‘An oversight—my apologies.’
My tone is careful, restrained, and she turns to me.
If looks could kill…
‘I like to feel prepared for my meetings, don’t you?’ she asks.
She has a point. ‘Of course.’
She walks to her desk and wakes up her computer. ‘Then you’ll understand my request to rearrange.’
I laugh before I can stop it and her eyes flash to me.
‘Something funny?’
‘Look, I’m here with the perfect deal, tailored to your product—there’s nothing you need to prepare. Unless…’
I look at her—really look at her. The quick undulation of her chest is giving away her rapid breath, and there’s a persistent flush to her skin. I had it tagged as annoyance, but now I’m not so sure.
I close the distance between us and she backs up, her eyes widening. ‘What is it, Evangeline? Did you want more time in the hope that whatever this is between us would go away?’
She scoffs and looks back to her screen. ‘So bloody full of yourself, aren’t you?’
I raise my hands in defence. ‘You’re the one acting all angry. A simple switch in meetings shouldn’t warrant this. Although, let’s be honest, it’s me who got the brutal rejection—a naked one at—’
‘Stop it, Lucas.’
‘What? Reminding you of the truth? Of what we were about to do before that—’
‘Look, you want to talk business? Fine. Let’s do that.’
She drops into a seat and gestures for me to do the same. She won’t look at me, though, and I’m itching to push my luck, to walk around her desk and lift her chin, force her to accept it’s still there, riding strong.
‘But stick to business, Lucas, or you’re out.’
I move to the seat she’s offered me and stand before it. ‘Just tell me one thing…’ I shouldn’t ask, and part of me doesn’t want to know, but… ‘What changed?’
She looks up at me, eyes hesitant, the bob of her throat giving her away. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘You do know what I mean. One minute we’re having the best sex of our lives…’ I see her entire body clench, her fingers fisting over her keyboard, and I know she’s fighting it—fighting the heat the memory triggers. ‘The next your watch tells you something and you turn into an ice queen… So what gives?’
She closes her eyes, her fingers relaxing over the keys, and I can’t bear it. She’s shutting me out and I want to know why.
‘Or should the question be—who?’
Her lashes lift. Her eyes are unreadable—hatefully unreadable. There was a time I could have read her like a book, but this new skill she has is driving me crazy. All the more so because I’m letting it get to me.
‘That has no place in this conversation.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
‘Positive.’
She looks at her phone and activates the screen, calm as the day outside. ‘I have another meeting this afternoon, so I suggest we get on with this.’
I feel my mouth gape and quickly snap it shut.
‘I’ll find out what’s keeping Clare first.’
She stands and leaves. Her absence is just as frustrating as her presence.
‘That has no place in this conversation…’
That makes the reason personal. And if it’s personal, does that mean she has another man? Was it guilt that had her kicking me out?
I can’t believe it of her. The Eva I know wouldn’t be unfaithful, no matter how strong our connection. But if it’s not another man…
I look to her phone on the desk. Whatever that notification was, there’ll be a record of it on there. The temptation to lift it and take a chance on it being unlocked, or possessing an easy-to-guess PIN is there, but I’m not going to sink that low. I’m not.
As if I’ve summoned it, the phone starts to flash with an incoming call: Nate.
Something twists deep inside me and I feel I have my answer.
She took me back to her place straight off the back of seeing her parents. Their hold over her wasn’t enough to stop it. But Nate…
My lip curls; the bitter, acrid taste of betrayal stings my throat.
I let him get between us before, there’s no way I’ll let it happen again.
This contract was important enough when it was purely business—now it just got personal, real personal, and I’ll do everything within my power to see it signed. Pull every trick in the book if I have to.
She will sign it.
And do a whole lot more if I have my way.
The business is revenge enough, but Eva… She’s the icing on the cake.
As I walk back into my office, I notice two things that stop me in my tracks.
Firstly, Lucas has made himself at home, and I don’t want to feel the excited rush that comes with the sight. His jacket is slung over the back of his chair and he has his laptop propped open as he taps away, his crisp white shirt rippling with the movement of his shoulders, his hair falling forward over his forehead.
Too appealing. Too comfy.
Secondly, my phone has moved. It now sits alongside his laptop and my eyes rest there as my heart lurches.
Has he…? Could he have…? It’s my birthdate—would he remember?
He turns his head to look at me, but barely acknowledges my presence before he looks back to his screen and slides my phone across the desk, to where it was before.
‘It kept ringing, so I silenced it.’
I come alive at his voice—so matter-of-fact, so deep and thrilling. ‘Right. Sorry.’
Jesus. Why am I apologising? I remember the coffees I’m holding on to and kick the door closed behind me before striding over and slapping one down next to him.
‘It’s not quite barista standard but it does the job well enough.’
‘Thank you.’
His lashes lift but I don’t wait for our eyes to meet—not at this proximity. Not even excusing myself on the pretence of chasing up Clare has helped me get my head back in the game. I quickly scoot to my side of the desk, putting a whole chunk of glass and wood between us. Better.
‘Don’t you want to see who’s been calling? They’ve been quite persistent.’
He doesn’t look at me as he asks the question but there’s an edge to his tone—something that has my skin prickling.
‘It can wait.’
Now he looks at me and his eyes are cold, piercing. ‘You sure about that?’
I swallow. ‘Yes.’
‘I think you should at least check.’
He’s goading me, and I don’t want to give him the satisfaction, but I can’t stop curiosity