Shit.
I let that girl walk out, made her leave like an idiot.
Angie starts to talk about the recruitment process but she might as well be silent. I’m not listening. I doubt anyone in the room has heard a word she’s saying either. The only thing I can hear is my heart as it thumps like a drum. Beating faster and faster stealing my breath from my lungs.
My eyes trail down Jane’s body to her waist, which looks even tinier in this outfit. Her hips call to me, perfect for gripping while I turn her around and fuck her hard from behind. And those legs, slender yet shaped so perfectly, Jesus, it’s like she was made for me. All the blood drains to my cock. I have to tilt a bit and readjust so my boner isn’t obvious to anyone around me. Something changes inside me. I want to take the risk with this girl.
I return my gaze to her face, appreciating her features all over again, especially her rich, thick brown hair and those hazel-green eyes. Our eyes meet, and I find myself holding my breath. Jane doesn’t look away, but I hear someone clear their throat and find that it came from Ben.
Fuck.
His green eyes are narrowed right on me.
For the first time, I see a different side of Ben. His stare is cold and hard, dark and menacing.
I wonder how long he’s been staring. I hope he didn’t notice me while I practically fucked his daughter in my mind. My eyes can’t hold his glance. I look away, filled with dread, hoping he doesn’t find out what almost happened at my cabin.
Jane is just too young for me.
She’s Ben’s daughter. I need to keep my distance, but I don’t think I can anymore.
I need to accept that the girl is off-limits. At least publicly, because God knows if she shows up at my door again, if we cross paths and are alone again, I’m not going to stop myself.
For the rest of the meeting, I keep my eyes averted from all three people at the front of the room. I don’t look their way even for a second. I look at the floor, out the window, at the clock, anywhere but the small area where Ben and Jane are standing.
When Angie is finished with her talk, Ben thanks us for attending and ends the meeting. The three of them wait at the front for one-on-one questions, but no one heads towards them. I get up and follow the line of men on their way out, but today may not be my lucky day.
“Savage.”
I hear Ben call my name in a firm tone.
“Yeah, boss?” I answer, turning to the side to let the other miners pass.
He waves me over. “You got a second?”
I go to him by walking the long way, taking the circumference of the room to avoid most of miners leaving through the main door. If he’s about to give me shit for looking at Jane the wrong way, I don’t want anyone to hear.
“What’s up?” I ask when we’re face to face.
He nods over at Angie and Jane, who follow his lead and leave behind the other miners.
“So?” he asks. I wish I could fucking read minds right now.
I raise my eyebrows and wait, but he says nothing. “I’m not sure what you’re asking, boss.”
He rolls his eyes. “The job openings. Do you think you’ll apply? There are three spots, and the way I see it, you’re more than qualified to be placed in one.”
It’s an understatement that I’m fucking relieved he didn’t call me over to tell me to stay away from his daughter.
“Me?” I shake my head and fold my arms across my chest. “I’m not too interested in management.”
“Trust me, son. It’d be a mistake if you don’t at least apply.”
“I just want to come to work, do my job, and go home, boss.”
It’d be a promotion for you, complete with a salary increase. And you might end up reporting to me.”
“I make enough money. And I already report to you.”
“Son, your father was my first supervisor when I started working here. I look at you and… the way you work, the things you see when you’re down in the mine, you’re ten steps ahead of everyone else. You’re a natural, son. You’d make a great supervisor, and this is the chance to get your feet wet with close to zero risk.”
I keep shaking my head. “Boss, I appreciate that you’re looking out for me. I really do, but I’m not ready for it.”
He lets out a long, exhausted breath. He’s disappointed in me. I don’t want the job, but I can tell I’m letting him down. He rests his hand on my shoulder. “At least think about applying okay?” His face relaxes into an easy smile. “I’ll hound you some more up at the cabin this weekend. Maybe this opportunity will sink in for you after a couple of steaks and a few beers.”
“Who knows. Maybe,” I tell him, if only to get him off my ass. But I hope he drops it. Nothing and no one can change my mind about this job opening. I start backing up toward the exit. “I’m gonna get back to work, boss. See you in a bit.”
“All right. Later, Savage.”
Turning, I head outside toward the entrance to the mine. I try to relax, but I feel uneasy, on edge. For the life of me, I can’t figure out whether it’s in reaction to Ben’s disappointment, or if it’s me bracing for what feels like the inevitable.
Me and Jane.
8
Jane
There’s an ache in my chest that won’t go away. My pulse is racing as I descend the three metal steps outside the training room trailer.
He did it again and I fell for it.
Again.
His eyes went from hot as fire to cold as ice from one moment to the next during that meeting. I suppose having my father at the front of the room with me didn’t help things. Dad also pulled him aside at the end of the meeting. But did Savage have to treat me like I didn’t exist?
I swallow hard and blow out an uneven, winded sigh, trying to ease the sudden tightness in my throat, and follow Angie back toward our office. With each step, I hope that walking away will allow my pain to fade so I can focus on the job, not that man. My gaze is pinned to the structure, although I can barely see anything but a hazy white blur of its outline.
