Corporate Fire: Corporate Romance Book 1 by Evelyn Aster

you to disappear again without giving me some details of your life. You've gotten off pretty easily--” Grace bent her head down, and a laugh slipped out. “But maybe not as easy as me.”
    Royce laughed all out. “I'm trying not to hope for that happening again before we leave. I'm not sure how long I'll be on waivers with you.”
    “It depends on how you answer my questions. Could you pass me a waffle?”
    He swapped her plate for a waffle plate, and she licked a forkful of whipped cream before he said, “I live in Maryland.”
    Grace slouched. She'd guessed it wouldn’t be in Colorado, but the reality always seemed worse than what was in her head. “Damn.”
    Royce wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin before sliding over and kneeling before her. “I can just have the company send me to Denver instead of home on the weekends whenever you want. And if they don't go for it, I have a lot of frequent flier miles. It's part of my benefits.”
    She cupped his face in her hands. “And then what? Even if I found a job in Maryland, it's not like you'd ever be there either.”
    He placed his hands on her hips and kissed her softly.
    When he pulled away without saying anything, she said, “You mentioned you grew up here. Do you still have family here?”
    His hands tightened on her hips. “My parents and brother. I haven't talked to my brother for years.”
    His voice sounded angry. She said slowly, “So you're not looking to move back here.”
    “Denver's big, and it would be easy to ignore my brother especially since as you say, I'm never around anyway. And I miss the mountains, but my job is important to me.”
    She stared straight at him and finally had the nerve to ask the question she'd been wondering most about. “Why do you lay people off for a living?”
    He frowned and said, “I guess that's a fair question. I'm good at it. Corporations are rat bastards. I want to make the process a little better.”
    “Why not just let them do their own dirty work? You're good with people. You could thrive in a dozen other jobs.”
    “No fair using my lines back at me.”
    With more clarity than she'd had all weekend, she said, “Your job is going to be a sore point between us. I don't see how to get around it.”
    He pleaded, his eyes looking like a little boy's. “Why don't we just give a weekend relationship a try?”
    “You have no idea what you're asking. I've never allowed a man inside my apartment.”
    He blinked as if without comprehension. He recovered quickly and said, “That's okay. We'll take it slow. I've got a lot of vacation time and can stay for maybe a week when you're ready. You could stay at the hotel with me, and we could see how it goes.”
    She couldn't answer. Her body definitely wanted to stay close to him at all times, and her heart was screaming at her to give it a try, but her brain kept stopping at the thought of him in her apartment. Eventually he'd want to see it.
    Royce had hurt her before they were even a couple, and now he had the power to cause so much more damage. Her brain was trying to shield her from the possible devastation.
    Royce broke her thoughts with a kiss. His lips warmed her down to her toes and made her recall the feel of his fingers massaging her in places that had never brought her so much pleasure. When he ended the kiss he said, “I know accepting my job is going to be a struggle for you, but please give us a chance. Last night blew me away, and I know you feel the same because you allowed yourself to be vulnerable with me.”
    Grace's skin erupted in goosebumps as he ran his fingers over her arms. “When you were gone this morning, and then when you got called into work, I freaked out. I have no job, I have a broken leg and this man who is so kind and caring travels the country doing corporate downsizing. You're going to have to be patient with me.”
    “I have no qualms about that. I'm sure you'll tell me when I've pushed too far.”
    She nodded her head.
    “Are we