Running From Forever by Ashley Wilcox Read Free Book Online

friends,
spending time with Miles, to having my sister safe with me, I was
content.
    Alive.
    Exactly where I wanted to be.
     

     
    A sunken feeling filled my chest when I
entered the elevator the next morning and didn’t find Miles inside.
It could’ve been a coincidence that we bumped into each other the
previous mornings, but it still felt lonely…different. I hated the
way I was feeling. I didn’t want to miss anyone or crush on anyone
or feel vulnerable to anyone, but it was something I couldn’t
avoid. Miles Blackwell was addictive and way too desirable to just
brush aside. There were too many reasons why I shouldn’t pursue him
or allow anything to develop between us, but they were all ignored.
I was in too deep already. Captivated.
    When I reached my floor, I was greeted by a very
overly-enthusiastic Sami. From what I had gathered since starting
here, Sami’s a genuinely friendly, happy person, but her facial
expression alone was more elaborate than normal today, an immediate
warning that something was up.
    I gave her a worried glance, cluing her in that
I was aware of the difference in expression. She giggled, coming
out from behind her desk. “Wait until you see what’s on your desk!”
she practically shrieked, rushing beside me down the hall, eager
for me to see.
    It didn’t take long to see what she was so
excited about. The huge bouquet of flowers could easily be seen
from afar. Shock consumed my body as I took the last few steps
towards it, and it was still running through my veins when I picked
up the note that was sticking out.
    Had a great time with you last night. Excuse
my absence this morning, I had an early meeting. Lunch? Miles
    “Who are they from?” she asked, practically
bouncing up and down in excitement.
    I looked up at her, a warm smile covering my
face. “Miles.”
    “Miles Blackwell?! Um, how did that happen?” she
asked me, very intrigued.
    I snorted, remembering Leah’s reference. It was so cliché. “We met in the elevator, then kept bumping
into each other. It wasn’t until last night that we actually sat
down and talked.”
    “You do realize who he is, right?”
    “Yes,” I said dryly. I knew I was entering dark
waters and knew the repercussions it may cause, but I couldn’t
stop. Instead of running from the deep stuff like I normally did, I
was rushing towards it with no fucking control or a way of slowing
down. I was cursed by the businessman god.
    “Okay. Just making sure, because I’m not sure
how Connie will react to this. We’ve never seen an executive mingle
with us commoners,” she pointed out. “We all just about crapped our
pants when we saw him mosey into the bar last night.”
    “You and me both,” I joked back, trying to
eliminate the gutted feeling in my chest just thinking about what
could happen if things went wrong…piss off my boss, lose my job… I
didn’t want to talk about it with Sami, but it was definitely
something I’d need to talk about with Miles. But, in all honesty,
would talking about it change anything? I wasn’t quite sure.
     

     
    At just before twelve, I received a call over
my desk phone. It startled me, since I hadn’t used or heard it ring
once since starting there; Connie only contacted me via my
BlackBerry. When I glanced at the screen on the base it read,
“INTERNAL CALL: BLACKWELL, MILES.” Feeling a rush of excitement
fill my insides but not wanting to let it be seen or heard, I
answered with a simple “hello.”
    “Didn’t Connie tell you that you’re supposed to
answer your office phone by name?” he started out in a serious
tone.
    Instantly, my stomach dropped and every ounce of
excitement turned to worry—was he mad? I couldn’t tell. Being part
owner of the network, he was technically my boss, too, so he was
well within his rights to scold me for not answering the phone
properly.
    “I…uh, no. She didn’t,” I answered nervously. I
was caught off guard; tongue-tied for sure.
    His deep laugh