The Truce

by Becca Steele

  Axel nodded briefly, his face impassive as always. No smile, because Axel never smiled. I’d once heard him say that to smile was to show weakness. Fuck, I didn’t smile a lot myself, but even I knew that the man had serious issues.

  “Saw you beating the shit out of it. Pad work in the ring next time, yeah?” he drawled.

  “Sure,” I replied. Someone called his name from the far side of the room and his head shot up.

  “See ya later, Davenport.” He nodded at me and jogged away.

  Once I’d showered and changed, I headed for the Tube station, messaging Ethan as I walked.

  Me: My dad got married last week.

  Ethan: Let me guess. He didn’t bother to tell you til now?

  Me: Got it in one.

  Ethan: He’s a piece of work.

  Me: Don’t know why I was surprised. Always hope he’ll change but he never does.

  Ethan: Don’t let him get to you.

  Me: I’ll try. FYI I’m still pissed off about that little stunt you pulled earlier.

  Ethan: You’ll get over it. Something had to change between you two. You’ll be thanking me in the end.

  Me: Whatever mate. I doubt that.

  Ethan: Deny it all you want.

  Me: Ha. Saw Martha earlier BTW. Jodie doesn’t think she has long left. Fucking shit situation.

  Ethan: I’m sorry mate. Always here, whatever. OK? Call or message ANY TIME.

  Me: Thanks Eth.

  9

  Olivia

  “No way, Lisa. How can Hawkeye be your favourite? He doesn’t even have superpowers.” Jamie sat back in his seat with such a comical look of disgust on his handsome face that I laughed out loud. He and Lisa, our accountant, were discussing their favourite Avengers, although the discussion was becoming more of an argument.

  “That’s why I like him.” Lisa grinned, tossing her red curls over her shoulder. “I always root for the underdog.”

  “Thor is my favourite,” I interjected.

  “Of course he is,” Jamie muttered, rolling his eyes.

  “Well, he does have a hammer. Plus—Chris Hemsworth.” I shrugged.

  Jamie sighed, resigned, sliding his black-framed glasses down his nose and rubbing his eyes. “Why do I bother entering into these discussions?” he asked himself, staring up at the ceiling. “No one takes me seriously.”

  “Okay, who is the best Avenger in your humble opinion? Since you clearly have a problem with our choices,” Lisa shot back.

  I tuned out of the now rather heated discussion as my computer pinged with an instant message.

  MEETING ROOM BOOKED FOR 10AM. BE THERE.

  My mind flew to Luke, and I couldn’t help wondering if he was going to find this truce difficult. I, however, was going to try my very hardest not to rile him up. I’d had a lot of time to think since Ethan had called us into his office, and I’d realised that because we’d got off on the wrong foot right from the beginning, I’d continued to make things worse by antagonising Luke when I should have treated him with the same polite respect I gave everyone else. I couldn’t put my finger on why he affected me in the way he did, but today was a new day. I could only hope it would go better than the previous morning.

  Responding to Luke’s message, I typed “LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!” There. I’d started off on a positive note. I just had to keep the momentum going.

  Sitting next to Luke in the small meeting room, my gaze trailed over his profile, down his strong forearms to his hands. Why did he have to have his sleeves rolled up? And what was up with his hair? Unlike his usual groomed look, it was messily styled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it.

  Argh. It would be so much easier to dislike him if he wasn’t so gorgeous.

  I groaned under my breath, studying his hands as he flexed them on his laptop keyboard.

  “Payne, eyes up,” he instructed, smirking.

  I blushed. Of course he’d catch me staring at him.

  “Uh, sorry. I was thinking,” I muttered.

  He rolled his eyes but said no more, letting the subject drop.

  “Luke?”

  “What?”

  “Do you think we’ll be able to manage it? This truce thing?” I bit my lip, nerves overtaking me.

  Luke shrugged. “Can you go for longer than thirty minutes without doing something to annoy me?”

  It was my turn to shrug. “Probably not,” I admitted with a grin, leaning back in my chair.

