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“I’m mortified.”
“Don’t be, and even if I didn’t already know, you shouldn’t apologize for not telling me. It’s none of my business. Or anyone else’s, for that matter.”
“I just…I don’t know…Felt like I should tell you.”
“You needn’t feel that way. We—”
“I know. But, Nem, no matter how many times we say we shouldn’t be, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m attracted to you. And while it may be presumptuous on my part, I think you feel the same attraction to me.”
“We’re colleagues.”
“Nem.” When he took a step closer, I stepped back.
“Don’t, Ares. Please,” I said, glancing over at the door. “We can’t.”
His entire demeanor changed. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“You essentially said no, Nem. You say no, I respect it. Like before, we forget the conversation ever happened.”
The vibe coming off him now was identical to the one I’d felt the first time we met. As much as I hated it, we had no choice but to keep things entirely professional between us.
“Do you want to brief me on Operation Purfleet or not?” he asked.
“Um, sure.” I told him my hunch about the Jacov cousins and that Blackjack and Atticus were meeting with Zeppelin and Magnet as we spoke. “Wren, Wilder, and I plan to return to Shere later. I mean, if they still want to. I suppose if they don’t, I’ll stay in town tonight.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They took my car. Blackjack and Atticus, I mean. I planned to catch a ride later.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything else on the subject. Instead, he dove directly into what had happened in Yavaros. It sounded no different than what I’d read in the brief. Him reiterating it was pointless.
He looked at his mobile. “The planning meeting is about to start in the other suite. I should get over there.”
Without looking at me, he got up and walked out of the room. When I did the same, I saw Wren and Z were speaking with Wilder. Rather than interrupt, I sat on the sofa where I’d been previously. It would cost me a bloody fortune, but I had no desire to stay in the city tonight. If they wanted to remain, I’d hire a car service to deliver me to Shere.
“What’s wrong?” Wren asked, taking a seat beside me.
“Nothing.”
“Right, and if I asked the war god the same question, that’s how he’d respond?”
If it were anyone other than Wren, I’d clap back with a reminder of the serious nature of the investigations we were in the midst of. However, we’d been best friends long enough that she knew there was more to it. “It’s awkward between us,” I admitted quietly enough I hoped no one else could hear.
She glanced at my computer. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for a car service to return to Shere.”
“Why? Is there a reason you can’t ride with Wilder and me?”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d be staying on here.”
Wren shook her head. “Not at all. I’d much prefer to be in Shere over the city.”
I shut my laptop. “When do you think you’ll want to leave?”
“Now?”