It’s not just pain that I’m fighting. It’s also my body’s repeated reaction to Savage’s presence. Every muscle in my legs feel like jelly, making the effort to walk that much more taxing. As my thighs touch inside my skirt, I can tell my panties are drenched. My nipples are stiff and sore underneath my matching lace bra. I’m thankful for two layers—my camisole and short-sleeved suit jacket—to help hide the imprint my nipples must be showing through my bra. And my core, I’ve never felt it tense, tighten and throb the way it does around him. I’m not used to this. I want to get over him fast so these feelings, these sensations can go the hell away.
If I weren’t such a driven person, I’d ask Angie for the rest of the day off. It feels strange going back to my desk like this, so I go straight to the office trailer’s restroom. I need to gather myself. The first thing I do is splash some water on my face to cool off. I dry off with a paper towel, then I just stand there in front of the sink, doing nothing but allowing my body to come back under control. I look around the modest space. It’s one hell of a space to go from amped up to Zen. The interior is plain. White bare walls with not even a framed portrait or plastic flowers or anything to look at. I tell myself that next time in town, I’ll change that. For less than twenty bucks I’m sure I can make this room more welcoming, make it my little escape from reality while at work.
After I’m done, I wash my hands for a third time and return to my desk. Before I have a chance to sit, Angie pops her head out of her office and calls me inside right away.
“Hi, Angie,” I say to her, taking a couple of steps into her office.
She points at one of the guest chairs, motioning for me to sit. “The meeting went well, I think.”
I nod. “Yes. There were a lot of good questions. It sounds like there’s a fair amount of interest in the vacancies.”
“Which is a good thing. About the recruitment, have you had a chance to update the interview question bank?”
<
br /> I lean forward in the chair, doing my best to smile. “I have. Did it a few days ago. I sent you an email with the list of previous manager and staff questions. I also took a stab at drafting about fifteen competency-based interview questions that could be a fit for the assistant position.”
“Great! Let me check them while you’re here.” Angie uses her keyboard and unlocks her computer. While she scrolls with her mouse she glances at me over the screen. “Oh, that reminds me… how well do you know Savage?”
“Me?” I say in a question as I wasn’t expecting her or anyone to ask me about him. “Not that well. Barely. Actually, I only met him formally about a week ago.”
Her hands stop scrolling and her eyes leave the screen, snapping up to my face. “Really? Just a week?”
“Yes… why?”
She studies my face, her eyes on me like lasers, seeming to search for answers. I get the feeling that she’s trying to assess whether or not I’m being truthful. “Are you two…” she starts but doesn’t finish her sentence. All she does is stare at me.
“Sorry, what do you want to know?”
“Are you and Savage dating?”
“What?” I ask and my high-pitched tone does nothing to hide my shock. Why would she ask that? Savage didn’t say a word to me. In fact, for most of the meeting he completely ignored me. “Savage and I?” I shake my head forcefully. “No. Not at all. He’s barely said two full sentences to me since I met him. Why would you think that?”
Her eyebrows raise. “So, you’re telling me that you never met him before last week?”
“No.” For a second, I put myself in her shoes, curious about whether two people I know are dating. If I got a strongly frenetic response like the one I just gave her, I’d be just as suspicious too.
“We’re really not dating. We’re not even friends,” I scoff out a nervous laugh and it sounds forced.
“Okay, it’s fine. Must be my mistake,” she says. “It’s just… he’s such a good friend of your Dad’s. I assumed you two would know each other. And there was a moment back in the training room. I was almost sure…” Angie shakes her head and returns her gaze to the computer screen. “Never mind, my mistake. I must be confused.”
“He and Dad are friends, yes. But they only hang out when Dad’s up at the cabin. Before this summer, my mom and I weren’t up there much, and Savage doesn’t come into town. We honestly never officially crossed paths until recently. But this year as Mom and I are spending the summer up at the cabin… like I said, we met formally last week. Definitely not friends, not dating, not anything.”
I press my lips into a tight line to stop myself from saying another word. Everything I said sounds like I was overselling her, but I don’t need to sell anything. I told her the truth. Still, there’s some guilt lingering at the back of my mind because of my strong attraction to him. If Savage were into me, I would be dating him.
Angie eventually allows me to get back to work. For the rest of my work week, I do everything in my power to avoid anything to do with Savage. I make a point of parking my SUV as far from his pickup truck as possible. I stick his HR file at the bottom of the candidate pile, I pinch myself whenever he is on my mind to stop myself from thinking about him, and when there’s any chance we’ll cross paths at work or at the cabin, I don’t even look at him.
If I can keep this up, I’ll be over him in no time.
I hope.
I slide the flannel blanket off my legs and stand up from the living room sofa. From this spot in the cabin, I can see any vehicle that rolls into our driveaway.
There’s nothing out here though.
Only Dad’s Chevy Silverado.
Meg should’ve been here over an hour ago. If she’s still coming by. She and her mom went into town for their weekly hair and nails appointment. She invited me to go along, but I wasn’t in the mood to be poked and primped and prettied up, only to come back to the cabin and feel awful. It seemed like a waste. Meg did plan to spend the night here, but maybe she changed her mind and stayed in town.
