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The things I need to do to her.
I’ve been keeping them bottled up and tamped down for days. Foryears.I’ve never let myself loose on another person. I knew better than that. I know better now. But the last few weeks have been the perfect storm. The stress of the merger. My brothers acting likebrothers.Getting banned from the warehouse. That asshole coming into her apartment.
Every line in the sand I’ve kept myself from crossing screams at me to jump. The expensive clothes I thought I was used to wearing feel worse than a cheap costume. Standing in this room with Bristol listening to Greg and not me is like getting shoved into a dark closet when I wasn’t expecting it.
I’m going to spontaneously combust.
I’m down to zero outlets for the thoughts that keep me awake at night. I’m not supposed to do anything high-impact, and it’s the only thing I want. I’d settle for sex, but I’d rather die than sleep with anyone but Bristol.
All the money in all my accounts is barely enough to keep me in check. Fuck—all the money in the Hughes’s accounts, too. I need to let go for five minutes. I need it to be okay.
I need to fuck her.
“You know what? I’ll send it to you in an email. That way we’ll have a record to refer to.”
“Great. We’ll go from there.”
“Excellent.” I head for the door, and Greg steps out of my way. Bristol doesn’t. The warm scent of her is taking over the air. My elbow brushes hers as I pass. I don’t acknowledge it. But I do stop just outside the threshold and curl my hand around the frame. “Oh—I should have said this before. Congratulations, Bristol. It didn’t take you long at all to find someone new.”
7
BRISTOL
If this werea real roller coaster, I’d give it a zero-star review. I have whiplash. The ride was supposed to be over when I found out I was working for Greg. I was supposed to be able to exit the vehicle and move on to the beach-vacation part of my new assignment. Yes, it’s temp work, but for a boss who won’t be disgusting. There might even be a real, honest-to-God job on the line. That’s practically a private stretch of beach in the Bahamas.
And now I find out thatWillis here at this beach.
What an asshole, congratulating me onfinding someone elseand then leaving.
I nod along with Greg, not hearing a thing, until he tells me there’s some time in the schedule to get settled in.
As soon as he picks up his phone to make a call, I slip out to the bathroom. I head past the one Greg pointed me to earlier. I want some breathing room. There’s another one down the hall, I think. This one seems less well-traveled, the door set back into an alcove.
I shove it open, let it swing shut behind me, and go to the mirror. My face is pretty red, but otherwise, I look fine.
“I’m in over my head,” I tell my reflection. “Way over my head.”
And what am I going to do about it? I can’t go back to my old job. I won’t. Greg seems nice. Did he hire me because he genuinely thought I’d be good for the job, or because he wanted to challenge Will? I don’t know. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. I have just as much right to be here as he does. Webothwork for Hughes Financial Services now.
“And,” I tell the girl in the mirror, running my fingers expertly through my hair, “they sign both our paychecks. He’s not even my boss anymore. So I’m not going to run away. I’m going to tough it out.”
I belong here. I wasn’t shaken to my very bones by the sight of Will walking into Greg’s office. I was surprised, that’s all. And now I’m over it.
I take one step toward the sink, intending to wash my hands and finish calming down, and the bathroom door bangs open. My expression falls to neutral for whatever woman is walking in, but it’s not a woman who appears in the reflection a few mirrors down.
It’s Will.
I back away from the sink, indignant. “Someone could be in here.”
“They’re not.” He doesn’t bother checking. He just glares at me, then turns back to the door. Throws the deadbolt across so it’s locked. Kicks something into place at the bottom. He’s been in here five seconds, and the room is filled with an energy like sharp teeth. Bristling and dangerous and unfortunatelyverysexy. A clean, adrenaline situation suffuses me. I feel like we’ve been apart for years, not days, and I’m simultaneously pissed and thrilled to see him.
Will turns around, and the shocked, pissed side of me wins out. “This is thewomen’sbathroom.”
“I don’t care about the sign on the door.” He stalks toward me. I’m going to stand my ground until he’s actually on top of me and I’m betrayed by my own pounding heart. He doesn’t stop until my back is against the wall and he’s in my face, his blue-green eyes dark with fury. I feel it in my own body. It’s like an electrical field that has my heartbeat in its fist. I want to cry. I want to slap him. I want to climb on top of him and force him to apologize. Will braces one hand near my head. “I care about the fact that you did this on purpose.”
“Oh, just like you came in here on purpose?”
“Is that what it looked like to you? That I came in here because I had any other choice?” His palm is flat on my hip, but he growls the question at me like I’ve asked something outrageously offensive. “Here’s what I’m going to doon purpose,Bristol. I’m going to teach you a lesson about staying where you belong.”