  He grinned back at me. Luke. Smiled at me. Voluntarily.

  I grabbed my phone from the desk and took a quick photo. Luke’s face morphed from amused to confused.

  “What are you doing, Payne?” he asked, his tone wary.

  “Evidence,” I said, gripping my phone tightly in my hand.

  Luke raised an eyebrow. “Evidence?”

  “That time in the pub, you said you’d smile at me when pigs fly. So I was taking a photo to preserve the evidence, since I never thought I’d see the day,” I explained.

  “Payne.” His voice was a groan.

  He dropped his head into his arms.

  “I honestly don’t know whether to laugh or strangle you,” came the muffled voice.

  “Laugh. Pick laugh,” I suggested with a cheerful grin.

  To my surprise, after that initial moment, we were quite productive. Luke outlined the project proposal for Delny Drinks. They wanted a complete website overhaul, to elevate them from a niche spirits manufacturer to an exclusive, high-end brand. Alongside the website overhaul, we’d work on their social media presence, which was almost non-existent. Perusing the list of spirits they owned, I was pleased to see that they manufactured a small range of flavoured gins alongside their whiskies.

  “Do we get to taste test the merchandise?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows at Luke.

  “I’m sure that can be arranged,” he drawled. “Got your eye on the gin, have you?” He eyed me knowingly, pen poised over his notepad.

  “Maybe.” I couldn’t stop the grin that was threatening to overtake my face.

  “I thought as much. Now, I’m going to divide up the tasks, and we can get to work.”

  “Sure thing, boss,” I said flippantly.

  “Boss?” he questioned.

  “Well, yeah. Technically Ethan’s our boss, but you’re in charge of this project and I’m working under you.”

  My words seemed to hang in the air. An unwanted vision flashed through my mind—me, under Luke—no. I brought that thought to a screeching halt before it could take root. Was Luke’s mind working along similar lines? His eyes darkened, an inscrutable expression flitting across his face before he closed his eyes and it was gone, his professional demeanour firmly back in place.

  “I’m pulling up the Delny website now,” he murmured, turning his laptop screen so we could both see. Following his cue, I started making notes as we navigated through the pages, quickly becoming absorbed in the task.

  Glancing at my phone, I gasped.

  “Luke, have you seen the time? We’ve been in here for two hours!”

  He cocked an eyebrow at me. “And your point is…?”

  “We’ve spent two hours together, in the same room, without a disagreement,” I told him, impressed that we’d somehow managed to work productively together, despite the odds stacked against us.

  Luke smirked. “That’s a record for you, isn’t it?”

  “A record for us.” My tone was firm, daring him to disagree with me. “Don’t you remember the last time we worked on a project together? It was a complete disaster.”

  “That’s for sure,” he muttered, frowning.

  Quickly, I changed the subject before the mood could sour. “Come on, let’s toast this truce.”

  I raised my water bottle in the air and stared at Luke expectantly. He rolled his eyes but lifted his own water bottle, and I knocked mine against his.

  “To the truce!” I cried dramatically. Luke gave me a strange look, but I ignored it. As long as we weren’t arguing,
I’d take it as progress. Determination filled me. We could do this. We’d create an amazing website and social media for Delny, and blow them away with our creative genius. Fingers crossed.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could do with a caffeine boost.” Luke stretched his arms above his head a little while later, yawning.

  “Good idea.” I stood up.

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll get them,” he said softly.

  “Who are you, and what have you done with Luke?” I peered closely at him, narrowing my eyes. “Luke, if you’ve been taken over by aliens and you’re still in there somewhere, blink twice.”

  “Crazy woman,” he muttered, shaking his head.

  I caught the amusement on his face as he turned to leave.

  “I saw you smiling, Mr. Davenport,” I called after him, feeling absurdly pleased with myself.

  Engrossed in making notes, I jumped when Luke returned, sliding a mug of coffee in front of me.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, distracted, still scribbling everything down before I lost my train of thought.

  I took a sip of coffee and my eyes widened.

