Okay, Liberty. Get it together. You’re here to do a job. Nothing else.
Despite the hostility radiating off of Nate, she wasn’t sure how long she stood staring at the god-like Adonis. Dark-chocolate with baby smooth skin, a perfectly trimmed goatee, and smoky-brown eyes so intense they could drill a hole right through her.
Liberty swallowed as her gaze traveled the length of him. Even with his body sheathed in a light-gray polo shirt and dress slacks, she could tell that he had bulked up in all the right places since she’d last seen him.
Her gaze returned to his eyes and the storm brewing within caused her to tremble. A whirlwind of emotions twisted inside her and she moved closer to the chair that held her laptop bag. She’d often wondered what would happen if they ever ran into each other again. Now she knew.
Attraction, lust, need and a bit of fear had her nerves on edge. It didn’t help that the energy he’d brought into the room could ignite a wildfire. Why did their first meeting in thirteen years have to be now? She had only been in town for a few weeks and at the new job less than that. The last thing she needed was to run into the only man who’d ever meant anything to her. The only man she had ever loved…and left.
When she noted the first name of the Jenkins & Sons contact person, brief memories of Nate and their time together flitted across her mind. Never in a million years had she expected to see her Nate.
God, please don’t let him be the Nathaniel that I’m supposed to meet with.
“I’m here to meet with Nathaniel Jenkins,” Liberty finally said.
“Why?” Nate’s voice boomed over the light jazz playing in the overhead speakers.
The room closed in around her, and she took a step backward only to bump into the window she stood at earlier.
“Are you hard of hearing, Kayla? I asked why. What do you want?”
She shook her head. “It’s Liberty,” she said barely above a whisper before clearing her throat, willing herself to speak up. “My name is Liberty.”
Nate let out a ruthless laugh. “Still playing games, huh.”
“It’s no game, Nate. I no longer go by Kayla. I haven’t in a long time, and I’m here to meet with Nathaniel Jenkins regarding the Unity Tower proposal with LCA.”
God, please don’t let…
“Nathaniel Jenkins-Moore. My full name. My family owns Jenkins & Sons.”
Liberty felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. She couldn’t catch a break. Her life continued to throw one catastrophe after another, but this…this was too much.
Nate had gone by Moore in college. How had she not known he had two last names?
Because you did more kissing and hugging than talking, her brain taunted.
Nate didn’t take his dark gaze off of her. In college, there had always been a strong, powerful presence about him, but never scary or intimidating like now.
As he approached her, the warmth spreading through her body had nothing to do with the heat outside. It also had nothing to do with the long-sleeved blouse she was wearing. No, what she was feeling had everything to do with how Nate still had a powerful effect on her whenever he was near. Her body vibrated with an electric sizzle that only he could rouse.
Liberty swallowed hard. “Um, I—I’m shocked to see you. Why did you go by Moore instead of Jenkins in college?”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, Kayla Jackson. I’m not sure what type of game you’re playing by being here, but—”
“I don’t play games. My—”
“Don’t you?” he fumed, his tone menacing as he moved closer, less than twelve inches between them. She stood her ground, her body unable to move from the intensity of his stare. “I seem to remember you being very good at stringing me along, making me fall for you, and then opting for the better prize.”
“Nate.”
“Oh wait.” He snapped his fingers. “It wasn’t quite like that. I think your exact words were, I love you, Nate, but I have to think of my future. I guess I wasn’t good enough for your bougie ass, huh?”
Defeat rested in Liberty’s chest as she listened to him recall one of the biggest mistakes she’d ever made. “Nate, that was a long time ago. I’m not that person anymore.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not. I’m here to do a job. That’s it. I don’t want any trouble, and I’m not here to cause you any trouble.” Getting her nerves under control, she was determined to do the job she’d been hired to do. She pulled her computer from the laptop bag.
“Stop right there.” Liberty startled when Nate placed a hand over hers, a zing of electricity shooting up her arm. He removed his hand just as quick, clearly feeling the same shock wave. “You’re not staying,” he snapped.
“I understand that we have a history, Nate, but this is my job,” she said, still recovering from his touch. “This has nothing to do with our past.”
“This has everything to do with our past! I don’t trust you, Kayla! My experience with you has taught me a few things. Never take anyone at their word alone. Never give your heart unless you know it’s in good hands. And never trust a pretty face because you’re bound to get stabbed in the chest.”
“Please don’t do this.”
“Get. Out!”
“I’m not that person anymore, Nate.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. You’ve changed your name. Just because you go by a different name and changed your appearance,” he said waving his hand up and down the length of her, “doesn’t mean your soul is different.”
Liberty stood transfixed, trying to find the words to save this project. To save her job.
“I said, get out!” he yelled, his eyes hard and unyielding, his body rigid with tension.
Liberty hurried and put her laptop into the bag. When she went to pass Nate, she wanted to try one last time to convince him to work with her.
He took a huge step back. “Get the hell out of here before I have you thrown out!”
Instead of saying anything else, she rushed to the door, pissed at the dark cloud that seemed to still be following her around.
