by Alexa Riley
I should be mad at her. I should be fucking pissed, but it’s hard when she’s giving me that look. She’s hurting. I can see it all over her face, and it’s not a look I’m used to on her. Not Paige. She’s strong and doesn’t need anyone or anything, but she doesn’t look that way right now. Right now, she looks like she needs me.
Captain reaches to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, drawing her attention to him. She smacks his hand away, making him smirk. I look down at my notepad, wanting to look away from the two of them because what I really want to do is send her a text teasing her about her crush, about what’s going on with the way he touches her, but I can’t. I shouldn’t want to either. I should hate her for lying to me.
I reach into my purse, pulling my phone out and seeing I don’t have any missed calls or texts at all. That bothers me, too. Jesus, I’m a mess. Now I’m mad he hasn’t texted me after I deleted his email without even reading it. I have serious issues right now.
Skyler nudges me, and I look over at her and see she’s looking at the stage. I follow her line of sight and there he is, staring right at me. His dark beard is a little longer than normal, probably because he didn’t shave all weekend and he still hasn’t taken the time. He’s in dark blue slacks and a light blue button-up shirt that’s rolled up at the sleeves.
He looks tired. The lack of sleep shows under his eyes as he stares at me. Everyone else is taking their seats at the long table on the stage. He sits off to the side like he’s only there to observe.
“Hey, is that Miles Osbourne?” Eric asks, leaning over toward me. I look at him and shrug, like I have no idea. When I glance back at Oz, his eyes are still on me. Intense. It’s clear that he doesn’t care if anyone notices he’s staring at me. He glances over at Eric, then back at me, and even from this distance I can actually see his jaw tick as he clenches it.
I watch as Oz reaches into his pocket, pulls out his phone and types away. I feel mine vibrate in my lap, but I don’t look down or reach for it. I look away from him and over at Skyler.
“Wow. He looks pissed.” Skyler says it without moving her lips. She tilts her head a little—I’m guessing so Oz won’t know what she’s saying.
I glance back at him and his eyes move from me to Captain and Paige up against the wall. He and Captain seem to have some silent conversation before he looks back at me. I look between them and I know he’s going to do something. Grabbing my phone, I open my text messages.
Oz: Don’t make me have him removed from this building.
I see Captain moving around the side of the auditorium and I panic. He’s going to make a fucking scene! This is how he’s sorry, by embarrassing me? This is freaking ridiculous. He really can’t be this jealous.
Me: Knock it off right now, or I’ll walk out of here and never come back.
I hit Send and look up. He looks down at his phone and I glance over to see Captain has already stopped. Paige has him by the arm and is talking to him as he looks down at her. She glances at me, and I know she’s stopping him from coming over here. I sigh in relief as she gets him to move back toward where they were standing before.
“Good morning, everyone. Some of you may know me already, but I’m Samuel Black, CEO of Osbourne Corporation.”
I lean back in my chair, relieved that Oz isn’t making a scene, but I don’t look at him. I keep my eyes on Mr. Black as he goes on about future plans for the company and the direction they want to take.
After what seems like years, I finally crack and glance over at Oz. It was all I could do to hold off from looking at him for five minutes, and I hate how pathetic that makes me feel.
When I look to him, I see he’s still staring at me. It makes me squirm in my seat, and I want to shout at my body for its reaction to him. To those deep sapphires staring at me so intimately. Grabbing my phone, I text him.
Me: Stop staring. People will notice.
Oz: I don’t care if people notice.
Me: I do.
Oz: Have dinner with me and I’ll stop staring.
I glare at him before putting my phone back down. This is a little different Oz than I’m used to. Some of his softness has bled away, a hard dominance coming through. I’d seen it before but never coming for me like this. Before I felt like when he did something there was a question if I was okay with it. That seems to be gone. He’s always been intense but now it seems like he’s cracked a little or maybe the real him is coming out and this part of him is on a mission to steamroll me.
Is this some kind of weird blackmail or something? He’s holding me hostage by making me feel like I don’t have control over anything. I’m not used to this, even if my freedom before was only an illusion. I’d never known anyone to take the time to get to know me like this. But it’s been happening all along without my knowledge. I assumed it’s been me watching out for me as long as I could remember.
Until Paige came into my life, and then I thought we were watching out for each other. While I know she has a father, he was never around, nor did she seem to want him around. So when we became close, I thought it was because of our shared past. Not because she was paid to be there.
I breathe a sigh of relief when the meeting finally ends. Basically, this was a company announcement to talk about our quarterly goals for the end of the year and keep our shareholders informed of future plans. I didn’t absorb much of what was being said, what with feeling his eyes on me the whole time.
I glance over and Oz stands up, looking like he’s going to come toward me, and I’m out of my chair, working my way through the crowd of people.
Before I get more than a few steps, Skyler grabs my arm.
“Lunch?”
“Not here,” I say, and even I can hear the desperation to get out of here in my voice.