  “Caramel latte. Oh, this is so good,” I breathed. “Thank you, Luke.”

  I smiled appreciatively at him.

  He lowered his eyes, long lashes dusting his cheekbones. “I knew it was your favourite.” He shrugged.

  I was floored. How did the man who had been my self-professed rival know not only my favourite coffee, but exactly how I liked it? (Caramel latte, in my Better Latte Than Never mug, with an extra espresso shot added, in case anyone was wondering.)

  “Um…thanks again.” Flustered, I reached for my pen, but I managed to send it rolling, and it dropped off the edge of the table with a soft clatter.

  Luke immediately swung down and swiped the pen from the floor. As he handed it back to me, the tips of our fingers touched, and I flinched. It felt as if I’d been electrocuted.

  I stared at Luke, wide-eyed, and he returned my gaze, my expression mirrored in his for a brief moment. So brief, it may have been my imagination.

  Huskier than usual, his voice sent shivers racing through me. “Come on, let’s get back to work.”

  “Okay,” I agreed shyly.

  10

  Olivia

  Me: Evening Luke. I’ve been informed we’re going to share a taxi to Ethan’s apartment.

  Me: OK I’ve been forced rather than informed. Luke? Are you alright with this?

  Luke: I don’t think we have a choice Payne. It makes things easier all round if we agree with them.

  Yes, I’d changed his name from A-hole to Luke. I’d promised Ethan I’d make an effort, and one of the first things I’d done was change his contact information in my phone. It felt symbolic in a way—a fresh start. And over the past couple of weeks, we had been co-operating well, working together, for the most part. We weren’t yet friends, but our irritation with each other had morphed into good-natured teasing, much to the surprise of both of us. In fact, to the surprise of all our work colleagues, I’d bet.

  Me: Great. Pick me up on your way?

  Luke: Will do. 7ish. Text me your address. See you later.

  Thanks to Ethan’s habit of taking his work home with him, and Avery’s erratic work schedule, it had taken almost two weeks to pin down a date for the dinner that Ethan and Avery had insisted on. As I stared out of the window at the city streets, waiting for the cab, I couldn’t help feeling a little apprehensive about the evening ahead. This would the first time Luke and I had been together outside of work since we’d agreed on a truce.

  I heard the taxi horn and headed out of my flat. Swinging into the cab, I saw Luke on his phone, and he glanced over at me, holding up a finger and mouthing, “Hi.” As I slammed the door a little loudly, Luke flinched, frowning. Oops.

  “That was Payne.”

  My head shot around to Luke, and I raised my eyebrows, listening to his one-sided conversation.

  “Really? Why?” Luke’s surprised tone, and his eyes flashing to mine, had me even more intrigued.

  His voice gentled; his gaze softened. “Anything for you, you know that. Hold on.”

  I’d never heard that tone or seen that look on his face before. All kinds of confusing feelings raced through me. Before I could examine them further, Luke was covering the phone with his hand and speaking to me, an unsure expression on his face.

  “Payne. Uh, I have Martha on the phone. She’s my…kind of grandmother, I suppose. She wants to speak to you.”

  “Me? Why?”

  He shrugged, rolling his eyes.

  “Um. Okay, I guess?” My voice was small, hesitant. He handed me the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Am I speaking to Miss Olivia Payne?” A thin, wavery voice sounded in my ears. So frail, yet filled with so much warmth, that my whole body relaxed.

  A smile crossed my face as I settled back in my seat.

  “Yes, this is Olivia. And you must be Martha.”

  “I’m so happy to get a chance to speak to you, my dear. Luke has spoken to me about you, you know.”

  “He has?” My shocked intake of breath echoed around the silent cab. I didn’t dare to meet Luke’s eyes.

  “Yes. My dear, you’ve got that boy all tied up in knots.” Her soft laugh was followed by a bout of coughing.

  “Martha? Are you okay?” Concern filled me and I turned back to Luke. He met my gaze, worry clear in his eyes. Tensing, he leaned forwards, his hand poised to take his phone from me.

