Chapter 12
Liam
Ipay for my coffee and drag my feet through the lobby. The past two weeks have been moving like molasses. Slower probably. We’re still waiting to hear from Hearthstone Foods.
Cal is giving me assignments suitable for an intern, which should offend me. I can’t even pretend to care. He’s having fun making me jump through hoops. He can go fuck himself.
I take two sips of the coffee and dump it before I even leave the coffee shop. I feel stuck, and no amount of caffeine can fix that.
I haven’t progressed in my mission here. Sometimes, I don’t remember what the mission was.
Getting close to Roxy, and through her to her father.
Instead, Roxy got under my skin and somehow redirected the course of the mission. Pathetic.
She’s been avoiding me, and I’m trying to respect her wishes and stay away. Failing at it miserably.
I spy on her when she pours her coffee. I linger around the copy machine when she is talking to the mousy woman from HR.
A few times, I sent her lunch—anonymously—because she seems to be losing weight. And I have every curve of hers memorized. Unfortunately.
Yet every time we’re in the same room, I ignore her. That’s what she wanted after all.
Yeah, I turned into an immature teenager. Exhibit A: I fucking came in my pants when she rode my thigh.
That kiss was something else. Full of need, passion, and life. I know it was an adrenaline-induced spark, but fuck if I don’t want that mouth again.
The worst part? The distance she created is not helpful for my plans here. Not at all. It doesn’t look like Roxy is even close to her father. The woman works seven days a week. She practically sleeps in that office.
She never talks about her family. And I eavesdropped enough to know.
Needless to say, I’ve been on edge. If I were to define my past two weeks, irritation would be the keyword.
To pass the time, I bought a garage and got the Bentley over from San Francisco. Some entertainment, at least. The engine doesn’t argue with me.
“Hold it,” I call, approaching the closing doors of the elevator.
It jerks open again, and I step in. My gaze meets the only other person in the car. The exasperated sigh suggests she regrets opening the door.
Roxy nods her greetings and stares at the numbers above the door.
Even though I’m standing in the opposite corner, the lavender scent tickles my nostrils. It evokes memories of her at the sex club, and in the car. It makes me want to revisit both.
Somewhere between landing at JFK weeks ago and now, Roxy fucking Moretti became the only woman in the world. My cock lost its mind.
And, of course, she’s the only woman who doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.
“You can’t glare it into moving faster,” I deadpan.
“A girl can hope,” she quips, still staring at the changing numbers.
I hit the emergency stop button. What the hell am I doing? Too late now.
“What is your problem? You said no, and I respected your decision, so why, every time I’m around you, do you exude hostility like it’s your favorite sport?”
Her back hits the wall. I’m so close, I can feel her warmth on my skin. I didn’t even realize I had stepped into her space.
Her nipples brush my shirt as she breathes heavily, tilting her head to glare at me. She doesn’t push me away, though.
My cock believes that’s enough of an invitation.
She must feel it.
I should step back. I really should.
I almost do. “What have I done to you?”
Her chest rises and falls in rapid movements. “You made me lose control.”
I brace both hands on the wall behind her, caging her. “You’re allowed to have fun, Roxy. You can let loose sometimes and still be the badass, formidable woman that you are.”
“So you can take advantage? What’s your agenda here, Liam?”
I sigh. “Not this again.”
She lifts her hand, her palm almost touching my chest. But instead of grabbing my lapels to give me that mouth of hers, or pushing me away, she hesitates. Fisting her hand, she lowers it again.
That brief moment of indecision stands in contrast to the glower hardening her features. Even in her wrath, she’s breathtakingly beautiful.
But that’s not what I should focus on.
“Why are you here?” Thunder demands.
“You know why I’m here.”
My vague answer finally makes her snap. She tries to push me away, but I don’t budge.
She groans in frustration, and for some idiotic reason, I find the sound arousing. My cock stirs.
What the hell am I doing again?
I push off the wall and hit the elevator button harder than necessary. Flexing my fingers, I turn my back to her, lifting my gaze.
Now it’s me who is watching the fucking floor numbers. I should have just stayed in bed this morning.
