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Joseph glanced up from the folder in his hand to stare at the woman sitting across from him in the office.
At some point during going through documents, she had removed her shoes leaving her feet clad only in pantyhose. She had also removed her jacket as well. Her white blouse was stretched across her very well-rounded chest teasing him each time his eyes drifted to that area.
A certain area of his body stirred with interest causing him to shift in his seat and adjust his pants.
Each day working alongside her was becoming more and more torturous for him. It also irritated him that she seems to want nothing to do with him outside his case.
Nathan had long gone, in fact, he was pretty sure besides them only the securities were left in the building.
Each time he tried to start a conversation she had been nothing but cool and closed off, looking down her perfect petite nose at him.
As he looked back at her his eyes narrowed as he saw her cheeks clenched and lips pursed in a thin line. He realized she had been aware of his open scrutiny the whole time. Yet she had chosen to ignore him.
Stubborn woman.
Deciding it was up to him to make the first move he placed the folder on the seat next to him and got up.
He removed his own jacket and tie and loosened a few buttons. He threw the items on the chair he had just vacated and then lifted his hands and stretched. He was well aware that the move would cause his shirt to stretch across his muscular chest.
Without looking at her he could feel her watching him. He smirked and dropped his hands as he glanced at her. She quickly looked back at the file in her hands and he felt his smirk go up a notch.
He walked around to the back of the chair she sat in and pretended to be interested in the document in her hand. He bent close enough to get a sniff of her delicate lavender smell. His face almost brushed against her hair.
His fingers itched to remove the clip that held her hair in a tight school-teacher-like bun. The updo made her seem way too uptight. He needed her relaxed and open. As he bent close she moved forward away from him so she could reach for another folder. He knew the move was deliberate just like he knew she was well aware of what he was doing, or at least trying to do.
"We've been working for a while now, shouldn't we be taking a break right about now? " he asked her.
"You're free to do as you, please. I on the other hand have work to do," she replied in an even tone without looking at him.
Her attitude was meant to push him away but little did she know he took it as a challenge.
He walked over and sat next to her. He saw her body go tense as he leaned closer. She turned to him and he held her gaze in a challenge.
Ever so slowly he leaned closer and was pleased when she didn't move away. Just as he angled his head to steal a kiss her hand shot out and clamped over his mouth startling him.
"Remember this moment, it's as close as you'll ever get to kissing me," she said with a smirk.
To say he was surprised was putting it lightly.
He watched her get up and excuse herself to go use the restroom. He couldn't help staring at her curvaceous ass as she sauntered out of the room. When she reached the door she threw a smirk over her shoulder and he couldn't help grinning once she was out the door.
Challenge accepted.
While she was gone he made them fresh coffee and found more pastries in the lunch room. By the time he got back to the room, she was standing by the window looking out. Her hands were wrapped around her in a protective stance.
"Come eat, you must be hungry," he announced trying to get her attention.
He frowned when she didn't immediately turn around. Something was off and when she finally turned to look at him, he knew something was definitely wrong. Silent tears rolled down her face.
"What's wrong? " he asked moving towards her.
She held out her hand and stopped him before he could get close enough to touch her.
"We need to talk," she said in a quiet emotional tone.
"OK," he said hesitantly.
Nothing good ever comes after someone utters those four words.
He watched her walk to the table and take a seat so he followed and sat in a chair across from her. The room was quiet beside the sound of her briefcase being opened.
She pulled out a paper, and from where he sat he guessed it was a picture. She placed it on the table and took a deep breath before sliding it toward him. He's not sure why but as he watched the picture slide towards him he held his breath like it had as much force as a bomb waiting to explode.
He looked at her before reaching out to pick it up. He flipped it over and his first thought was that he was looking at a picture of his younger self. Then his heart rate picks up. His hands started shaking, the boy in the picture could be him alright except for the odd dimple on his right cheek. This wasn't him.
As the pieces came together he felt like the world was pulled from beneath him. He was glad to be sitting down. There was no point in questioning paternity, the boy was the spitting image of him.
The child had a mature stance about him, his smile held an innocence found only in a child.
His throat closed up with emotions. His eyes stung with confused angry tears.
"Say something." he heard her say quietly.
"You hate me that much. You hate me that much to deprive me of my own child?" he said incredulously.
"I don't, I just... Joseph please." she pleaded.
"Please what Miranda? Please don't be upset. I have every damn right to be upset!" he slammed his fist into the table causing her to jump and whimper.
He felt no pity, all he felt was anger. What she's done seemed way too much for revenge, it was too much.
"Why Miranda?" her name felt toxic on his tongue.
"I'm sorry. I was hurt. It was stupid of me, I know that now." she said crying
"What happened was between us, you and I. He's innocent! You deprived him of a father that would love him more than anything. You stole our right to each other. " he said brokenly "you know how much family means to me, to my entire family. How could you do this?"
Her whimpers turned to sobs that would have broken his heart in any other situation, much like the morning he had rejected her.
As he sat there looking at her crying he knew what she had done was out of anger, he had hurt her. What she did was inexcusable but he own the blame that he had somehow caused it on himself. If he didn't keep thinking this way, things would only get uglier.
"I need to meet him, I need to meet my son," he told her
