Office Heat

The office air conditioning was on full blast, but Olivia Harper still felt too warm. It wasn’t the summer heat outside or the broken espresso machine spewing steam—it was the man sitting across from her.

Daniel Carter. Her co-worker. Tall, sharp-jawed, with just enough charm to be dangerous. He had a way of looking at her over his laptop screen like he knew exactly what she was thinking. She hated that he was usually right.

“You’re staring,” he said playfully without looking up.

Olivia bristled. “I am not.” He was right again.

“You are,” he countered, glancing up with a smirk. “But I don’t mind.”

She rolled her eyes and refocused on the financial report in front of her, but the numbers blurred. Their little game had been going on for months—exchanges laced with double meanings, stolen glances in meeting rooms, the occasional brush of fingertips when passing each other files.

It was the kind of tension that could snap at any moment.

The office was nearly empty that evening, most of their team having cleared out early. Olivia had stayed behind to finish a report, and Daniel—well, she wasn’t sure why he was still here, but she had a feeling it had more to do with her than his workload.

“Still here?” he asked, leaning against the edge of her desk. His cologne—something dark and clean—wrapped around her like a second skin. She liked this scent.

“So are you,” she pointed out.

He shrugged. “Maybe I like the company.”

She met his gaze, her pulse kicking up a notch. “Maybe?”

His lips twitched. “Fine. Definitely.”

Olivia exhaled slowly, pushing back in her chair. “We have a strict HR policy, you know.”

“Do we?” he mused, crossing his arms. “Funny, I don’t remember reading anything about… unresolved tension.”

She let out a laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, there’s nothing unresolved.”

He leaned down, just enough to make her breath hitch. “You sure about that?”

The air between them thickened. The logical part of her brain warned her to get up, to create space, but she didn’t move. She liked the way his eyes darkened when she held his stare, the way his confidence faltered just a fraction when she licked her lips.

He tilted his head, voice lower now. “Tell me to leave, and I will.”

The problem was, she didn’t want to.

Instead, she tapped her pen against the desk, pretending to consider it. “You’re awfully sure of yourself, Carter,” she said.

He grinned. “Only when it comes to you.”

A silence stretched between them, charged and humming.

Finally, Olivia stood, sliding her laptop shut. “Come on,” she said, grabbing her coat and purse.

His brows lifted. “Where to?” He asked.

She looked over her shoulder, the corner of her mouth lifting. “Let’s see if you can keep up.”

And just like that, the game took on a whole new set of rules.

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