, he slipped his hand around the nape of her neck and peered into her eyes. This time, her concern didn’t aggravate him. It was kind of sweet, endearing—it triggered something unfamiliar inside him.
    He’d let his stubbornness take the front seat, and as a result, Olivia had left his office feeling chastised for wanting to do something good for him. Had he ever done that to other employees without knowing it? Maybe his business was failing because he was a shitty boss.
    If he’d done this to anyone else at work, made anyone else feel this way, he would be annoyed at himself. But the fact that it was Olivia ate at his insides. Maybe it was because she was his friend’s little sister and he felt the need to protect her.
    He feared it was something more.
    Kissing her had sparked something deep in his soul and he hadn’t felt right since. And the way she’d looked at him afterward had spoiled him for any other expression. He’d seen happiness and desire in her eyes, and now seeing anything else was a sword to his chest.
    “I’m sorry I overreacted at work. I’ve been stressed. The truth is, if this Marcus project doesn’t come through, I might have to shut the doors to Sterling Enterprises.”
    “Tell me how I can help, and I’ll try my best.”
    He knew she would. No one could travel and work with only a backpack for five years without setting a goal and making it happen. “I’m hoping you can share some of your traveling experiences so we get a glimpse into what life is like for the people we’ll be marketing to in other countries.”
    She put her hand on his knee and gently squeezed it, as if to comfort him.
    She did. More than she