“What kind of outfit do you call that?” he snapped.
She faltered, giving him a surprised look. Then she glared over at Thea. He moved his gaze to Thea and caught her biting her lip in an attempt to hide her grin. Thought that was funny, did she?
Jenny had worked there for longer than Thea, but she didn’t spend much time on a day-to-day basis with him. She probably thought her overblown fake looks gave her some sort of protection against the lash of his tongue.
That would backfire on her.
“This is Prada.”
How the fuck did she afford Prada?
“I don’t care.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Why didn’t you give me the message from Thea?”
The other woman looked over at Thea with a triumphant look, obviously thinking she’d gained the upper hand. “I never got one.”
Thea gasped, an outraged sound. “Jenny, I spoke to you less than an hour ago.”
“It’s Jennifer,” she said coldly. “And I never got your message. Sir, could I get you something? Coffee? Tea?”
The me? was silent but definitely implied. His gaze narrowed in on her. “Pack up your shit. You’re fired.”
“W-what?” Her eyes flickered from Thea to him. “You can’t fire me! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“You didn’t pass on an important message to me and you lied and said you didn’t receive that message. Grounds enough to be fired.”
“I’ll sue!”
“You do that. You’ll need to find a rich boy-toy to afford a lawyer, though, won’t you? Not sure how easy that’s going to be for you.”
“You-you asshole! How do you know she’s not lying?” She swung her hand at Thea. “Or is that because she’s fucking you? That gets her special treatment?”
He stared at Jenny. Just stared until she flinched under his unwavering, icy glare. “Get. Out. Now.”
The other woman turned and fled, steady on her heels.
“You do realize you’ve just fired the two women who know how to make your coffee the way you like it,” Thea pointed out dryly.
“You’re the only one who knows how to make my coffee properly. She puts too much creamer in it. And you’re unfired.”
He turned away.
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. Now, make me some coffee and then we’ll go over what I need from you this week.”
Sometimes she wished she didn’t need this job so much.
Most of the time she wished her boss wasn’t as gorgeous as he was. Or as forbidding. Because the man was glacial. He didn’t smile. He didn’t joke. He didn’t do warm or friendly. Except with clients. Then he was a very different man.
And if the gossipers around the water cooler were to be believed, he used to be warm. He used to be human.
Something had changed him. She had no idea what. And it wasn’t her business. But she wished she could go back in time and stop it from happening. Because seeing him smile . . . she’d bet it was a hell of a sight. She bet it was beautiful.
With a sigh, she prepared his coffee in the break room. She turned right as Jenny walked into the room. For once, she didn’t look perfectly put together. There was a smudge of mascara under one eye and a few pieces of hair had come free from her bun.
Thea might have felt bad that she’d lost her job if she hadn’t been gunning for her from the day she’d been hired.
“I know you’re fucking him,” Jenny stated harshly. “That’s the only reason he’d hire you. Although what he sees in a fat whore like you is beyond me. You should just fuck off back to the filthy gutter you crawled up out of, slut.”
“Well, well, what is going on in here?”
The voice was deep. Commanding. With a Texan drawl. She nearly dropped the cup of coffee she held. That was all she needed. To burn herself with hot coffee. One burn was enough, thanks. Or worse, stain her clothes. It took her a long time to find this outfit. She didn’t want it ruined.
She gulped as she looked over Jenny’s shoulder to the man who stood there. He looked like sin dressed in jeans and a button-up, plaid shirt.
Jenny sneered at him. “Who are you? And what are you doing back here? This is for employees only.”
“That so? Must have got turned around in this big ol’ building,” he drawled, laying it on thick. “Hard for someone from the country to get his bearings without no hills.”
She choked on a laugh.
Jenny sniffed, obviously not understanding he was joking. She looked him up and down. “Are you sure you got the right firm? Jin, Stein, and Malone is a very exclusive law firm.”
“Exclusive huh? Well, la-de-da. It’s okay, I been counting up my pennies. Brought a whole jar of ’em with me.”
She couldn’t hold back her giggles any longer. The cowboy glanced over at her and winked.
“Stop laughing, you stupid cunt!” Jenny screeched.
“Whoa.” The cowboy rubbed at his ear. “Got some good lungs on you.”
“Fuck you!” Jenny screamed at him.
“Now, you see, I’m usually down for a good fuck, but I’m busy right now. Got to go talk to my cousin about a little job. And well, to be honest, you’re not really my type. Bit too bony. And screechy. Now you, on the other hand,” he looked Thea up and down with hunger in his gaze, “you most definitely are my type.”
She could feel herself blushing bright red even though she didn’t believe him. There was no way she was his type. She was pretty certain she wasn’t anyone’s type. But the conversation was definitely pissing Jenny off.
And that was pure gold.
The cowboy smiled at her. “Maybe after I’ve met with my cousin, I could take you out for an early lunch, darlin’? Got to be something decent to eat around here.”
“What? Has everyone lost their fucking minds? How can you prefer a fat, ugly bitch like her!”
The smile fell off the cowboy’s face. “I think it’s time you left.” He straightened and glared down at Jenny, who didn’t have the sense to see that behind this one’s smile lurked darkness. “You’re starting to piss me off and you don’t want to do that.”
