AllFreeNovel
Share Us
To hell with that.
Nick knocked once and yanked on the doorknob at the same time. It didn’t budge. That fucker Donovan had locked the door.
Locked himself in withhiswife, after hours. When supposedly Li knew Nick was waiting for her downstairs.
He’d always assumed seeing red was a figure of speech. Not so much.
“Lila,” he bellowed, and he wasn’t ashamed. Not even when the door swung open and Lila appeared, looking ridiculously cool and composed in contrast to the heat now strangling his throat. If he tugged at his collar any more, he’d pop a button.
He’d even dressed up to come down to the record studio. Traded his Megadeth T-shirt and ripped jeans for something more appropriate, since he was visiting as Li’s husband and not as a member of Oblivion. So much for making an effort.
“Nicholas,” she said in her typical impervious tone, raising a brow. “What are you doing here?” Then a moment later, her expression clouded. “Is it the girls? Is something wrong?”
“No. They’re with Gray and Jazz, probably having a ton of fun.” He reached out and snagged her wrist when she nodded and started to turn away. “I told that resting witch face that. Didn’t she tell you? She must have, or else you would’ve let me in if for no other reason.”
That she might not agree to see him right away if the choice was merely between him or her work didn’t burn. Nope.
“She told me.” The smooth male voice from behind Lila had her shifting toward the man seated behind a slab of a desk. Donovan didn’t raise his voice, and Nick couldn’t see him because Lila was blocking the doorway. Evidently, Donovan didn’t deem it necessary to rise. “Since it was ascertained it wasn’t a family emergency, I assumed it could wait.”
“Oh, who ascertained that?” Nick demanded. “You?”
Lila clearly hadn’t been told a damn thing. He’d known Donovan’s admin hated him and hadn’t properly relayed the message he was there. Telling Donovan wasn’t even close to the same thing.
When Lila started to urge him back out the door, Nick nudged her out of the way and wedged into the doorway, his gaze alighting on her boss.
Now Nick understood why he hadn’t risen. The asshole’s shirt was open, his tie hanging loosely off his collar. Six-pack—hell, forget six, try eighteen-pack—abs on full display.
Nick glanced back and forth from Donovan to his wife. “What the hell is going on?”
Lila rolled her eyes. Actuallyrolledthem and set Nick’s temper from broiling to full steam. “We’re having a meeting, Nicholas. He spilled coffee on his shirt. That’s all.”
Nick cocked his head. “You got pants on under that desk, Lewis?”
One dark eyebrow of Donovan’s winged up. “You play the role of jealous husband quite well, Crandall.”
Nick snorted. “I am not jealous. You know why?” Lila’s hand came out to restrain Nick as he moved forward, but it was like trying to hold back a gust of wind with a couple of fingers. “If you ever so much asthoughtabout touching my wife, I’d make you lose that upper crust accent so fast, your pretty little head would spin.”
“Nicholas,” Lila gasped, but it was Donovan’s reaction that intrigued Nick far more.
He simply nodded and rose, gesturing to the finely tailored gray jacket folded on the back of his chair. A stain was visible on the left sleeve and on the open panels of Donovan’s formerly crisp white shirt.
Nick swallowed and gripped the back of his neck. He hadn’t truly believed that Lila would cheat, but Jesus, would he ever be able to keep a leash on that hair-trigger temper of his when it came to other men even looking at her?
No.No, he would not. Because to him, she was everything, and he couldn’t imagine another man being in her sphere without wanting her. It was truly incomprehensible.
“I can’t believe you.” Lila glared at Nick but he simply shrugged. “Never mind the apology you owe me, you owe Donovan one as well.”
Donovan held up a hand when Nick opened his mouth to toss back a reply. “He’s understandably protective of you. No man who is being honest could blame him.”
Nick jutted his chin at Lila, though he wasn’t nearly as smug as he probably seemed. Hearing a guy like Donovan acknowledge that Nick was right to flip his wig didn’t exactly set his mind at ease. He would’ve preferred it if Donovan acted as if he was an irrational lunatic.
Lila didn’t appear to hear Donovan. Her focus was solely on Nick. “We need to talk.”
Nick held up his hands, palms out. “By all means.”
“Here, feel free to use this space. It’s getting late. We’ll discuss more about the addition of Sabrina tomorrow.” Donovan picked up his soiled jacket and hung it jauntily over his shoulder as he moved to the door.
“Donovan, no,” Lila protested. “We won’t drive you out of your own office—”
