Watching Her Read online

  Watching Her

  Book One

  Sammi Starlight

  Copyright © 2017 by Sammi Starlight

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Sneak peek of Under the Mistletoe: A Watching Her Story (Book Two)

  Also by Sammi Starlight

  About Sammi

  1

  I seriously can’t believe he did this to me again. I settled into my booth at Starbucks with mocha, my laptop, and my bag from work. Once again, my boss Dave had given me some reports to do at the last minute. And he needed them by tomorrow - at like 8:00 a.m. At least I could get out of the office and do the work here.

  As I was shuffling through my papers, I noticed him walk in. He was probably close to a foot taller than me with broad shoulders, wearing a black leather jacket and snug jeans.

  He glanced over at me and smiled. My stomach did a flip-flop. He had gorgeous brown hair, cut short, but long enough to run my fingers through. Why am I thinking that? His chocolate brown eyes sparkled when he smiled. I gave him a nervous smile in return, turning my attention back to my work.

  I stole glances at him as he stood in line for his drink. My gaze traveled down his back, and I couldn’t help but notice the way his jeans fit his body. He turned around, finding me watching him. My cheeks were warm, filled with embarrassment as he walked over to me. Shit! He was going to sit next to me!

  “Hi there.” His voice was a deep baritone, sending shivers down my spine. I was suddenly sorry that I wasn’t wearing something sexier than my jeans and sweatshirt.

  “Hi.”

  “Working?” He nodded to the papers and laptop in front of me.

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, unfortunately.”

  “What do you do?” He took off his jacket, and I was almost breathless at the sight of his arms in his short-sleeved t-shirt. Not only was he ripped, he was covered in sexy tattoos that disappeared under his shirt sleeves. I was guessing they were some sort of tribal symbols, but I knew nothing about tattoos. I had a serious phobia of needles.

  “I’m a corporate accountant.” Man, did that sound boring when I actually said it out loud.

  Grinning, he said, “Sounds exciting.”

  I smirked. “It’s so not. My boss is sort of a jerk too. He’s the CFO and he dumps a lot of work on me, hence why I’m working here late at night.”

  “Well, that’s a bummer. You shouldn’t let him take advantage of you,” he murmured, leaning forward towards me.

  My heart started pounding, and my mouth went dry. He smelled amazing - clean with just a hint of soap and that woodsy, masculine smell. “I know.... I just...” I stammered.

  Why did I let him take advantage of me?

  “Can’t say no?” he finished for me with a slight smile on his lips. Oh, those sexy lips. Suddenly all I could think about was kissing them.

  I let out my breath, trying to shake the cobwebs from my brain. This was not like me. Guys never had this effect on me. “I guess not. It’s not as if I had anything else exciting planned anyway.”

  “No? A pretty girl like you doesn’t have a boyfriend to keep her busy?”

  Oh my god, he called me pretty! I shook my head. “Nope. Work keeps me busy. I don’t have much time for anything else. I haven’t really had much luck in the men department lately either.” Did I just say that? Why was I being so open with him?

  “I bet. Hmmm...Sounds like maybe you’re going out with the wrong kind of guys. Maybe you need to change that.”

  “Probably. But work keeps me so busy and I wouldn’t even know where to start to meet men, and -” Nerves had me babbling now.

  He held up a hand, chuckling. “Whoa, slow down. What about me? If you aren’t busy tomorrow night, I would love to take you out to dinner.”

  My jaw dropped slightly. Seriously? This hot, tattooed man was asking out boring ole plain me? “But I don’t even know your name.”

  He laughed again, holding out a hand. “Hi, my name is Brett.”

  I took his hand, glad that I was sitting down as my knees weakened at his tight grip. My hand seemed so tiny in his. “Hi, I’m Elizabeth. My friends call me Lizzie though.”

  He shook my hand gently. “Nice to meet you, Lizzie.” I almost let out a whimper of disappointment when he released my hand. “There, now you know my name. So how about dinner tomorrow? You can even meet me someplace.”

  Why not? Maybe he was right. Maybe I needed to date a different kind of guy. Shrugging, I replied, “Ok. Sounds good.”

  Brett slipped his coat back on. “I have to go, but could I have your number? I’ll text you and we can figure out where to meet, what time, all that stuff.”

  I scribbled my number on a scrap of paper from my pile and thrust it towards him. “Here you go.” Wow, look eager much?

  He gave me a crooked smile that I was convinced would one day be my downfall. “Thanks, Lizzie. Don’t work too hard. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Bye. Have a good night.” Watching him walk out of the coffee shop, all I could think about was how sexy he is.

  Shaking, my head slightly, I came out of my trance. What’s up with me? I never met men like this and I certainly didn’t hand out my number to someone I just met. There was something about him though - something about his cool, sexy confidence. It was as if I couldn’t say no to him.

  Turning my attention to the work in front of me, I had no idea how I was ever going to concentrate now. All I could think about was Brett.