She nods and I follow her out past the crowd and through the glass lobby. Once we get outside and fresh air greets my lungs, I can breathe. We walk down the street to a little bakery. I get a banana nut muffin and coffee. We sit down, and I pick at the muffin, not wanting it even though I should be hungry. I didn’t eat much this weekend, but my body doesn’t care. An anxious ball still sits in my stomach, squeezing sporadically.
My plans are not working out like I wanted them to. Go to work, do your job and quit after a little while seems easier said than done now.
Skyler plays on her phone while she eats her sandwich, smiling away at whoever she’s talking to. I look down at mine and see another text from Oz, but I power it off, tossing it into my purse. When we’re done, I throw my coffee cup and the rest of my muffin in the trash. I look up afterward and see Captain leaning against the far wall of the coffee shop, looking my way. He’s wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, and all I can think about is how he almost looks like an FBI agent or something. He’s way too big not to stand out, and if he’s trying to blend in, it’s not working.
I study him for a second before turning and following Skyler out of the coffee shop and back to our office. I wonder if he’s following me or getting coffee. A lot of people that work in the building come here because it’s the closest. So I try to pretend his being there isn’t about me.
When I get back to my desk, I drop my purse in a drawer before heading to the ladies’ room. I don’t make it two feet into the bathroom and Oz is on me, shutting the door behind him.
“Don’t.” I try to move around him, but he blocks me from leaving. Caging me in.
The next thing I know, his mouth is on mine.
Like every other time he’s kissed me, my body melts into his and I open for him easily. It’s as if I have no control over my body. I forget that I’m mad at him. His lips are warm and needy, filled with so much possession and claiming, like he is trying to consume me with his kiss, and I want to give him what he’s asking for. I want to comfort him and make it all better, but then I remember why I hate hi
m.
I push on his solid wall of a chest, but he kisses me deeper like it’s impossible to separate us. Soon I’m wrapping my fingers into his shirt and kissing him back hard. It’s nearly punishing, and all he does is take. It’s everything I want, but shouldn’t.
He moans into my mouth then pulls away and kisses down my neck. He moves his lips lower, going to the V of my blouse, down to the valley between my breasts. “I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers, giving me soft flicks of his tongue. “You can’t leave me.”
His words are like an ice bath and bring me back to reality. I push him hard this time and release my fingers from his shirt. He goes back half a step, and I look up at him, reminding myself I don’t know this man at all.
“Don’t push me away, Mallory.” His tone is firm. A warning just like this morning in the elevator.
“Just leave me alone. I can’t do this right now. And I definitely can’t do it here,” I bite out at him, having forgotten for a moment where we are. Then I wonder if anyone saw him slip into the bathroom with me. It’s not like the man isn’t noticeable, and I’m sure people pay attention when he walks through the department.
“I can’t leave you alone.” The way he says it makes a chill run up my spine. There’s so much need in his voice. Possession. It’s like he can’t live without me, and I don’t know what to do with that. “You’ll hear me out.” He moves back in, crowding into my space again. One hand comes up to my cheek, cupping it, and it takes everything in me not to lean into his touch. “I never meant to hurt you. All I’ve ever wanted from the moment I laid eyes on you was to give you everything.”
I close my eyes tightly so his deep blue eyes don’t pull me back in. When I open them back up, I’m determined.
“Give me time,” I say, the words paining me as they come out of my mouth.
His hand drops away and he nods, taking a step back. He grits his teeth, and it looks like he’s a breath away from snapping.
“I’ve given you a lot of time, Mallory. More than you know. I’ll try, but you do things to me. Things...” He waves one hand in the air like he can’t find the word he’s looking for. “Things I can’t explain.” So much emotion plays across his face, I have to look away and remind myself he’s not who I think he is.
I can’t see him as the man who lit up my life for the past week. He isn’t the man who had me falling hard and fast for him. He isn’t the man who made the sweetest love to me, like he’d been waiting his whole life to do so.
I’d never felt more cherished than when I was with him. It was something I’d never experienced before, and maybe never will again.
As if he can’t help himself, he leans in, running his nose up my jaw. My breath hitches, and I want to curse at not being able to restrain myself. His warm scent surrounds me, and I’m conditioned to crave him now. The dampening between my legs is beyond my control, and I try to hold my breath to make it stop.
He places a soft kiss right next to my ear. “I’ll try, baby. For you, I’ll try anything. But don’t let anyone else touch you. I won’t be able to stop myself if that happens.” He places another soft kiss. “I will try but one way or another you’ll be mine. Don’t fight what will be. I’ve been holding back for you but I can only hold it for so long.” Then he’s gone.
I don’t know how long I stand there before I’m finally able to breathe again. I use the bathroom and try to put myself back together as much as possible. Inside I’m a mess, but outside I seem to be holding up okay. I go back to my desk, losing myself in my work and trying not to think about Oz’s dark promise.
I’m actually glad when Linda piles more work on my desk, making us work long past normal hours. I don’t think about anything other than what’s in front of me, and the distraction is pure bliss.
Skyler and Eric took off an hour or so ago, and finally at nine I decide to call it a night. I shut down my computer, grab my purse and head out.
