After Hours

The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting their sterile glow across the empty office floor. Chasity rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock on her computer screen: 11:47 PM. She’d been staring at spreadsheets for so long the numbers were starting to blur together.

“You still alive over there?”

She looked up to find James leaning against the edge of her cubicle, his tie loosened and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. His dark hair was slightly disheveled from running his hands through it—something he always did when he was concentrating hard.

“Barely,” she admitted with a tired smile. “This quarterly report is killing me.“

“Tell me about it.“ He held up his coffee mug. “I’m going for a refill. Want one?“

“God, yes. You’re a lifesaver.“

They’d been friends since Chasity started at the company three years ago. James had been assigned as her mentor, and what started as a professional relationship had evolved into genuine friendship. They grabbed lunch together, vented about difficult clients, celebrated each other’s wins. He was one of her favorite people.

If she was being honest with herself—which she tried very hard not to be—he was also incredibly attractive. Six feet of lean muscle, sharp jawline, those intense hazel eyes that seemed to see right through her sometimes, but she’d carefully filed those thoughts away in a mental box labeled “Do Not Open.“ He was her friend. Her colleague. Getting involved would be messy and complicated. Even if she’d caught him looking at her sometimes with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

James returned with two steaming mugs, setting one on her desk. “Careful, it’s hot.“

“Thanks.” She wrapped her hands around the ceramic, savoring the warmth. “I can’t believe we’re both still here. Everyone else bailed hours ago.“

“Yeah, well.“ He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, close enough that she could smell his cologne, something woody and masculine that made her stomach flutter. “Someone’s got to make sure this company doesn’t fall apart.“

“Such martyrs, we are.“

“Speaking of which, how much more do you have left?“

Chasity scrolled through her document with a sigh. “Maybe another hour? Two if I’m being realistic.“

“Same.” James took a sip of his coffee, his eyes on her screen. “Want some company? I can bring my laptop over here. Misery loves company and all that.“

She should say no. She should maintain professional boundaries, especially when they were alone in the office late at night and she was acutely aware of how good he smelled, how the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to reveal strong forearms, how his presence beside her made her skin feel electric.

“Sure,” she heard herself say. “That’d be nice, actually.“

He disappeared and returned a moment later with his laptop, settling into the chair beside her. They worked in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds the clicking of keyboards and the occasional sip of coffee. But Chasity found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. She was hyperaware of James’s proximity—the warmth radiating from his body, the way his fingers moved across the keyboard, the small sound he made when he was frustrated with something.

“You okay?“ he asked suddenly.

She realized she’d been staring at the same cell in her spreadsheet for who knows how long. “Yeah, just... brain’s fried, I think.“

“Take a break. You’ve been at this for hours.“

“So have you.“

“Yeah, but I’m not the one who looks like she’s about to fall asleep on her keyboard.“ His voice was teasing, but there was genuine concern in his eyes.

Chasity leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms overhead. The movement made her blouse pull tight across her chest, and she didn’t miss the way James’s gaze flickered down before he quickly looked away.

Interesting.

“You’re probably right,“ she said, lowering her arms. “My eyes are crossing.“

“Come on.“ James stood and held out his hand. “Let’s walk around. Get the blood flowing.“

She took his hand—warm, strong, calloused—and let him pull her to her feet. They wandered through the empty office, past dark cubicles and silent conference rooms. The city lights glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting everything in shades of amber and shadow.

“It’s weird being here when it’s so empty,” Chasity said, her voice echoing slightly in the quiet space. “Almost eerie.“

“I don’t know. I kind of like it.“ James stopped at one of the windows, looking out at the skyline. “Peaceful. No phones ringing, no people interrupting. Just... quiet.“

She joined him at the window, standing close enough that their shoulders almost touched. “When you put it that way, it does sound nice.“

“Plus, the view’s better at night.“

Chasity wasn’t sure if he was talking about the city or something else, because when she glanced over, he was looking at her.

Her breath caught. There was something different in his expression—something heated and intense that made her pulse quicken. How long had he looked at her like that? How had she never noticed?

Or maybe she had noticed, and she’d just been too scared to acknowledge it.

“James...“ she started, not sure what she was going to say.

He turned to face her fully, and suddenly the space between them felt charged, electric. “Chasity , I need to tell you something.“

Her heart was pounding now. “Okay.”

“We’re friends. Good friends. And I value that more than almost anything.“ He took a step closer. “But I can’t keep pretending that’s all I want.“

Oh God. This was happening. This was actually happening.

“How long?“ she whispered.

“How long have I wanted you?“ A rueful smile crossed his face. “Since about a week after we met. Maybe sooner.“

“Three years?“

“Three years of watching you, working beside you, making myself crazy trying not to cross a line.“ Another step closer. He was right in front of her now, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. “Three years of telling myself you were off-limits. That I couldn’t risk our friendship. That I should just get over it.”

“And?“ Her voice came out breathless.

“And I can’t. I’ve tried, Chasity . God knows I’ve tried. But being here with you tonight, alone, watching you bite your lip when you’re concentrating, seeing you stretch in that blouse...“ His jaw clenched. “I’m done pretending.“

Heat flooded through her body. “What are you saying?“

“I’m saying I want you. I have wanted you for so damn long.“ His hand came up to cup her face, thumb brushing across her cheekbone. “Tell me to stop. Tell me you don’t feel this too, and I’ll walk away. We’ll forget this conversation ever happened.“