He holds her at arm’s length but doesn’t take his damn hands off her. I fight the urge, the battle with my mind, to take the couple strides needed to close the distance between us, smack his fucking hold off her gorgeous body and haul her away from the prick like I want to. Like every damn cell in my body is telling me I need to.
She doesn’t say a word, and I watch as I see the break in her smile at the mention of her late husband’s passing. Her light fades, her eyes cast down to the floor, and she shakes her head fighting off the demons inside. But the asshole doesn’t notice and continues as if his comment didn’t just render her completely speechless.
“God, it is good to see you, Rose. I was just telling Jimmy the other day how I missed saying goodbye to you that day. By the time I went to find you, you were gone with Michael’s kids.” It doesn’t get past me that he called Liam and Olivia “Michael’s kids,” which only makes me hate the son-of-a-bitch more. He holds her hand and guides her around the front entryway and back towards her desk. Towards me. And I don’t miss the opportunity to lock eyes with her and see just how she feels about his hands on her after the way she faltered at his comment. She notices my stare, looks down at where his hands are, and shyly looks away as he proceeds to command her attention and movements, guiding her back to her desk.
“Shit, this is like a second-chance I never expected. How are you? Have you adjusted to everything yet? Did you sell the house? Don’t tell me you are still living on Harding Street?” The man says with a roll of his eyes. Well hell, at least that is one thing me and the prick can agree on.
I watch nearby as Rose glides herself back down into her chair before she looks up at me. Her eyes are a mixture of sadness, anxiety, worry, and I’m two seconds away from walking over there and following through on my earlier plan, which was to kick this bastard out the fucking door and never let him so much as look in her direction again, let alone lay a fucking finger on her. But she suddenly masks her feelings perfectly, gives me a shy smile, and looks up at the stranger.
“I’m good Levi,” she smiles. “Still feeling my way back into my new normal, but good. How have you been?”
I make a mental note of the asshole’s name, having only been told earlier that someone from the high school football team would stop by to talk about how their star player was just drafted by UGA, University of Georgia. My ears stay trained, wanting one of them to drop his last name so I can look him up later. Investigate the bastard further. Make sure he’s as dirty as my gut is telling me he is before I do what any hot-headed man would do when he finds himself falling for a woman he didn’t expect.
Claim my fucking territory and make sure he knows where he stands.
The thought sends chills throughout my body because I never had any damn intention of letting something like this happen, especially when the woman in front of me has barely spoken more than three words to me since I fucking tasted heaven, felt her in my arms and held her wanting to destroy every last fucking piece of her darkness.
I shake my head trying to regain some clarity and take a step towards the two of them. I might not know his last name yet, but shit, I’ll get it in my interview and won’t let him leave until I have every last piece of information I need to go off of later if I feel the need to call in a favor to a friend. Someone I haven’t talked to in far too long. Not since I was stationed in Italy.
“I hate to break up this reunion,” I harshly say. “But we’re approaching deadline. If Creekview High wants their story to run tomorrow, I’ll need the stats before 4.”
I watch as the man’s head tilts my way, irritated for breaking up whatever the hell he was attempting to score with my employee. He looks at the clock and suddenly catches my urgency. Pushing off the desk he was leaning against, he gives Rose a sly, slimy smile, and walks towards me.
“Don’t leave before I am done here, Ro. I’m not finished catching up with you yet, Sweetheart.” He gives her a wink, which makes her blush slightly as she looks down at her desk before her eyes raise and catch with my own.
My jaw ticks as my teeth grind against one another. When the bastard walks past, he even has the damn audacity to bump into me. A show of macho chauvinistic bullshit that I normally wouldn’t take. But I keep my eyes trained on the woman in front of me. The woman who sucked me in from the moment I crashed into her life. I expect her to look away, but she fucking doesn’t. She keeps her eyes on my own as if in a challenge. For the first time in two weeks she doesn’t break our damn eye contact. She straightens her spine like she did the first day we met and throws her shoulders back.
