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I knock my fist against his. “Thanks, mate.”
“I personally haven’t missed you. You’re too pretty to work here,” Martin teases.
I chuckle. “Admit it, you missed me.”
Harris is next. “It’s good to see you back, kid.”
“On your way out?” I ask.
“Yeah, but I’ll check in with you later,” he promises before leaving through the door behind me.
Evan smirks when he sees me, and my heart jolts. He wouldn’t greet me so warmly if he knew what me and his daughter got up to. “Good to see you back, son,” he expresses, before arching a brow. “Officially.”
“Dad, where did—” Imogen stops at the sight of me, her cheeks paling. “Ben. I didn’t know you were due back so soon.”
I clear my throat, trying to ignore the rapid pace of my heartbeat. “I’ve done my time recuperating.”
She subtly shakes her head, and I watch as a mask of indifference passes over her face. “Dad, where did you want me to put these files?”
“On my desk,” he tells her, his thick eyebrows bunching together. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just trying to do what you hired me for,” she remarks, but there’s a slight bite to her tone.
“You’re working here?” I blurt out.
“Yeah,” she retorts. “Is that a problem?”
I send a brief glance to Evan, whose focus is all on his daughter, trying to read her. I know he is. Because I’ve been under his scrutiny before. It’s unnerving.
“No problem,” I rush out.
“Good.”
There’s a swing to her hips as she leaves, and my mind flashes back to that night. I know what she looks like naked, and fuck me, it’s all I can picture now as she walks away.
There is no way I’ll be able to detach myself from her whilst working this close to her. Things have changed between us. We crossed a line, and both of us are trapped across it with no way back.
Evan swivels his head in my direction. “Was she acting weird to you? She seemed weird.”
“Maybe it’s being back here after getting fired her dream job,” I lie, and gulp at how easy it came out. “She talked to you non-stop for weeks when she started. You saw how much she enjoyed it.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he murmurs. “No duty until after the New Year. You can, however, look into the fraudulent cases we’ve been working on. It’s all on your desk.”
I’m glad he doesn’t hold me back from my work. He’s not keeping me caged in the office since he’s given me work that can still take me outside. He’s just not giving me any work that might involve my combat training.
I lift my chin and move over to my desk. Which happens to be right next to where I know Imogen will be stationed.
As Evan passes to go back to his office, I chance a look at Imogen, who seems to be stuffing files into the cabinet without a care. I don’t think she’s ever going to forgive me. I’m not sure I want her to. Or deserve it.
When I see her head into the staff room, I wait a few minutes before deciding to follow. If I’m going to stare at papers all day, I need the fuel to do so. But I also want a chance to speak to her without prying eyes.
She’s pouring a mug of coffee when I enter, but she feels my presence and begins to leave. I quickly block her path, stopping her from leaving.
“You can’t avoid me forever,” I tell her, keeping my voice low.
She can’t even bear to look me in the eye. And it bothers me more than I care to admit.
“I can do what the fuck I want,” she snaps.