  Suddenly my phone buzzed with a new text message. I didn’t recognize the number but grinned when I quickly realized it was Brett.

  Just checking to make sure you gave me a good number.

  Grinning, I typed my reply. Domino’s Pizza, can I take your order please?

  Funny. Looking forward to tomorrow. Don’t work too hard.

  Me too. And I won’t. I hoped I didn’t sound too eager.

  Good night.

  Good night. Sighing, I put my phone back in my purse. I was never going to get any work done now. I would just head in early and get the reports done before Dave came in. I packed up my stuff and headed out to my car. As I drove back to my apartment, all I could think of was Brett.

  I’d never been very adventurous, always taking the safe way in life. I never got in trouble and always got good grades. Basically, I was a parent’s dream.

  I continued to play it safe into adulthood. I went to college and got my degree in accounting and became a CPA. I got a job right out of school in corporate accounting and had been working there ever since.

  Even the boys I dated were safe. They never got into trouble, were always polite to my parents, and treated me with respect. I didn’t lose my virginity until right before I went away to college and that was with my high school sweetheart of over two years.

  We broke up shortly after we went away to different schools, but I seemed to always date the same kind of guys - boring, safe, and predictable.

  Boring guys meant boring sex. I had limited experience in p
retty much anything sexual. I had rarely tried any position other than missionary. I bit my lip and squeezed my thighs together. Something told me that sex with Brett would be anything but boring.

  I pulled into the driveway of my apartment building and parked my car. Gathering my stuff, I headed inside. I looked at my phone. It was already ten o’clock.

  Inside, I dumped my stuff on the kitchen counter and got ready for bed. I climbed into bed to read for a bit but my mind kept wandering back to Brett. I finally gave up on the reading, turning off my Kindle and shutting off the light. The sooner I went to sleep, the sooner tomorrow would come.

  2

  I could barely concentrate at work the next day. After tossing and turning most of the night, all I could think about was my upcoming date with Brett. For a second I considered canceling it because there was no way a guy like him would ever be interested in a boring girl like me. Why waste his time?

  I managed to get the reports done that my boss needed, emailing them to him before he got in. I was already on my third cup of coffee by 9:00 a.m. when my phone buzzed at me. A text from Brett!

  Working too hard, gorgeous? We’re still on for tonight, right?

  My face nearly cracked from the huge grin on it.

  Sure, unless you’ve changed your mind. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to give him an out.

  Why would I change my mind? Am looking forward to it.

  My heart pounded. Me too.

  Great. I’ll meet you at six. How about Alfredo’s?

  Perfect. See you then.

  Can’t wait. Have a good day, gorgeous.

  “Wow, haven’t seen you smile like that in a while. What’s up with that?”

  I was surprised to look up to see my friend Jillian standing in the doorway of my office. She worked in HR at the same company. We started here on the same day and had been best friends ever since.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. I have a date.”

  “Ooo…” She sat in the chair in front of my desk. “Tell me more.”

  Butterflies dive-bombed in my stomach as I thought of Brett. “Well, Dave gave me some stupid reports to do again before he left last night.”

  “Again? Asshole,” she muttered.

  “I know, right? Anyway, I decided that I was sick of this place and went to Starbucks to work on them. I’d been working for a little while when this guy came in. He was smokin’ hot - tall with dark brown hair and a body to die for. He had on a leather jacket and one of those chains on his wallet. A few piercings.”

  “Yummy, my favorite.” Jillian was known for dating bad boys.

  “I was so embarrassed when he caught me checking him out, but he said hi. He got his coffee and then sat with me. I was mortified I was just in my jeans and sweatshirt. I couldn’t even believe he said hi.”

  Jillian shook her head. “You so underestimate yourself. You are gorgeous all the time.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever! He slipped off his jacket as we chatted, and he had all of these tattoos and these ripped arms. He obviously spends a ton of time at the gym. I seriously thought I was going to die. To make a long story short, he asked me out for dinner tonight. And I said yes!” I had to keep from bouncing in my seat.

  “For real?” She looked at me wide-eyed.

  “What? Do you think I shouldn’t have said yes?” I was worried now that maybe I had made a mistake.

  “God no! I just can’t believe you said yes. I mean, I am glad you did, but you always date these boring accountant or lawyer guys. He doesn’t sound like he is your type at all.”

  “He’s not. When he asked me out, part of me thought, ‘why not?’ I am 30 and all alone so something obviously isn’t working for me.”

  Jillian nodded. “I’ve been trying to tell you forever that it was time to shake it up in the man department.”

  “I know. And maybe you’re right. We’ll see. We’re meeting at Alfredo’s tonight at six. Let’s hope that Dave lets me out of here in time.”

  Jillian snorted. “Unlikely. You’ll just have to tell him that you have to be somewhere. You have to have a life outside of this place. There’s so much more to life than work.”

  “I know, Jilly, I know.”

