by Jamie Dallas
Jace laughed, a rich, low laugh that sent a thread of warmth through her. “Right.”
She could feel the heat rising to her face.
Jace stepped in front of her, his movements smooth as he leaned forward to trap her against the counter with his body. This close to him, she could see the light sprinkling of hair on his chest, where the top two buttons of his shirt were undone.
Her breathing felt ragged as she stared at that patch of skin. The little bit of hair intrigued her. And the fact that she noticed, and liked it, rankled. Clearing her throat, she shifted her gaze to his shoulders. Broad shoulders that looked strong and capable.
Setting her jaw, she forced her gaze back to his eyes. She was all too aware of the fact she was in his clothes and only inches away from him, but she was determined to not show how he affected her.
Bracing himself with one arm against the counter, Jace reached up and over her head. The movement shifted his body closer to hers. So close that she could see the soft pulse at the base of his neck.
Entranced, she watched the solid beat under his skin. A wild urge to press her mouth against that spot and feel the pulse against the sensitive skin of her lips shot through her.
Holy cow, what was she thinking?
Horrified, she pressed back against the counter as Jace eased down to his heels, a bottle of whiskey in his large hand.
“Want some?” He shook the bottle at her, a wolfish smile on his face. The jerk knew the effect he had on her.
“No thanks.” She couldn’t dull any of her wits around this man.
He shrugged and popped the top off the bottle. “Suit yourself.” Jace poured himself some amber liquid and recorked the bottle. “Let’s talk.”
She crossed her arms over her braless chest, pressing her arms against her breasts. Here she was, negotiating contracts without a bra. Not exactly a high point in her career. “I don’t know what more there is to talk about. I’m done.”
The corner of his eyes tightened, and his lip pressed into a flat line. “That’s not acceptable. We need you.”
She waved her hand in the air. “Why? I’m an events and marketing coordinator. You could easily hire a replacement.”
Jace shook his head. “Nope. I can’t. I know what to expect from you. I trust your instincts. You’ve launched and marketed two of Sun Tech’s properties, and I know the company wouldn’t be as successful without your genius behind it.”
His eyes were on her, and she knew he was assessing her reaction and trying to figure out what angle to use to keep her on the job.
Part of her wanted to stay. Once she signed a contract, she prided herself on always seeing it through. She was proud of her success with Sun Tech’s last two launches. Leaving this launch before it was over felt wrong.
Then again, she wanted to be as far from Evan as possible.
“What will make you stay?” The words were soft but held a sharp edge. If she didn’t know any better, that edge sounded desperate.
She gestured at the bottle. “You know what? I will take a glass of that.”
“Atta girl.” He pulled a glass from a cupboard and gave her a healthy pour. He clinked his glass against hers. “To escaping the trap.”
Hailey took a drink, keeping her eyes on him. The whiskey burned as it flowed down her throat to pool warm in her belly. “Not all marriages are a trap.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Then why did you run?”
“Because we weren’t in love.” She wrapped her arms around her middle.
“Then why did you agree to marry him in the first place?”
“What is this? Twenty questions?” She took another fortifying swallow of whiskey.
“Just curious.”
“Because at the time, it felt like the next step in the relationship.” Like it was one more stop on the journey.
“Look, I get it. And I get if you don’t want to see Evan, but Sun Tech still needs you. There’s a job to see through.”
She stared down at her drink. “Jace, I’ve spent my entire relationship doing what was best for Evan. Even at my own expense. For once, I need to think of myself.”
“I’ll pay you double.”
She blinked. “Double? Are you serious?”
“Dead,” he replied.
“I…don’t know what to say.” The extra money would be amazing. She could take time away from work to reset, move back to San Francisco. Maybe invest in expanding her operation. She could save it and take a trip.
But she’d still be helping Evan. “Thank you, but I can’t…”
Jace was determined. “I know this is a bad deal with you and Evan, and I’m sorry this is the case, but you agreed to the contract.”
She straightened her shoulders. “Our contract has a cancellation clause that allows either party to cancel the contract after sixty days.”
Jace stilled. The only sign that he heard what she said was the white-knuckled grip on his glass. “Evan wouldn’t have agreed to that.”
She crossed her arms. “Evan didn’t even question it. He thought I would never use it.” She shrugged. “Evan also thought he could get away with cheating.”
Jace downed his whiskey in one long swallow. The glass clinked as he set it down on the pale granite countertop. “Fine. You had a rough day. I’ll let it go for now, but this discussion isn’t over.”
She braced herself, waiting for him to kick her out. She wouldn’t blame him if he did. After all, she wasn’t falling in line.
Jace moved across the kitchen and silently poured himself another glass.
She waited as he corked the bottle. Still he said nothing.
“Are you going to kick me out?” She hated the slight tremor in her voice.
He shook his head. “No. I’m going to figure out how to sway you into staying.” Jace took his time putting the bottle away before he turned.
He was still offering his place to stay.