“I don’t believe for a second that you want to become a partner here. You have a comfortable position at your father’s company where they tolerate you disappearing for weeks.”
I flex my fingers harder, pumping my closed fists. She researched me—smart cookie. She should have. You need to know your adversaries.
I’ve been underestimating her. And while I’m impressed, I don’t like her demanding answers.
Especially since she’s snooping where it matters. Not even my siblings know the actual nature of my regular time-off.
“That’s none of your business, Thunder.” I turn to her. “And it’s not a reason to avoid me.” I turn the conversation back to her. Safer that way.
She scoffs. “You’re full of shit. I haven’t been avoiding you. I’m just lucky you stay out of my way.”
God, I want to strangle her. And kiss her. And just have her over my knee to teach her a lesson. The woman is infuriating.
The elevator jerks to a halt, and the door opens. The hum of the Merged morning commotion stops me from acting on my desire mixed with frustration.
Roxy pushes past me, stepping out. She turns, her finger jabbing my chest. “If you think you can fool everyone here, you’d better pack your shit now and leave with dignity, Stone,” she whispers with venom. “I will find out why you are here, and I will exploit the shit out of that information.”
I close my palm around her finger and squeeze gently. “Whatever makes you horny, Thunder.”
She whips around, the ends of her dreadlocks grazing my chest. And yet again, I watch her march away.
“I can’t believe you flew this piece of metal across the country.” Xander knocks on the hood of my Bentley.
Worth the cost. She’s the only thing that still makes sense. The only thing I can fix without ruining it.
“When I’m done here, you’ll regret your words.” My fingers move on muscle memory as the last spark plug clicks into place. I wipe my hands on a grease-stained rag.
Xander stops under the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, looking completely out of place in his tailored suit. “Does it mean you’re serious about staying here?”
So that’s why he called and came over to the garage. And while this is a temporary space, it’s still my haven. I don’t need him to invade it.
“Are you here as a brother who is excited to have me closer? Or as a friend of Merged?”
I stretch and lean against the wooden workbench, gripping the edge. My hands absorb my emotions so my face can remain stoic.
Xander walks around the car that arguably still looks more ready for the junkyard than the road.
“Dude, I don’t know. I care about that company and the people there. They welcomed me when I felt like the world was shifting under me. Cal is my friend. He feels you’re there with an ulterior motive, and his instincts are usually true. And Roxy—”
“You spoke to Roxy?”
My chest tightens. Not with anger… worse.
Fuck, I should have let him finish.
Xander raises his eyebrows, and then draws them together, assessing me with a mind-reader’s dedication. “What the fuck is going on between you and Roxy?”
I came here to relax. I shouldn’t have met him here.
“Besides the fucked-up competing for the partnership your friends set up?”
“That is fucked-up. She doesn’t deserve it.”
For some reason, his concern spreads through me like venom. Why does he care? Do they have a history?
“And I do?” I ask that, even though I agree with him. She doesn’t deserve it. I don’t give a shit about the fairness to me. The whole setup is unfair to her, mostly.
“You can handle yourself, asshole.”
That’s a fair assessment. A part of me is grateful he’s on her side. She deserves everyone in her court. A part of me wants to punch Xander for thinking about her.
“From what I’ve seen, she can handle herself just fine.” Unless I’m in her vicinity.
You made me lose control.
“She called me,” Xander says.
Instead of responding, I crouch over the open hood again, inspecting the old engine.
In reality, I stare at the rusty parts, and they make no sense. My mind is coping with the ugly green envy that Thunder speaks to my brother.
Fucking hell. I’m positively certifiable.
“Was she complaining about me?” I hope I sound casual.
“She was snooping. It seems she knows a lot about you already.” Xander cranes his neck, peeking over my shoulder.
I straighten up. “Did she succeed in her snooping?”
“I remain neutral, but if I’m honest, I think she deserves that partnership more than you. If I had known they were considering her, I would have talked you out of it before you took the meeting with Corm.”
“That’s very brotherly of you,” I deadpan. “Do you know who her father is?”
Xander jerks his eyebrows. “No, how is that relevant?”
“Her father holds the key to destroying ours. She goes by Roxy, but her name is Roxanne Moretti Lock.”