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His shoulders tensed and he scanned my face. “And yet, I’m getting nothing that matters.” He shook his head and walked out.
What the hell was that about?
* * *
The next dayhe was wearing a bottle green suit and brown suede loafers, both of which set off his freshly cut hair and flashing green eyes. But his beauty was tempered by his blasé attitude. This Andrew was cool and collected. But the true Andrew could never have been accused of that. He teased, he smiled, he needled, he argued, sometimes he even took it too far, but he was never without an opinion or a comment.
He took my disheveled appearance with a raised brow. I could practically picture Old Andrew in my head.“You look like hell. Did you sleep in here, MC? Never mind, there’s not even room between the briefs and your piles of notecards.”
“You do know how to flatter a woman.”I’d respond.
I stared back, taking in his perfectly manicured appearance. Trim waist and broad shoulders under fine wool, hair laying in thick waves against his head, eyes darker than usual and offset by dark circles under his eyes, the only thing that belied his Vogue model look and hinted that he was in as much turmoil as I was.
Say somethingmy brain screamed at him.Bring back the old you. Please. I don’t know what to do.
Instead he gave me a cool look and turned to his computer.
I steeled myself and pulled up my email. I had an interview to schedule.
41
Andrew
Every thump of my feet on the treadmill repeated the phrase.She hates you. She hates you.It was either run until I thought I was going to throw up or humiliate myself by begging her to take me back. It was clear she wanted nothing to do with me. The coldness of her expression, her cutting words, they made the breaths catch in my chest, made me want to put a fist through the wall. So every morning and every evening I ran or I boxed until I was a shuddering mess.
Each day I spent in that office with her was agony. I was a fucking idiot because I was still in love with her. I kept assuming she would give me a chance to explain, but she wasn’t interested.Because you loved her, and she just tolerated you.
So every day I ran and I ran until I couldn’t speak, could barely breathe, felt like I was dying.She hates you.And with every beat of my heart, a tiny part of me agreed with her.
* * *
The next daywas a repeat of the day before. We sat stiffly in the offie and I ached to break the silence. But instead of being normal, I was frozen, cold, a part of me dead. And again I was in the gym in an attempt to silence the swirling thoughts.Should I beg her to forgive me? Was everything really done between us?I hit the bag with each foolish question.No, you jackass. She hates you. It’s over. And she never loved you enough to begin with. Just like your parents.My body shuddered with the impact of each heavy cross, each hook.
The door opened behind me, and I saw her out of the corner of my eye. My stomach clenched.Don’t show her any ounce of weakness. She doesn’t deserve it.I kept up my steady rhythm. Jab. Cross. Left hook. Repeat. She started running on the treadmill and I wanted to turn, to yell, to get in her face and demand that she love me.That never worked with your parents.Jab.Don’t be a fool.Cross.
Twenty minutes later and the punches that normally cooled my anger instead stoked my rage at her, at myself. I could see her moving on the treadmill, sleek, sure, her curves contained by those damnably tight running clothes. My form grew sloppier as I tired, as I remembered how good we have been together. Each flex of her ass under those cursed leggings shot lust through me.Fuck.I threw a vicious cross at the bag and tripped. I shouted my frustration and she started. She tripped as well, and I had already taken two steps toward her before she stabbed at the stop button and met my eyes. I turned and grabbed a towel. She couldn’t know how attuned I was to her, how much I still ached to protect her.
I toweled the sweat off while she pretended to stretch. I felt her eyes on me and I couldn’t help but lift my shirt to wipe my face, clenching my abs and feeling her gaze like a brand on my skin. She might hate me, but she still wanted me.And I would definitely use that against her.I dropped the hem and met her gaze. She started and flushed.Caught you, sweetheart.
“What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms.
She was silent for a moment, staring me down. I stalked toward her, appreciating the flush of her skin, the way her breasts pushed over the top of her running tank, that damnable strip of bare skin at the top of her leggings. I crowded her backwards because I could. She was forced to look up at me. Good. Her defiant glare sparked a heady combination of anger and desire inside me.
“I’m obviously working out. My recent working relationships meant I need to blow off some steam,” she said with false sweetness.Fuck, her fire drew me like nothing else.
I stepped in closer, pulled by an invisible force, until there was just an inch between our bodies. My groin tightened at how just-fucked she looked. Her lips parted and she swallowed.
“If you need to blow off some steam, I can help with that.” I spoke to words against her ear and felt her shiver.
“Oh god.” Her words escaped on a gasp.
“Oh god is right.” I nuzzled behind her ear and clamped one hand around the dip of her waist. Her soft skin, just starting to dew with sweat, made me want to strip her naked in the gym and drive into her. I nipped down her neck and she arched under me. I couldn’t help the approving sounds that fell from my lips at how she molded to me.
“No tiny tank top today?” I murmured against her collarbone.
“I was trying for modesty. And good thing too, since some of us seem to have forgotten this is a workplace.” Her words were breathy, broken, and I thrilled.
“You loved it,” I breathed against her ear. “I felt your eyes on me the entire time. So I put on a show for you.” And I had. At least I still had this power over her. I dipped my thumb below the waistband of her leggings and she moaned. “This is what you’re missing, Margo. I want to fuck you right here where anyone could walk in and see us.” I pulled the lobe of her ear between my teeth and bit down gently. She shuddered and my cock jerked in response. “First, I would strip you naked. Then, see that bench over there? I would turn you over that bench and make you take me until you came at least twice.” She shuddered against me and triumph sang in my veins. “Only then would I finish. I can picture you taking me right now and I’m so hard.” She whimpered. I nearly started stripping her right then and there. My body told me it would be so good, even with all the hate between us.