Raising the glass to her lips, she took a sip to hide her surprise. If this had been a situation with Evan, he would have kicked her out. He liked everything his way.
“All of this could have been avoided if you and Evan never got engaged,” Jace muttered under his breath.
She completely agreed.
“What do you have against marriage?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“As I’ve pointed out, it’s a trap. A stupid demand that society imposes on us.”
Hailey swirled the remaining alcohol around in her glass.
What the hell? She downed the rest. “That’s not a real answer.”
“You still believe in marriage even after the hell you went through?” he asked.
“Of course, I do. I don’t want to be alone and cynical.”
Jace laughed. A deep, low sound that made her insides twist in anticipation. “Alone and cynical isn’t as bad as it sounds. You should consider joining the club.”
The whiskey was doing the trick. Her head felt light, and the knots in her stomach slowly loosened. “One day, a woman is going to come along and bring you to your knees.”
Jace’s expression was bitter as he finished his whiskey. “Trust me, I’ve already seen the damage from love gone wrong. I’m far too wary to ever let that happen to me.”
*
Hailey woke up alone, discombobulated, and twisted in her sheets.
Struggling with the tangle of bedding, she freed herself enough to sit up and glance around the room. The early rays of dawn peeked through the window, casting a cool light in the white-walled room.
She tugged at her large sleep shirt wrapped around her torso.
No, not her shirt. Jace’s shirt. She rolled the soft fabric between her fingers as yesterday’s events came crashing back like early morning waves.
Single and without a contract.
She pressed her hands against her eyes.
And she stayed at Jace’s.
In place of the cold feet that she had woken up with yesterday, acidic anxiety churned deep in
her belly, and a band wrapped around her lungs.
Evan was a man who would follow through with the worst idea on this planet provided it upheld appearances. And she had run from him without even a note of explanation.
The band tightened around her lungs.
Something told her he wasn’t going to take her disappearance well.
Groaning, she pushed her bangs out of her face. She wished she could forget yesterday even happened. Her parents were probably worried, and she’d have to face Evan eventually to get her stuff back.
She didn’t even want to think of what—or whom—Evan did last night.
Hailey pushed herself off the futon and checked the small clock on Jace’s desk. Six.
Time to get out of here. Preferably without seeing Jace.
She spotted a pair of shoes in the corner. They were too large but would have to do. She’d rather walk back to the hotel barefoot than put those feet-eating heels back on.
Holding the large black leather shoes in one hand, Hailey tiptoed out of the office she’d used as a spare room. She paused at Jace’s closed bedroom door.
For a wild second, she considered knocking. To thank him, if nothing else.
No, she couldn’t risk it. Jace would understand.
She hoped.
She crept to the front door, grabbed the chrome handle, and twisted down.
“Heading out so soon?”
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Her hand flew to her chest, and she whirled around.
“Will you stop doing that? I was…”
The words died on her lips when she spotted Jace, a few feet behind her, leaning against the foyer wall, one long leg crossed over the other. His gray sweats hung low on his hips and a fitted white tee stretch across his broad chest.
And his hair…
Hailey swallowed.
His usually perfect hair was rumpled from sleep. She could almost imagine him crawling out from his warm bed to find her—and bring her back.
She gritted her teeth.
What was wrong with her? Just yesterday she was on the verge of marrying someone else. She was recovering from the shock of that man’s infidelity. There was no way she should be having these thoughts about Jace.
As though reading her mind, Jace lifted one corner of his mouth. He gestured at her with the mug in his hand. “Seems a mite early to head out. You haven’t even had a cup of coffee.”
“I’m not running.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “If that’s what you’re implying.”
He lifted a dark brow. “You could have fooled me.”
She glared at him.
Who did this man think he was? She wasn’t running. She was avoiding him. Big difference.
“I’m heading out to meet my parents.”
Jace sipped his coffee. “At six o’clock in the morning?”
She shifted from one foot to another. “Fine. I’m running out of here.”
Jace calmly sipped his coffee again. “Not until we talk.”
“I thought we talked last night. I quit. I’ll find you a replacement when I get back to the Bay Area.”
“We aren’t done,” he growled.
Something about that growl made her body want to disobey every rational thought in her mind.
She started for the door. “I really do need to get going.”
Jace was right behind her. She pulled down on the chrome handle at the same time his hand reached over her shoulder and pressed the door closed.
She could feel the warm, masculine heat of Jace’s body along her back as she stared at the hand in front of her. Long ropes of muscle wrapped up Jace’s forearm. Whatever the man did to exercise, it was working.
“I have a proposal,” he said, his low voice caressing the shell of her ear. His breath traced over her neck, sending a shiver of need down her spine.
She forced herself to face him.
Jace’s eyes were as hard and emotionless as his dark granite countertops. The man was serious, and he wanted to talk business.
Her heart twisted. “Jace, I can’t—”
“I’ll pay you twice as much.”
“You already mentioned that.” She had run the numbers in her head last night. She wouldn’t need to find work for another two months if she agreed to that. She could even go on vacation.