She’s untouchable. Unmovable. A fucking rock when she needs to be and stronger than she gives herself credit for.
I wonder if that is what her husband loved the most about her? Her strength. The one thing she doesn’t believe she possesses, but I fucking see it. My eyes squint at her in a daring glare, but she doesn’t falter. She stares back in challenge, and hell if I don’t accept willingly.
Stepping away, and walking back towards my office, I clear my throat as a confident urge to put them both in their place rages inside. “Rose, grab some paper. I’m going to need you to sit in on this one and take notes.” Which is total bullshit because that never fucking happens. I turn to look at her and watch as her mouth falls open. With a smile I add, “Diana, grab a spare chair and set it next to mine in my office. I’m going to hit the head before we get started.”
I hear the shuffling of the people behind me as they snap to and do what I say while I walk toward the back. Smug bastard thinks he runs things around here? Well this is one game he’ll lose before he ever gets started.
Chapter 8
Rose
I finish scribbling down the last of my notes next to Justin in his office before looking up. Worrying my bottom lip slightly between my teeth, I watch as both men in front of me are pushed back in their chairs, arms crossed over their chests, and an air of fight hangs between the three of us. My eyes dance between them, wondering who will break their showdown first. When I glance at Justin and my gaze falls to his 5 o’clock shadow, my stare lingers as I shamelessly take in his full lips and my mind travels back to two weeks ago, the last time I felt alive as his hands held my body and his lips slowly breathed me back to life.
His taste is forever engraved in my mind. The feel of his lips on my own holds me hostage in my own thoughts. I’ve spent every night since then lying awake trying to forget the feel of his body pressed against mine, the heavenly sensation of our connection and the spark that quickly engulfed us in its flame when we let it. My eyes close as I’m taken away into my fantasies momentarily, but I come to when I hear someone in the room clear their throat.
I look up quickly and notice Levi’s eyes on me. He gives me a questioning look before leaning forward and looking back at Justin. “So I think you got everything you need, right Boss?” I cringe at his boldness and worry it might push Justin over his edge. “Not much more I can tell you about the kid that is basically the town hero. He’s been playing football since he could basically walk. Your newspaper has done a story on him once a year practically since he was in Junior High. Whatever I didn’t give you, I am sure you can find it in your archives.”
My eyes dart to him, and then quickly back to Justin and I watch anxiously as I see his glare deepen. Justin waits, draws out the moment, the tension, before releasing a deep breath and responding. “We’re good, Mr. Clancy. Thanks for coming in.” He pushes forward and stands. “I’ll walk you out.”
With a heavy sigh, Levi takes the hint and stands as well. “Actually,” he surprises us all by saying. “I was hoping Rose would do the honors of walking me to the door.” He turns around to face us both when he reaches the doorframe to the office. “You see, she was my best friend’s wife. I haven’t seen her since his passing. I couldn’t leave here and not make sure my late friend’s widow was OK. You wouldn’t begrudge me that, would you Boss?”
My eyes grow wide, because as much as Levi is t
elling the truth and I did absolutely go MIA after the funeral because seeing our old friends was too much for me to handle, I know the man standing beside me better than either me or him want to admit, even in the short amount of time I have known him. I can read him better than I have ever understood anyone else before in my life. He doesn’t like Levi, and it is only a matter of time before both of us hear just how deep his disapproval runs.
I look up to Justin and watch as the Adam’s apple bobs in his throat when he swallows over the truth he wants to unleash. That him and I, we aren’t done yet, and there is no way in hell he will let Levi step in between our unfinished business.
“Rose,” Justin snaps, making me jolt up out of my chair. “Walk Mr. Clancy to the door, but then I need you back in my office to read back the notes you took. I’ll do a quick search of the archives but make it fast because this paper goes to print in less than 30.”