I’ve got to fix this. I can’t lose this job.
*
Liberty paced past her sister’s kitchen table and halted at the edge of the family room before turning and retracing her steps. She wasn’t sure how many paths she’d made since showing up at the house, but if she kept it up she was sure to wear out the floor.
“Can you please sit down and eat? As skinny as you’ve gotten, you can’t afford to go without a meal.”
“I’m not hungry,” Liberty said to her sister, unable to stop moving. Nate’s reaction and hurtful words were at the forefront of her mind.
“Demi, I have never seen him that angry before. He didn’t even seem like the same person.”
When Liberty had walked away from him in college, Nate had been more confused than angry. Then again, it’s not like she stuck around after breaking up with him. She didn’t even want to think about how angry he had probably been once the information settled in.
“You haven’t seen him in like forever, not since college. I think it’s safe to say you both have changed.” Her sister, though younger, was always the voice of reason. Liberty had called her the moment she left Jenkins & Sons.
Liberty’s stomach churned, anxiousness clawing through her body. She dropped down in one of the kitchen chairs and groaned. Considering the day had started out promising, it had quickly taken a nose dive after running into Nate. If it weren’t for bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all.
“What am I going to do?” she asked more to herself than her sister.
Instead of the salad Liberty expected, Demi placed a large slice of chocolate cake in front of her.
“Eat, and before you ask, it’s sugar free, butter free, and free of everything else that makes a chocolate cake good,” Demi cracked, a wicked grin covering her lips. She often teased, telling Liberty that eating only vegetables was like eating cardboard.
; Liberty stared at the delicious looking three-layer cake. She’d been a vegan for five years, only recently adding dairy and eggs occasionally into her diet. She wasn’t a big sweet eater, but the dessert could tempt the most dedicated dieter.
“I thought we were having lunch. As in a big salad with carrots, tomatoes and maybe broccoli. What happened?”
“After your call, I felt you needed to start with something more decadent than the cardboard you usually eat.”
Her sister always gave her a hard time about her eating regimen, but Liberty appreciated that Demi supported her vegetarian lifestyle.
Liberty’s mouth watered in anticipation. “What’s really in this?”
“Don’t worry. It’s vegan. If today is one of those days that you’re not eating eggs, you’re good. I picked the cake up from that place on Montgomery Road that you mentioned the other day.”
Liberty’s heart melted a little at the kind gesture. She ate a few bites of the cake, struggling to swallow past the lump in her throat. Thoughts of Nate and the Unity Tower project filtered into her mind again.
She pushed the cake aside and laid her head on her folded arms on top of the table.
“I can’t believe this is happening. If I screw up this proposal, I’m going to be out of a job,” she mumbled against her arm. “How could Nate treat me like this?”
“Don’t give up yet, sis. I’m sure he was just shocked. All you have to do is call him tomorrow. He will have calmed down by then and the two of you will be able to discuss the past and present like adults.”
Liberty shook her head, her hair swishing back and forth. “You didn’t see him, Demi. You didn’t hear him.” She lifted her head. “Heck I stood there like a complete fool, shocked at not only seeing him, but at how different he seemed.”
“Well, you have to admit. He probably felt as if he was seeing a ghost. Imagine how you’d feel. You guys dated exclusively for months. He even professed his love to you. And then the day he graduated from college, you dump him for someone else without warning. And that’s not even the worse part. You ma—”
“Don’t. Please don’t say it.”
Being reminded of all that she’d done was like getting punched in the gut. No matter how many times over the years she tried justifying her decisions, she still felt like the lowest form of human life.
“You hooked up with the man you said you would never give the time of day to again,” her sister continued. “The man who Nate rescued you from. The man who—”
Liberty leaped up, practically knocking over the chair. “Stop. Please. Just stop. You’re not making me feel better. I was young and dumb. I’m not that person anymore.”
She’d said the same thing to Nate, and now sounded like a broken record. Liberty had to prove to him and to herself that she wasn’t that same woman. And she wasn’t going to let Nate or anyone else ruin this job for her. She’d been through hell the last few years. Clawed herself out of the gutter her ex-husband had dumped her into. No way would she let another man mistreat her.
“There is one thing you haven’t mentioned about the infamous Nate.”
Liberty sighed and accepted the tossed salad her sister handed her before they both sat at the round, glass table. She was so done discussing Nate, at least for today. At least until she figured out what to do about the Unity Tower project and his role in it.
“How did he look? When you described Nate while you were in college, you made him sound like some type of African prince. Does he look the same?”
“He’s moved up from prince to Nubian god,” Liberty mumbled with disdain, angry she was still attracted to him. After the way he behaved, she shouldn’t feel anything for the man. Unfortunately, his nasty words that had played on a loop in her mind all the way to her sister’s house hadn’t lessened his appeal. Probably because deep inside, Liberty felt she deserved it a little, after what she had done to him.
“He was hot when we attend Northwestern, but now…”
“Well, dang. I can’t wait to meet him.”
Liberty’s fork stopped short of her mouth. “What makes you think you’ll meet him?”