Mom and Dad are in town too. Date night. Mom’s idea. She mentioned they planned to stay in town overnight as well.
I don’t mind being all alone up here, not at all. It certainly beats overhearing their lowered voices and muffled panting as they get it on at night. They must know that I hear them through the wall between our bedrooms. Most of the time, I stick my headsets in my ear and turn on some music on my phone to tune them out. Tonight, it’s nice not to have to force the image of my parents together out of my head.
As it’s almost dark outside, I decide to have a bite to eat. The fridge is jam-packed with leftovers, fresh fruits, and veggie sticks that Mom prepared for me earlier today. I haven’t been eating like I’m used to, probably because of that big broody, arrogant loner who lives up the mountain. In any case, Mom noticed my change in appetite and packed up the fridge to make sure I’d eat while she and Dad are gone. She doesn’t like to see me go without three square meals a day.
I grab a plate and pull out the veggie tray from the fridge, setting it down on the coffee table, then pull the blanket over my legs again. If I’m still hungry after wolfing out on this tray, I’ll reheat a steak or something before getting my pajamas on and starting a new book. I had the presence of mind to download some new romance stories onto my e-reader from my desk at work yesterday while I had a Wi-fi signal. All afternoon, I’ve been in the living room, pouring over these books. They sure as hell beat the sad state of my love life at the moment. And they do an amazingly effective job of keeping my mind off of Savage. I keep telling myself that I don’t want to be with him anymore. It’s for the best. Things would get complicated fast if we went down that road. Especially since I feel like I have no fucking control when I’m around him.
I clench my thighs together at the thought, and anger soon rises in my chest again.
This really sucks.
I can’t help but hate that just thinking about him still turns my body on high alert, even as I sit here convincing myself that I despise him. When is this goddamned torture going to end? What do I have to do to be over him for good?
I bite down on one side of my bottom lip, struggling for an answer. Maybe Meg was right that our upcoming road trip and frat house party tour at the closet university will help. Maybe a good fuck by some hot looking athlete or a badass frat boy will do me a world of good. Or not. I don’t want my first time to be with some stranger I’ll never see again.
My mind is pulled from its wretched state when there’s a knock on the door. That must be Meg. But why is she knocking? She’s used to walking right in. I left the door unlocked too.
Unless it’s not her.
I’m sure that it’s not Savage. He hasn’t come by since that first day Mom and I arrived. We’ve both been giving each other lots of space.
Setting down the celery stick in my hand, I assume it’s one of Dad’s friends from one of the neighboring cabins and open the door without looking through the window beside it.
My lungs stop working as I make eye contact with a familiar broad chest, and look way up to find Savage staring down at me with a look of shock that matches my own. He stands squarely in the doorway, seeming to fill the entire space with a lumberjack red plaid shirt and camo pants. The plate I took over last week is in one hand in front of him, all clean now.
“What are you doing here?” I ask curtly.
“I didn’t know you’d be here this evening.”
“Yeah, well I live here,” I answer defensively, my hands gripping the door too tightly to take the plate from him. My core pulses and my nipples harden all over again, and I push down the string of curse words that sit at my throat, threatening to escape from frustration.
“No, I meant… I saw your dad’s truck in the driveway,” he explains, but I’m in no mood to do anything except misinterpret every word he says.
“He’s not here,” I say flatly, and cross my arms at my breasts so that he doesn’t read anything
into the heat that must be staining my cheeks right now, let alone my traitorous body’s heated reaction. I refuse to let him have the upper hand. He doesn’t feel crap for me. I won’t even waste my time. Even if my body is practically going up in flames with heat as wicked as a five alarm-fire for him.
He doesn’t say anything, but quickly lifts the hand with the plate, motioning for me to take it.
Not wanting to betray my damned body, I nod over at a small table beside the door and avert my eyes from his face. “Set the plate there. I’ll get it later.”
“All right.”
I take a step back to give him enough room to put the plate down. The last thing I need is for him to touch me.
“Sorry,” he grumbles out in a deep raspy tone that sends more heat between my legs.
“Whatever. It’s fine.” It’s not fine, but it takes me a lot of effort to remember my manners. He may not be the least bit interested in me, but he is my coworker and Dad’s close friend. I drop some of the attitude and add, “If you needed to speak to Dad, call his cell or come back tomorrow. He’s spending the night in town with my mom.”
I wish I had put on a lot more clothes before he got here. I’m in tiny short shorts and a thin camisole, and no bra, after being tucked under the warm blanket on the sofa. Now, standing in the doorway with the cool evening mountain air makes me so cold that I’m sure my nipples are harder than ever. Keeping my arms over them, I wait for him to say something.
“You’re mad at me,” Savage says, taking another step through the door toward me and I jump a little from his advance.
“I’m not,” I answer, but my voice comes out so sharp and coarse that it does indeed sound mad as hell. I try to soften my tone. “Okay, maybe I’m a little upset,” I admit.
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