  Just then my phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, I groaned, “Dave.”

  Jill stood up. “That’s my cue to leave. We’ll talk later. If not, have fun tonight and I expect a full report.” She headed back to her office.

  “Yes, ma’am!” I picked up my phone, “Good morning, Dave.” I was sure my boss would keep me more than busy for the rest of the day, which would keep my mind off Brett. Hopefully.

  Sure enough, Dave kept me tied up the rest of the day. I was finally getting ready to head out the door around 4:30 p.m. when Dave came sauntering in. “Leaving already?”

  I looked up from my purse, where I had been searching for my keys. “Yes, I have things to do tonight.”

  “Well,” he walked over to my desk, “I need you to redo those reports tonight and email them. The corporate people need them by morning.”

  “Are you kidding me? What was wrong with what I did?” My shoulders slumped. I couldn’t miss my date with Brett.

  “Well, they were missing a bunch of data I forgot to give you. I just emailed it to you. I really need these done.”

  “But-” I fought back the tears of frustration that threatened to fall.

  “Elizabeth, I wouldn’t ask you to do it if it wasn’t important. I know that I can count on you.”

  I powered my computer back up and sat down with a thud. “Yes, Dave. I’ll get them done.”

  He gave me one of his fake grins that made my stomach turn. “Thanks, Elizabeth. I’ll be sure to remember this at review time next month.” He got up and walked out of my office.

  I took a shaky breath and wiped a tear away. He will not make cry. Asshole. Of all nights. I got my phone out to text Jill.

  Dave wrecked my night. Just told me that I need to redo reports I did last night ‘cause he forgot to give me some data.

  Shut up! Make him do it! I couldn’t help but smile a little at her response. I knew she would be furious with him for me.

  You know I can’t do that.

  Oh Lizzie, I’m sorry.

  Me too. Texting Brett now. I bit my lip, fighting back tears. I found our conversation from earlier.

  Can’t make it tonight. Have to work late.

  He responded almost immediately. That’s too bad? What if we just make it later?

  I am not sure when I’ll be done. Don’t want you to wait.

  There was no response for a bit. Maybe he decided I wasn’t worth the trouble. Finally, my phone pinged.

  How about you text me when you leave?

  At least he still wanted to talk to me. Ok. I will.

  Don’t work too hard, gorgeous. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

  I fought back a sob as I turned back to my computer, diving into the reports and the new data Dave had sent. I ended up having to do some pretty extensive rewrites. It was 9:30 p.m. before I was able to hit send.

  Rubbing my eyes, my thoughts turned to Brett. Should I text him or not? It was too late to go out. Should I even bother?

  After the shitty evening I just had, I decided to text him. Leaving now...finally.

  He responded right away. Good. Wanna go out? Or want me to meet you at your place with pizza and wine?

  I smiled. He still wanted to see me! Truth was, I was exhausted and not really in the mood to go out, but did I really want to invite him over to my place? I barely knew him.

  Oh, what the hell? I have played it safe my whole life. There was just something about him anyway, something that made me feel safe.

  I sent Brett a text with my address. He responded quickly. See ya in about 20 minutes.

  I couldn’t wait.

  3

  My heart was racing as I drove home. What if Brett didn’t show up?

  As I was walking up to my apartment, looking for my keys in my
bag, I was startled by his deep baritone voice.

  “Hey gorgeous.”

  Squealing, I dropped my bag.

  “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” He looked down at me as I bent down to pick my bag up, concern in his eyes.

  “It’s ok.” I laughed, finally finding my keys and unlocking my door. “I’m just on edge. It’s been a long day and then I thought that maybe you wouldn’t show up.”

  He followed behind me as I walked inside. He chuckled as he set the bottle of wine and pizza down on the counter. “Now why would I do that? I said I was going to.”

  I slipped out of my shoes, giving him a sheepish grin. “I know, but I haven’t had the best luck with men and let’s face it, we hardly know each other.”

  He waved a hand at me as if to dismiss my silly thoughts. “Where are your plates?” He held up the bottle of wine. “And most importantly, your corkscrew and wine glasses.”

  I quickly showed him where everything was. As he opened the wine, he stared at me with those dark eyes. “Well, gorgeous, I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day. I was pretty disappointed when you texted me you had to work. But I’m glad to see you now.” He poured some wine into the glasses. Raising a glass to me, he smiled. “Here’s to getting to know each other.”

  I smiled. “I’ll drink to that.” I took a sip of my wine, watching him over the top of my glass. I couldn’t believe this tattooed, sexy man was standing in my kitchen.

  Setting my glass down with a sigh, I said, “Would you mind if I changed? I’m dying to get out of these work clothes.”

  “Sure, gorgeous.”

  “Thanks. Make yourself at home. The remote is over there somewhere. I’ll be right back.”

  “Hurry back.” He grinned. My stomach flipped.

  “I will.” I hurried into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. Leaning against it, I took a deep breath.