When I get to the lobby of the building, I don’t make it five feet before the big guy, still dressed in his suit, steps out to let me see him. Captain is clearly following me.
My anger spikes because Oz said he’s giving me time. I pick up speed as I make my way the three blocks toward my building. Walking in, I give Chuck my normal wave and look behind me to see Captain loiter at the entrance. He’s watching me get on the elevator. I want to hate him, too, but I don’t know if I have room with everything I have going on in my heart.
I know Miles owns the whole top floor, and to get to it you have to have a key. I pull out my set of keys for our apartment and notice the ring holds three keys. One is for our mailbox, one is for our apartment and the third Paige said was for storage. But the more I look at it, the stranger it looks. It appears to be too small. In fact, it looks more like one you’d need for the elevator. Curiosity gets the better of me, and I slowly slide the key in. It turns smoothly. Before I can stop to think what I’m doing, I hit the button for the penthouse and it lights up. The elevator moves toward the top floor.
“Holy shit,” I whisper to myself.
I panic, but then I think, why should I be upset? I did nothing wrong. I’m the victim here, and I should be allowed to do what I want. Fuck it. I’m going to give Oz a piece of my mind about this not-really-giving-me-any-space shit. I asked for some time and he sends his security to tag around and watch what I do.
By the time the elevator begins to slow, I’ve worked myself up into a ball of anger. How dare he take over my life without my permission! Who the hell does he think he is?
When the door slides open, I take three steps in and come to an abrupt stop when I see Paige standing in the living room in her workout clothes. She’s got on a sports bra and tight yoga pants and is covered in a light sheen of sweat.
She turns to look at me, and I stare back, shocked.
What is she doing here? Why is she in Miles’s home?
The way she looks, it’s as if she’s comfortable here. Like she’s been here lots of times, and my stomach drops. I think I’m going to be sick. Before I can say anything, I turn and get back onto the elevator. I see her bolt toward me, and I hit the close button over and over. But she makes it as the doors close, squeezing in beside me.
I hit the button for our floor and don’t look at her. Sparks of jealousy are flying, and I’m feeling the betrayal all over again.
“Why were you at his place?” I bite out, unable to stop myself.
“I’m staying there.”
“Why the fuck are you staying there?” I snap, finally turning to look at her.
Her hair’s a mess on top of her head, and her eyes are red-rimmed like she’s been crying. She’s not looking at me, but I can still see it. My heart aches for her, but at the same time I’m so mad I can’t give her the comfort she needs.
“How close are you two?” My implication is clear, and I cross my arms over my chest, waiting on her defense.
Paige takes a deep breath, and her eyes finally meet mine. “He’s my brother.”
That little bomb drops, and so does my jaw. And that’s when I notice it. The same sapphire-blue eyes. How had I never put that together before?
“Half brother. Same dad, different mom and all that jazz.” Her jaw ticks a little, something that always happens when she talks about her father.
The elevator dings, and I step off. I look at Paige, and without a word, she follows me to the apartment. I unlock the door and hold it open for her, closing and locking it behind us. I drop my bag by the table and make my way over to the couch. She follows right behind and sits down next to me.
I put my hands in my lap and wait for her to talk first. I don’t know what I was expecting her to say, but I’m in shock.
“This is so fucking hard, Mal.” Her voice cracks, and my fingers twitch. I want to hold her hand and comfort her, but I need to hear this. I love her,
but I deserve the truth.
“I thought Miles was all I had, and I latched on to that,” she finally says after about a minute. “You know I hate my father. Fuck, hate isn’t a strong enough word. Then Miles found me when I was seventeen and offered me something I’d always wanted. A family. Revenge.”
“You want revenge on your father? Why?” She’s never told me anything about him, and sitting here now, maybe I’ll finally understand.
“Well, Miles wants revenge.” She takes a breath and her eyes meet mine. “I want—” She stops herself abruptly.
“You want more,” I finish for her. I’ve seen the hate in her eyes when she talks about him. She’s out for blood. Paige has always had this slight distaste for men, something I’m guessing her father must have given her, because it’s all over her face right now.
She nods in agreement. “When Miles found me, he showed me that I could have more than this consuming hate in my life. He offered me a little bit of a family. And he told me if I helped him, he’d work on getting our revenge.”
“You’re his sister. He should have helped you, not used you.” I feel a pang of anger toward Oz on Paige’s behalf.
She lets out a small laugh. “It’s not like I fought him. I was seventeen at the time, and he gave me a job that sounded pretty kick-ass. He paid for my college, and then paid me a salary on top of it. He promised that when I was finished I’d get a job with his security team. Miles took over, and I could cut all of the bad shit out of my life. He saved me.”
We sit in silence for a moment, and I finally let out a breath. “I hate fighting with you, but I feel like you’ve been lying to me, and I don’t know what to do with that. It’s hard to be mad at you, but I am.” I reach out, taking her hand, and she grips mine tightly. I remember reading once that forgiveness isn’t about the other person, it’s about self-healing. She had her reasons for doing what she did, and I can’t blame her for it. It hurts to know she deceived me, but I also know in my heart that she did it with the best intentions.