Her sister shrugged while she finished chewing. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.”
“Well your feelings are off kilter. I don’t know how yet, but Nate and I will only have a working relationship. At least I hope.” At the moment, Liberty wasn’t sure how she was going to get him to listen to her. Let alone work with her.
After another few bites of her salad, she set the fork down and stood. All the talk about Nate had her mind whirling with memories she thought she had sealed away.
“He’s not the same man. The man I remember was charming, had an easy smile, and was a perfect gentleman. He would have never raised his voice at me…or any woman. I can’t believe I did this to him. Turned him into a—a jerk.”
“Really, Liberty? I know you’re all that,” Demi said sarcastically, “but you can’t take ownership for his rudeness. If he’s still holding a grudge after all these years, he’s the one with the problem.”
“I hurt him,” Liberty choked out. “The weeks leading up to graduation we had talked about our future together. How we were going to try and make a long-distance relationship work while he lived in Ohio and I finish at Northwestern. You didn’t see him the day I broke up with him. He was devastated.”
“Yeah, I bet he was, but it wasn’t an easy decision for you. I might’ve still been young, but now I understand why you did what you did.”
“How…” Liberty’s voice hitched as a stab of pain pierced her heart. “How am I ever going to be able to face him again?”
“I think the bigger question is—how are you going to save this project and keep your job?
“I wish I knew.”
Chapter Three
Nate hung up the phone and returned his attention to the file on his desk. He’d read the same information three times and still didn’t know what it said. Focusing was impossible with his thoughts constantly drifting back to his morning with Kayla.
He still couldn’t believe he’d seen her. Until he had gone off on her and brought up what she’d done to him, he thought he had moved on.
“Apparently, not,” he grumbled, rubbing his forehead.
What were the chances? Of all the people who could be a part of the Unity Tower project, why her? And what was up with the name change? And why did she have to look so good? Gone was the girl he had fallen in love with almost at first site, and in her place was a stunning woman who made his heart race just recalling their encounter earlier. And those eyes. Those dark, exotic eyes and that sexy voice still had an effect on him.
“Let it go, Nate. It’s done. Over.” As far as he was concerned, if he ever saw her again it would be too soon.
The best way to rid his mind of one woman was to call another. He reached for his cell phone, but before he could make the call his door swung open.
“What the hell have you done?” his brother roared, slamming the door closed. “Have you lost your damn mind? I thought we agreed that LCA was a go. Why am I receiving calls from the project manager saying that you kicked her out this morning? And why didn’t I hear about this from you? I shouldn’t be blindsided by a stranger when my own brother could have called and filled me in.”
“Hello to you too, my brotha.” Nate leaned in his leather desk chair and rocked slightly, waiting for his brother to calm down.
“Don’t my brotha me! What the hell happened? When did you start saying one thing and then doing something different? We had an agreement.”
“I know the representative for LCA from way back, and she can’t be trusted. No way am I sharing any of Jenkins’s business information with her. It’s not going to happen.” Thanks to Kayla Jackson, he hadn’t trusted another woman outside of the women in his family since she betrayed him all those years ago. He never would again.
“Are you telling me you’re letting some personal feelings get in the way of a sixty-million-dollar proj
ect?”
“I’m telling you that I can’t work with the project manager. If LCA wants to send someone else, fine. I’ll reconsider our company’s involvement.”
“Are you even hearing yourself? You are not Jenkins & Sons. All of us are. You don’t get to make decisions like that alone.”
Nate stood slowly, his anger on the brink of exploding as he glared at his brother.
“Need I remind you of a similar situation you were in a few months ago. Does the name Russell McCray ring a bell? If I’m not mistaken, you didn’t bring the decision to turn down that contract to the board. You decided that working with that company wasn’t in the best interest and we trusted your judgment.”
“Dammit, Nate! Don’t try to twist this shit. That situation involved my wife and was totally different and you know it.”
Nate wasn’t about to let his brother know that he agreed—that situation had been different. McCray, despite being Sumeera’s father, was a wealthy, egotistical jerk, with mental issues according to Nick. Owner of a project development company, McCray had awarded them a contract to build one of his strip malls. During final negotiations, he started jerking them around before they knew his relationship to Sumeera. Nick almost killed the guy when he arrived home one night and found McCray manhandling Sumeera. Nate hadn’t been there, but he had never known his brother to get that angry at anyone.
“Bringing Russell into this conversation was a low blow. Not only did I fear my wife’s life was in danger then, but I still don’t trust him now around my family.”
“I know, and you’re right. It was a poor comparison. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Since that altercation, Sumeera obtained a restraining order against her father. Her mother had relocated to Cincinnati after the incident, immediately cutting ties with him. That wasn’t enough for Nick. He hired a private investigator, their cousin Peyton’s husband, to keep tabs on Sumeera’s father. McCray was still living in New York, but had visited Cincinnati a few times recently trying to win back Sumeera’s mother.
“I also nixed the contract with McCray because our reputation was at stake. I couldn’t trust that McCray wouldn’t do something to sabotage our company.”
Proposal for Love Page 2