He doesn’t even look my way, just keeps his eyes on Levi as I round the desk that sat between us and the man from my past for the last 20 minutes. I can feel his eyes on me as I leave the room with Levi and know they will stay there until I return. If we miss deadline, it wouldn’t be the first time he called up to the press and told them the paper would be an hour late. I wouldn’t put it past him to make that call now, either. But with the heated tension being tossed back and forth between the two of them, I wouldn’t put it past him to miss the deadline all together and hold the story for tomorrow’s edition just to piss Levi off too.
When we are out of ear shot Levi looks to me and grins. “That boss of yours doesn’t like me much, huh Ro? Geez to look at him, and the way he looks at you, anyone would think there was more there than just an office relationship.” I look to the floor as we take our last couple steps to the front door. My eyes glance up and I catch Diana’s eye. She gives me a weary smile, one that tells me to tread lightly on everything, Levi… even Justin, before she looks back down at her desk and gets back to work. “Is there?” I hear Levi ask sheepishly next to me as I turn my attention back to him. “Because hell, I know Michael has only been gone seven months and…”
Quickly, I shake my head and find my words. “No,” I stammer. “No, there is nothing there. Honestly, he knows about Michael and I think he is just looking out for me.”
When Levi’s face still doesn’t soften I smile and grab ahold of his upper arm for emphasis. “Honestly, Levi. Michael was my world. I lost him less than a year ago. Do you really think I’d move on that quickly?”
His face eases some, but I see a sadness there. And my heart, it breaks from the lie I just told. The one only I know because God, no matter how hard I try I can’t help the way I feel for the man I turn and still see staring at me from his office door. Glancing back, Levi’s look is one that I didn’t quiet expect, but I sum it up to the fact that we are talking about his best friend since grade school, my husband, that I know this whole town still can’t believe was killed in a car accident on his way back from the airport when he returned from his last tour.
I was stuck in the hospital in preterm labor, and Liam was staying with the only friend I had at the time and still trust more than anyone. My high school bestie, Maid of honor, friend for life through thick and thin, Erica Turner. Another person I haven’t let myself contact or speak to since the funeral. Even if she has tried to reach out to me several times to let me know she is there if I need her. She moved a few towns over a few years back, the only reason why I haven’t bumped into her already and was forced to face her, the past, all the things I have been trying to avoid as the voices in my mind have taken over these last few months. I’ve seen our other friends around town. How could I not in a small town such as Ball Ground, Georgia. But I always ducked out the other way or made some excuse to quickly wave and say goodbye, trying to avoid any conversation. Levi’s presence today has caused a small crack in the wall I have tried to put up and guilt presses through making me think about picking up the phone and calling Erica later to catch up, too.
“If you need anything, Ro, please let me know.” Levi whispers, as he reaches for the door handle before glancing back towards Justin’s office. “I don’t like the way he looks at you,” he says, stern and quiet. “He came to this town and keeps to himself unless it’s something to do with this job. He won’t talk to anyone outside this newspaper and walks to work, every damn day. You can’t trust a man that is so obviously hiding something he wants no one to find out.” Levi looks in my eyes and gives me a small smile. “Just be careful, that is all I ask.”
I smile back and grab him into me in a big hug. “Don’t worry, Levi.” I whisper, attempting to bring him some reassurance. “And don’t be a stranger.” I release him and grin. “You know where to find me now, how’s about we do lunch someday next week? I can always use a break from behind that computer.”
His face lights up as he pulls the front door open. “I’d like that, Ro. I’ll call ya and we’ll set a time.”
“Rose!” I hear Justin shout behind me. Rolling my eyes I keep my stare on Levi and smile.
“Be careful,” he says with a wink and a nod in Justin’s direction before he pushes out into the late afternoon sun and leaves me standing at the front of the office alone.