“What’s going on in here?” a familiar voice demanded.
She winced as Jardin stepped up behind the cowboy. They were about the same height. The cowboy was maybe a bit wider in the shoulders. Both dark-haired and handsome. Even though they were dressed differently, there was something similar about them. And she wasn’t talking about their looks.
It was like they’d both known pain. Darkness.
“Well, hello there, cousin,” the cowboy said with a wide grin. His eyes danced with amusement. “I’ve come for a visit.”
* * *
Could his day get any worse?
Really? He’d woken up thinking it was going to be like every other day. Work. Work. Sleep. More work. Instead, it seemed like the universe had decided that today it was going to throw a whole bunch of obstacles in his path to strain his patience.
“Wait,” Jenny said. “You’re his cousin? You can’t possibly be a Malone! You . . . you’re not refined or rich.” She ran her gaze dismissively over Maddox’s clothes.
Oh, she was so mistaken.
“I’m not?” Maddox replied. “Huh, that’s weird cause that’s what it says on my passport.”
Thea started giggling, and it was the sweetest noise Jardin had heard in a long time. His cock grew hard and he had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself.
“Shut up, you stupid bitch!” Jenny screeched.
Oh, hell no. He was not putting up with that. He stepped forward, around Maddox, who’d stiffened, right as Jenny reached out and shoved Thea. Thea flew back on those ridiculous heels of hers, toppling over onto her ass, the cup of coffee smashing to the floor.
A cry flew from her lips.
“Thea! Are you all right?” he asked pushing past Jenny and crouching down by Thea, who was sitting there, looking shocked.
“I . . . I think so.”
“Don’t
worry, I’m sure your slut will be fine to service you tonight.”
He stood, staring down at Jenny. She flinched, fear entering her gaze. Good, she should fear him. “I was willing to let you leave and that be the end of it. But you’ve pissed me off now. Don’t expect to get a job in this town, hell, the whole state. I’ll have you blackballed, and you’ll find my reach is far and wide. If I were you, I’d go home now, pack up your pathetic excuse for a life and find some Podunk town in the middle of nowhere where you might be able to pick up some waitressing work because your life here is over.”
“You sure told her, cousin. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bitch,” Maddox said in a friendly voice, but his eyes were cold as he looked Jenny up and down.
She brushed past them all with a fake cry.
Jardin turned as Thea attempted to push herself up. She winced and he frowned.
“What’s wrong? Did she hurt you? I’ll fucking kill her.”
He was all too aware of his cousin watching in interest, but he didn’t care.
“Oh, no, it’s not from her. It’s just my hand.”
“What’s wrong with your hand?” he snapped.
“Uh, cuz, not that I want to tell you how to handle your personal or private affairs—”
Yeah, right. When didn’t one of his nosy cousins like to butt into his business?
“But maybe you’d want to help her up before you start interrogating her?”
Damn it, he had a point.
Jardin held out his hands for her to take. Thea gave him a surprised look and only reached up with her left hand. He guessed she’d hurt her right hand. He helped her up, moving his hands to her waist to hold her steady.
“This is becoming a habit, huh?” she tried to joke.
He scowled down at her.
“What? You often get trapped by crazy psycho bitches then get rescued by a hot cowboy and his uptight cousin?” Maddox joked.
Jardin turned to scowl at him. “Watch your language.”
Maddox held up his hands. “Just saying.”
“You two really are cousins?” she asked, looking at them.
“Unfortunately,” he growled. “What’s wrong with your hand?”
Jardin laid out his hand, expecting her to immediately put hers in his. What he was not expecting was blatant disobedience. She put her hands behind her back and shook her head.
Maddox whistled. “Not something you experience every day, cuz. Good on you, darlin’. Make sure he doesn’t wear his hand out too much on your ass later.”
He whirled to his cousin, who had moved to the small kitchen and was looking through the cupboards for who knew what. With his cousins, you could never be certain of what the hell they were up to.
“Maddox!”
“Yeah?”
“She’s my secretary, not my sub.”
Maddox turned to give him a curious look. “Huh. Really?”
You cannot kill him. You cannot kill him.
“I’m not his secretary,” Thea said.
“See, she thinks she’s your sub too.”
“I didn’t say that!” Thea’s eyes were wide, shocked. Did she even know what Maddox was talking about? “I’m his personal assistant.”
Jardin didn’t understand why that distinction was important. But he just sighed and gestured to the small table. “Sit. Show me your injury.”
“It’s fine.”
“I didn’t ask if it was fine. I told you to show me your hand.”
“Oh, I’d do as he says, darlin’,” Maddox warned. “That’s his serious voice.”
“He has a voice that isn’t serious?” she asked, looking genuinely surprised.
Jardin ground his teeth together in frustration.
“He does. Shocking, huh? I mean, he’s always uptight, but sometimes, he smiles,” Maddox whispered that last part as he drew out a cloth and started cleaning up the coffee mess.
“No,” she whispered back.
“If the two of you have finished with your comedy act,” he snapped.
