Novels by E.J kate

BELLAFriday had been a blur of blankets and regret.By Monday morning I forced myself out of bed, showered, and put on my most professional outfit a navy blouse and black trousers that felt safe and boring. No fitted skirts today. No low necklines. I needed armor.Dad drove us to the office again, chatting about weekend plans like nothing was wrong. I nodded along, stomach in knots the whole way. Alex would be there. At the desk right next to mine. After the kiss. After the shutdown. After I’d spent the weekend replaying it and crying like an idiot.I kept my eyes on the elevator floor the whole ride up.When we stepped onto the fifteenth floor, the office noise hit me phones, keyboards, morning chatter. I headed straight for my desk without looking around.Alex was already there.He looked up the second I sat down. Our eyes met for a split second before we both looked away.My heart slammed against my ribs.He cleared his throat. “Bella… can we talk for a minute?”I nodded without m

ALEX I couldn’t stop thinking about her.From the second Bella walked into the backyard at the barbecue, something shifted. She wasn’t the gangly college kid I remembered. She was a woman with curves, confidence, that auburn hair catching the light, green eyes that hit me square in the chest. I’d hugged her hello like always, but my arms registered the difference. Soft. Warm. Real. I pulled away too fast, told myself it was nothing.It wasn’t nothing.All week at the office I’d fought it. Her desk right next to mine. The way she leaned in when we reviewed files, her scent drifting over something light and sweet that made my brain short-circuit. Accidental brushes of hands. Her laugh when she nailed a tough client note. The fitted blouses that hugged her in ways I had no business noticing.I kept telling myself she was Robert’s daughter.My best friend’s little girl. The kid I’d helped with homework and pushed on swings. Fifteen years between us. A whole lifetime of “off-limits.”Bu

BELLA I didn’t go to work the next day.I woke up at seven, stared at my alarm until it stopped screaming, then rolled over and pulled the covers over my head. My phone buzzed on the nightstand probably Dad wondering where I was, or Alex checking if I was okay. I didn’t look. I couldn’t.The rejection sat in my chest like a stone. Heavy. Cold. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face when he pulled away: the tight jaw, the guilt flashing in his eyes, the way he’d said “we can’t” like it was a law carved in stone.I’d kissed him.And he’d kissed me back for one stupid, perfect second before he ripped the moment apart.Now everything felt wrong. My skin felt too tight. My stomach churned. Even breathing hurt a little.Mom knocked around nine.“Bella? Honey, you okay in there?”I mumbled something about a headache. She bought it. Or pretended to. She left a tray outside my door tea, toast, ibuprofen and told me to rest.I didn’t touch the food.I just lay there in the dim room, curt

BELLAThe office lights dimmed automatically after eight. Most people had gone home hours ago, laughing about happy hour plans, complaining about traffic, wishing each other good weekends even though it was only Thursday. But Alex and I were still here.The Thompson campaign deadline loomed like a storm cloud.We’d been at it since lunch revising copy, tweaking visuals, arguing over font sizes that probably didn’t matter as much as we pretended. The open-plan floor felt huge and empty now.Just the hum of the air conditioning, the soft glow from our two screens, and the occasional ping of an email neither of us bothered to check.I stretched my arms above my head, neck stiff. “I think my eyes are going to fall out.”Alex glanced over, the blue light from his monitor catching the silver in his hair. “We’re almost there. One more round of feedback from the client, then we can call it.”I nodded, but I didn’t believe him. We’d said “one more round” three times already.He pushed back

BELLAMonday morning came faster than I wanted.I stood in front of the mirror in my old bedroom, smoothing the front of my charcoal pencil skirt for the third time. The white blouse was crisp, fitted just enough to feel professional without crossing into dangerous territory. I’d left the top button undone barely and told myself it was because I hated feeling choked. Not because I remembered the way Alex’s eyes had darkened at the barbecue when he looked at me.I pulled my hair into a low ponytail, added a touch of lip gloss, and grabbed my bag.Downstairs, Mom had coffee waiting. Dad was already in his suit, scrolling emails on his phone.“Ready for your first day?” he asked without looking up.“Ready as I’ll ever be.”He glanced at me then, smiled. “You’ll do great. Alex will show you around. He’s got your desk set up next to his open plan now, makes collaboration easier.”My stomach did a slow flip.“Next to him?” I kept my voice even.“Yeah. You’ll be working closely on the Th

BELLAThe barbecue was in full swing now. Smoke curled up from the grill in lazy spirals, kids shrieked as they ran through the sprinkler, and someone had cranked the music just loud enough that conversations had to lean in close. I’d already eaten half a burger and two helpings of Mom’s potato salad, but my appetite had vanished the second Alex walked away earlier.I was helping Aunt Lisa stack empty plates when I felt it someone watching me.I turned.Alex was standing by the cooler, pulling out a beer. Our eyes met again, same as before. This time he didn’t smile right away. He just looked. Steady. Like he was trying to figure something out.My stomach flipped.He twisted the cap off the bottle, took a slow sip, then started walking toward me. Casual steps. Nothing rushed. But every one made my pulse jump higher.I busied myself with the plates, suddenly very interested in stacking them neatly.“Hey,” he said when he reached the table.“Hey.” I glanced up, forced a small smile. “