Turning, my eyes lock with the man I just lied about. The one that I can’t get out of my mind, no matter how hard I try. I know what happened between us that Saturday night was a mistake, and it can never, ever, happen again. Because when he touches me, when he kisses me, when he stands so close I can feel our souls becoming one, I want nothing more than to drown in him, in us. But reality surfaces, guilt takes over, and I know that the way he makes me feel frightens me more than anything I have ever felt before.
Because this is real. So fucking real. Alive and something that could easily ruin me, if I let it.
I never experienced this connection between us, even with Michael. I never felt Michael’s presence before he even entered the room like I do with Justin. I never read his mind, knew his thoughts, could understand the beating of his heart like I do with the man standing before me.
If I believed in what I had before and lost it so easily, how can I trust that what I am feeling now, what my body needs and wants to explore more between us, won’t just as easily be ripped from me when I least expect it?
I’ve been dead inside since Michael died. I’ve fought demons I never knew existed in my mind every damn day since his passing. If I didn’t feel half of the way Justin makes me feel for my late husband, how much would it destroy me if I lost him too? If he didn’t feel the same way? If I let him into my world, my children’s world, and he just walked away? It is taking all I have right now to hold it together for Liam and Oliva. This, us, would end me if I let it.
Plus, like Levi said, he has secrets. Something he wants no one to know. Something, I can’t deny I don’t recognize, like the broken pieces of my own life. We’re two broken people who have no business trying to piece themselves back together again. At least not with one another. Unless our broken pieces fit together perfectly, I hear my heart whisper to myself. A tiny sliver of hope rises inside me as I cross the room to where Justin stands, but I force it away because the devil in my mind makes more sense than that stupid piece of hope I just let myself almost believe in.
With a heavy sigh Justin follows me back into his office. I don’t take my seat next to him like I did before. Instead, I sit across from his desk and can feel the disappointment in my choice as he rounds the corner of his desk and clicks his computer back to life. Flipping back through my notes, I am prepared to start at the top when I am startled by what the man across from me says next.
“Give Glen your notes, I told him to have the story on my desk by 5,” I look up to see him rubbing his hand across the stubble on his chin as his eyes stay glued to the top of his desk before he begins typing again at a furious rate.
“But..” I begin to rebuttal only to be cut off as he swivels around in his seat and begins scribbling a few notes on a
pad of paper.
“Leave the financials you were finishing up with Diana. Tell her I will pay her for any extra time she has to work today to finish them, I know she wants the hours.”
Still stunned, I lean back in my chair and try to think of what to say next. Is he mad at me? Did I do something? I didn’t do anything that would make him mad! Who the hell does he think he is? Oh yeah, my stubborn ass boss who calls the shots even when they don’t make a lick of sense. That’s who.
“Do you like sushi?” His voice booms as it demands my attention and an immediate answer as he swivels back in my direction and finally looks up in my eyes. I shoot him a confused look as my mouth falls open and I blink a few times trying to catch up with what the hell is happening here between us faster than I can grasp it.
“Excuse me?” I mumble quietly, trying to piece together the fragments of what he is saying.
He pushes out of his seat and buttons his suit jacket. Rounding his desk once again, he gently grabs my forearm and pulls me to standing. The heat of his body in front of mine sends a chill across my skin and I try and mask the shiver that runs up my spine, but he notices. He always notices. A sexy-as-sin smile breaks across his face as he leans in closer.
“You see, the funny thing is, even though I told you I would, I regret nothing that happened that Saturday night,” his voice is a husky whisper, low and tempting, as his hand raises and he brushes a strand of hair back behind my ear. “What about you, Rose?” He dares me. “Have you asked for forgiveness, repented for the way we made each other feel? Because I never would.”
His words, though they should annoy me, do nothing of the sort as desire builds in my lower stomach and my body betrays me as it sways into him further. Allured, attracted to his every damn word, movement, caress, as if the connection between us is pulling me in on an invisible line that I never knew existed and won’t ever be broken.
Resurrection Page 5