It would be her first vacation since starting her company.
Except it wasn’t worth working for Evan.
An anger that had been simmering started to boil.
She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and shook her head.
“Think of how much that double pay will help your company. Help you. All you have to do is give us a few more weeks,” he said.
That anger hit full boil. She jabbed Jace in the chest.
“Don’t you dare manipulate me. I’ve put up with enough of that from Evan. When I called him yesterday morning, right before the wedding, do you know what he told me?”
Jace’s eyes widened.
“He told me that I had better not embarrass him. He didn’t comfort me or ask me what was wrong. It was all about him. And you know what I realized? Our entire relationship was about him. It was never about me.”
Jace took a step back. “I’m sure he was nervous as well.”
She stepped forward, into his space. “Don’t excuse his behavior. I did the exact same thing, and you know what I realized? All those years of pretending he was reassuring me or doing what was best for me, it was all manipulation. I’m done with it.”
“There’s got to be a way you can put personal issues aside and focus on the business,” Jace insisted.
“I can’t accept your offer.” Her voice quivered. Double the pay was hard to refuse.
“There’s a contract, and we need you to see it through.” His words were quick and matter-of-fact. “I know it’s your only contract. If you cancel it, you won’t have any work.”
The Hailey from yesterday would have given in. There was a contract. She had spent months planning this event. She knew Sun Tech better than anyone else. It would be easy to save Jace and Evan from this mess.
But she didn’t owe Evan a thing. As of yesterday, she was done following every rule and being nice. Screw nice. All it got her was a cheating ex and a life she had to start over.
She straightened her shoulders. “It’s my only contract because Evan talked me into dropping all other work. I’m not willing to sacrifice myself to help Sun Tech out. I’ll send all my files over with some recommendations for a replacement as soon as I get home.”
Jace’s jaw jutted out and his eyes narrowed in a cold fury. “If you cancel the contract, I will make sure every business in San Francisco, Houston, and LA is aware you backed out last minute.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she snapped. “After all I’ve done for you? It says in my contract that I can break the agreement after sixty days. What I am doing is ethical and in accordance with the contract.” Even so, it wouldn’t take much to crush her small business and Jace knew it. “You aren’t fighting fair.”
Jace’s gray eyes pinned her in place. “Life isn’t fair. It’s time you learned that.”
“How dare you—”
“We both know business is business. If you need more incentive, I’ll triple our price. It’s only three more weeks. Then you can go home and forget about Sun Tech.”
Triple. She worked her jaw open and closed as she tried to process the ridiculous amount of money Jace was offering.
Jace’s eyes locked on hers.
“You don’t need me on this project,” she whispered.
“I would love to believe that, but too many months have been invested in this launch to start over. A few measly weeks, and it’ll be done.”
And a third successful launch would be amazing in her portfolio.
“I’m supposed to work with my ex?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “My cheating ex?”
“I’ll keep him out of your hair.” Jace didn’t look thrill
ed with the idea, but she knew he would do whatever it took for her to stay.
It was tempting. Oh, so deliciously, last-piece-of-chocolate-cake tempting. She wanted to say yes, more than anything. Triple pay was almost impossible to say no to.
Almost, being the key word. There was still one thing.
“I can’t agree to it, Jace. Honestly, all I’ve done in relationships is give and give. If I agree to this contract, it’s one more sacrifice on my end.”
The knuckles of Jace’s hand turned white as he clutched his mug of coffee.
“Hailey.”
“I stand firm.” She reached around her and grabbed the door handle. “And I really should be going.” Her mom would be worried.
“Fine,” Jace snarled. “At least think about it.” He left the room, his footsteps heavy as he disappeared down the hall without a backward glance.
Hailey bolted out of there before she could change her mind. Her breath was coming in hard bursts, and she felt…guilty. She had let Jace down.
And it bothered her.
Chapter Three
A couple blocks from Jace’s place, Hailey found a little eclectic coffee shop that looked like a place Jace would never frequent. Thankfully it was early enough that the shop was still quiet, and the girl behind the counter let her use the phone without hesitation.
Her mother arrived twenty minutes later in a yellow cab. Her blond hair was twisted up into a bun, and the dark jeans and light blue shirt made her look effortlessly pulled together.
Jane stepped inside the shop, searching for her daughter. Her coffee-colored eyes lit up the second they landed on Hailey, and for a brief second, Hailey could feel the knots in her stomach loosen.
“Thank God.” Her mom wrapped her in a hug.
It felt good, having her mom’s arms around her. She allowed her weight to sag against her mom’s shoulders for an all-too-brief minute before stepping back.
“I brought you some clothes.” Her mom examined her with large eyes, as though inspecting her for broken bones instead of a broken heart. “I was so worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Mom.”
“Honey, there’s no lying to me. I know fine, and you aren’t fine.”
Her mom missed nothing.
Hailey silently pulled open the tote to find a set of clean clothes and underwear. Her purse was tucked to the side.