Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 389

Both women looked at Daniel with a mixture of admiration and awe, quickly straightening up as they greeted him. “Good morning, Mr. Campbell.”

Daniel, exuding his usual air of self-importance, was trailed by a group of executives. Amelia felt a flash of awkwardness—not because he’d overheard their gossip, but because now every executive was watching her as if she were the star of some midday drama.

Of course, Daniel seemed more than willing to play the leading man. With confident strides, he approached, lifting one perfectly groomed eyebrow. “I thought I heard my name—mind if I join in?”

He’d heard enough to know they were talking about him, and not in the most flattering way.

The woman with the twisted ankle jumped at the chance to half-complain, half-explain, repeating Amelia’s words: “Chief Amelia here was just saying you’re not exactly some golden prize, not worth….”

She cut herself off before the words got too inappropriate, but the implication was clear. She glanced at Daniel, barely hiding her satisfaction at stirring the pot.

Any man would feel embarrassed to be spoken about like that, especially Daniel Campbell, who carried himself as if every strand of his hair spelled out “most eligible bachelor.”

But Daniel only gave Amelia a brief, searching look, then dropped a bombshell as casually as tossing his keys on the table.

“She’s right. I’m probably not worth throwing yourself at. But if I had the chance—” He turned to Amelia, eyes narrowing with a wicked glint, “—I’d quite like to see Chief Amelia throw herself at me.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. One executive’s jaw dropped so wide it formed a perfect ‘O’ before he hastily snapped it shut.

Amelia felt heat rising from her toes all the way up, threatening to burn her face. Before she could lose her composure, she kept her voice steady and stepped away. “Mr. Campbell, I’ll be waiting for you in the office.”

Only after she’d said it did she realize how suggestive the words sounded, given the situation.

Not that she had time to care. She made her escape, desperate to leave the scene before dying of embarrassment.

Daniel’s gaze lingered on her retreating figure until she disappeared. Only then did he slowly turn his attention to the nearest executive, pretending to whisper but making sure everyone heard.

“First time for everything. Any tips on how a man’s supposed to catch a woman in the act?”

Silence. The ‘O’-mouthed executive gave up all hope of keeping a straight face.

—

By the time Amelia reached Daniel’s office, her cheeks were as red as a ripe tomato.

Hot, hot, hot. What was wrong with the AC in this place? It felt like a sauna.

The assistant came in with coffee, noticed how she kept fanning herself, and quietly slipped out to add ice to her drink.

“Thank you,” Amelia said gratefully.

A low voice sounded behind her. “So polite to everyone—except me.”

The assistant saw Daniel walk in and quickly nodded. “Mr. Campbell, I’ll leave you to it.”

Daniel called after, “Shut the door, please.”

Amelia almost jumped out of her seat. “Why shut the door?”

Daniel grinned at her reaction. “How else are we supposed to discuss confidential business, Chief Amelia? Or should I invite the entire company in to listen?”

She realized she was overreacting, but the heat in her cheeks only deepened.

Suddenly, Daniel leaned over, his suit brushing past as he circled around the couch to her side. “What’s got you blushing so hard?”

Amelia muttered, “It’s your useless air conditioner. It’s boiling in here.”

Daniel, always in his three-piece suit, with the office kept at a perfect 75 degrees year-round, looked her over—she was only wearing a thin silk blouse. Why would she be hot?

He glanced at her flushed earlobes and chuckled, his breath warm against her ear. “If you’re too hot, just take something off. Nobody’s stopping you.”

The sound echoed in his mind—whack, whack, whack…

A slow smile spread across Daniel’s face. He’d gotten her message, loud and clear.

—

Amelia came downstairs, planning a quick breakfast before heading out, and ran right into Daniel at the bottom of the stairs.

“Morning,” he greeted her with a bright, boyish smile that looked completely out of place on someone with his usual CEO swagger.

She brushed past him without a word, not even bothering to ask why he was there. At this point, it was almost routine.

“Chief Amelia, aren’t you going to say hi?” He followed her into the dining room.

She sat down, spreading jam on her toast. “I told you, you don’t need to pick me up.”

“Who said I was here to pick you up?”

“And I’m not picking you up, either,” she shot back, cutting him off before he could twist her words.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Daniel said smoothly. “I just spent the night here—so we’re just leaving together, that’s all.”

Amelia’s eyes flickered as she tried to remember if she’d locked her bedroom door last night.

Daniel, reading her mind, leaned in, voice low and teasing near her cheek. “I snuck in and kissed you last night—more than once. Didn’t you notice?”