  “I’m fine.” She was back on the line, her voice sounding a little stronger. I held up a hand to Luke, mouthing, “She’s okay,” and he breathed a sigh of relief, slumping back in his seat as Martha continued speaking. “Listen to me, dear. My Luke, he’s not very good at asking for help. When I’m gone, he’ll need someone to look out for him and make sure he’s doing okay. Can you do that for me?”

  Gone? Can I look out for him?

  Somehow, I found myself agreeing. “Of course I can.”

  “Good. Please could you put Luke back on the line so that I can say goodbye to him?”

  “I will. Thank you, Martha. It was lovely to speak to you.”

  “You too, my dear.”

  I handed the phone back to Luke and turned to stare out of the window.

  The rest of the journey was spent in silence, Luke and I both lost in our own thoughts.

  I clambered out of the cab, trailing Luke into Ethan’s swanky apartment building. Well, his and Avery’s, now. It was one of those buildings with a concierge and twenty-four-hour security, marble lobbies and crystal chandeliers casually hanging in the lift. The kind where ordinary people would wince at the price of even the cheapest apartment in the block. Ethan had inherited a lot of money when his dad had passed away, which was how he could afford it, but even the most beautiful surroundings didn’t make up for losing a parent. I knew Ethan would give up everything to have his dad back.

  The elderly concierge knew Luke, since he had been visiting Ethan regularly ever since he bought the apartment. I’d only been over once before, when Avery first moved in. Luke stopped to chat about the rugby, and they dived into an animated discussion about the league standings.

  I smiled to myself and sent Avery a message to let her know we’d arrived and would be up shortly.

  She responded a couple of minutes later to tell us to hurry up as dinner was almost ready.

  “Luke?” I touched his arm, feeling his hard bicep involuntarily flex through his jacket. He looked so handsome, standing there, unguarded and happy. I don’t think I’d ever seen him dressed down before, but he did casual so well. Faded blue jeans, Converse, navy blue T-shirt that made his green eyes sparkle, leather jacket on top, dark hair artfully mussed. Not that I was thinking of his looks. At all.

  I coughed and cleared my throat as he turned his emerald gaze to me.

  “S-sorry, Avery just messaged to say dinner is ready.”

  He gave me a lazy half-smile that made my stom
ach flip, and turned back to the concierge.

  “See ya later, Henry. Give my love to May, won’t you,” he said warmly.

  Henry nodded in assent, and we headed towards the lifts at the back of the lobby.

  “You’re here!” Avery grabbed my arm and dragged me into the apartment, Luke sauntering in behind us and heading for Ethan, who stood at the range cooker stirring a large pan. For someone so small, Avery was surprisingly strong. I laughed and let her manhandle me, happy to see my friend.

  “Mmm, something smells good.” I smiled, taking a deep, appreciative breath as the scents of Thai basil, lime, and creamy coconut hit my nostrils.

  “Ethan cooked. We’ve got Thai green curry, jasmine rice, pad thai with king prawns, and I’ve made my famous iced lemon mousse for dessert.”

  “That all sounds amazing,” I enthused.

  “It will be. Ethan is a great cook.” Avery smiled in the direction of her boyfriend, her expression dreamy.

  “Look at you, all loved up.” I grinned at her. “You two are so perfect together.”

  “Speaking of perfect together”—Avery lowered her voice as she directed me to sit next to her at the dining table—“how are you getting on with Luke? Working with him?”

  I stared at the stunning city view as I thought how best to answer Avery. In the end, I went with the simple truth.

  “We’re getting on well. It’s…weird. It’s like we realised that we could be in the same room without arguing. We’ve been making great progress on our project. I mean, we’re not friends or anything, but there’s no hostility anymore.”

  “Hmmm,” was all Avery said. She sat back in her seat and studied me intently, an unreadable expression on her face.

  “What’s that look for?”

  She point-blank ignored my question, hopping out of her chair and busying herself pouring drinks. She stopped for a moment to slide her arms around Ethan, and their lips met in a sweet kiss.