Thea gave him a guilty look but Maddox just grinned.
“Thea. Hand. Now.”
With a deep sigh he didn’t appreciate, she placed her right hand in his. He scowled as he took in her angry, red skin that sported several blisters, one of which had burst.
“What the hell! How did you get this? Your hand is burned!”
3
Jardin inspected her hand, trying to ignore the way his skin heated where it touched hers. Her hands were small and delicate. Like the rest of her.
Part of him wanted to bundle her up, tuck her away somewhere safe, and make sure she was treated like the precious thing she was.
The other part wanted to tie her to his bed and fuck her. Hard. Hot. Until she forgot her name, forgot everything except who she belonged to.
Mine.
Except she wasn’t.
He needed to get his fucking head together. His scowl grew as he stared down at her injured hand. Maddox whistled as he cleaned up the spilled coffee. Jardin gave him a sharp look.
“Since when do you know how to clean?” He’d been in the bunkhouse Maddox shared with most of his brothers. The place was a pigsty. He’d gotten five steps inside before fearing for his health.
Of course, they’d all laughed like it was a big joke.
“Since Mia moved in and wrapped big brother’s balls around her little finger.”
“Maddox!” he snapped before rising to grab the first aid kit from under the sink. Thank God no one else was around at this time of day. That was all he needed to turn this into a total mess.
“What?” Maddox looked over at Thea, who was blushing. “I love Mia. It wasn’t an insult to her. I’m glad she has him firmly by the balls. He was way too uptight before she came along. All ‘Maddox stop getting into bar fights. And Maddox stop leaving your brothers tied up in the middle of nowhere without food, clothes, or water.’ Total bore.”
“You . . . you did that? To your own brother?” Thea asked, wincing as Jardin started putting burn cream on her poor hand.
“It was only once. Or, wait, maybe twice. And they both deserved it. But I’ve learned my lesson. Next time, I’ll leave food and water.” Maddox winked at Thea and she shook her head with a smile. It was obvious she thought he was joking. Jardin knew he wasn’t.
“How did this happen?” he asked quietly. He was debating taking her to the emergency room. He glanced up at her.
She was biting her lip worriedly. She was wearing bright pink lipstick. She wore it every day. A shudder nearly moved through him at the thought of those pink-colored lips wrapped around his cock.
Easy, man.
“My car had smoke pouring out of the hood. So, I opened it up and foolishly reached in to undo the cap where the smoke was coming from. It was hot.”
“Ouch,” Maddox said sympathetically. “Darlin’ as a general rule, if something is smoking, it’s usually hot.”
“Thanks for that lesson, Maddox,” he said dryly. “Maybe you could go wait in my office?”
“Sure. I’ll make sure that bitch has left without stealing any of the office supplies.”
“No, just—”
But it was too late. He was gone. And he’d do whatever the hell he wanted anyway.
After slathering some burn cream on her skin, Jardin reached for a bandage and started wrapping her hand. “You should go to the emergency room.”
“It’s just a small burn. There’s no point in waiting around for hours for a doctor who’ll tell me to put burn cream on it.”
She could have a point. But he still didn’t like it. Didn’t like that she was injured. Hurting. That she’d come to work like that and hadn’t said a word.
“I don’t think it needs to be covered,” she told him.
He simply stared at her then resumed wrapping her hand. “You can’t keep it wrapped up all day. It needs to breathe. Take it off every so often then reapply cream and put it back on. Do you have cream at home?”
“Hmm, oh, I think so.”
He sighed and handed her the tube of cream. “Take this. There are other first aid kits around here. Just remember to order some more. I’ll get a town car to take you home.”
She stiffened, alarm filling her face. “Why? I’m not still fired, am I?”
Suddenly, he felt tired. In fact, it felt like he’d been nothing but tired these past few years.
“No, you’re not still fired.” He should say yes. Get rid of her. But the truth was, he wasn’t sure he could do without her. Not just because she was the best PA he’d ever had. But because he’d fucking miss her. For the first time in years, he looked forward to coming to work because he got to see her.
So, what are you going to do about it?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Coward.
“But you’re going home. You can’t work like that.”
“I can.” She got on her feet. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ve got burns all along the palm of your hand and your fingers. How are you even going to type?”
“I’ll use my other hand. It’ll be fine.”
He narrowed his gaze, his suspicions aroused. Why didn’t she want to go home?
“Most people would jump at the chance to go home and rest for the day.”
“Well, I’m not most people and I can’t afford the day off,” she countered.
That he could believe.
“It’s with full pay.”
Surprise filled her face, and he saw her think about it. Then she shook her head stubbornly.
Brat.
“Thea,” he said in a low, warning voice. “It’s not a request.”
He preferred his women to defer to him. In and out of the bedroom. He liked to be firmly in charge. No matter where he was.
Her eyes flashed with defiance. His palm itched. He knew that if he ever took her over his knee it would be all over. And he wasn’t just talking about his career, because she’d be in her rights to sue his ass for assault. It was about his inability to keep her at arm’s length. To keep kidding himself that when it came to her, he didn’t care.
Jardin’s Gamble Page 3