Chapter 14
It’s past midnight, and Eve’s still at her desk.
Her head keeps dipping forward, jerking back up as she fights sleep, her pen slowing over the list of vendors she’s been combing through for hours.
I told her to go home an hour ago—hell, I told her three times—but she shot me that stubborn look of hers and said she wasn’t leaving me to do this alone.
Now her eyelids are finally losing the battle.
I watch her nod off, chin brushing her chest, until the pen slips from her fingers and clatters to the desk. She doesn’t stir.
Sighing, I push back from my chair and cross the office. She’s lighter than I expect when I scoop her up, all soft curves tucked against me. She murmurs something incoherent, her head falling against my shoulder, and I bite back a curse at the way it makes my chest tighten.
I carry her down the hall to the break room and ease her onto the couch. She curls instinctively toward the warmth I leave behind, frowning in her sleep. Even unconscious, she refuses to give an inch.
Figures.
I make myself a cup of coffee, leaning against the break room table, cup in hand.
The bitter scent fills the air, comforting in its own way.
Across the floor, the light in Iris’s office is still on.
No surprise there. She’s been running herself ragged.
She took a power nap a couple of hours ago, and now she’s back at it.
We’re all burning out trying to plug leaks, and Eve… She’s killing herself to keep pace.
I glance at her again, stretched out on the couch, hair tumbling in dark waves across her cheek. She looks almost peaceful like this, the sharp edges smoothed away by sleep.
Watching her, I wonder what I’m doing, offering to be her fake boyfriend to get rid of her ex.
I stay out of troublesome situations. I shouldn’t have volunteered and then insisted when she was reluctant.
But something about Luis bothers me. It’s the way he looked at her, the manner in which he spoke to her.
He’s not the kind of man who’s going to back off, even if he knows she’s with someone.
But with me around all the time, he’s going to have a hard time getting to her.
Eve shifts in her sleep, a restless expression forming on her face.
I wonder what she’s dreaming about. Probably something about work.
She only ever gets that frown on her face when it’s work-related.
My eyes fall on her lips. Her lipstick has faded, revealing a soft pink.
I recall the way she pulled me close and kissed me in front of Luis.
She tasted of whiskey and coffee, and it drove me half mad.
And when she was under me, she undid me.
I never meant to sleep with her. Christ, that wasn’t in the plan.
But Eve Lopez is… temptation wrapped in stubborn fire.
She drives me out of my mind with that sharp tongue, that defiance, that need to always stand toe-to-toe with me. And the worst part? I love it.
I want to fuck the fight out of her. I want to bend her until she breaks—and still keep every ounce of that fire intact. Because that’s what makes her Eve. And god help me, I find it maddeningly attractive.
I take a slow sip of coffee, my eyes never leaving her.
This undercover assignment was supposed to be simple: dig, find the mole, report back to Ethan. Instead, here I am wrapped up in this woman I shouldn’t want. I dislike her. We don’t get along. We argue over everything. She drives me crazy.
But once she’s under me, she drives me wild. Stubborn to the bone. Exhausting. Irresistible. I shouldn’t want her like this. Shouldn’t find every sharp word, every challenge, every glare so fucking tempting. But I do. She’s all fire and fight, and it’s driving me insane.
And I know—I know—it’s going to be a problem. Especially now that I’m going to pretend to date her. Spending time with Eve is not good for me. She makes me act out of character. But I can’t just leave her vulnerable either. She doesn’t seem to realize the danger she is in.
Damn it.
A sound breaks the quiet. Something metallic clattering, faint but distinct, outside the breakroom. I set my mug down. “The hell…” Pushing away from the table, I head for the door.
When I step into the hall, I spot him instantly—Jake, fidgeting with my desk, a go-to coffee cup in his hand.
“Jesus,” I mutter. “You trying to give me a heart attack?”
My brother smirks. “If you were that easy to rattle, I’d be disappointed.” He looks at Eve’s desk and taps it with his knuckles. “So this is the desk you were busy giftwrapping the other day. Whose is it?”
“Nobody’s.”
Jake raises his brows. “Nobody’s? Hmm, if I were to hazard a guess, I would say ‘nobody’s’ name is Eve Lopez.”
I scoff. “What if it is?”
My brother’s smile widens. “When you were young, and you liked a girl, you were the kind who’d pull her hair and run away. Mom punished you for it plenty of times.”
I feel my face grow hot. “This isn’t that.”
“Of course it’s not,” Jake says smoothly. “You’ve graduated to pranks now. I’m so glad you’ve matured. I’m so proud of you.”
I fold my arms, annoyed. “What are you even doing here?”
“Checking in,” he picks up the ‘Princess’ mug from Eve’s desk and examines it. “Any luck on the craftsmen? Did you find anyone?” He looks surprisingly alert at this time of night. “Want me to help out?”
“I’ve got a handle on it.” I pluck the mug out of his hand and put it back.
I was sure Eve would throw it away but she uses it for her staple pins.
“I plugged the leak. For now. Still working out if it was carelessness or someone deliberately trying to slip things through. Gonna take time to figure out which one. It still doesn’t answer what you’re doing here. ”
“Ethan’s been on my ass since Iris called him about the breach you flagged. Wanted me to see if you’ve made any progress.”
“I’ve got calls out to people. Just waiting on them to get back to me.”
Jake studies me, head tilting. “Need a hand?”
“I just told you I’ve got it—”
“That’s what you always say,” he fires back.
“Because it’s always true.” I arch a brow. “You’re better at legal, Jake. Stick to what you’re good at. Leave this to me.”
“Touchy,” he mutters, amused.
I give him an annoyed look. “It’s late. I’ve been running nonstop. Forgive me if I’m not in the mood for a family pep talk.”
Jake grins, and then tilts his head toward the other end of the floor. “Speaking of running nonstop… Iris is still here?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Light’s been on for hours. I don’t think she has any plans of going home tonight.” I see the way my brother looks towards the lit office, and I frown. “You know she has a boyfriend, right?”
“I do.” His eyes harden. “He still being a pain in the ass?”
I shake my head. “Not lately. If he was, we’d have heard about it.”
“Hmm.”
He doesn’t add much, and I push. “What are you up to, Jake?”
“Nothing,” he says innocently.
“Who’s that for?” I ask, gesturing towards the to-go cup.
He glances at the cup like he forgot he was holding it. “This? Oh. Natalie asked me to check up on Iris. Make sure she’s not overdoing it.”
I’m not buying his little innocence act. “Really? Natalie told you to come to the office at midnight to check up on Iris?”
Jake’s grin spreads slow and smug. “Of course.”
“You’re a liar.”
Jake shrugs. “And you’re paranoid. Get some sleep, Caleb. You’re starting to sound like Dad.”
“Yeah, thanks for the nightmare,” I mutter after him.
He doesn’t look back, just lifts the cup in a lazy salute and disappears into Iris’s office. I stay in the hall a moment longer, shaking my head. Typical Jake—always smiling, always hiding more than he says. And if he’s sniffing around Iris… that’s another mess waiting to happen.
I head back into the breakroom, pick up my coffee, and glance at Eve again. She’s curled on her side now, her hair fanned across the pillow. Stubborn woman fought me tooth and nail to stay at her desk, then passed out the second her body gave her no choice. She looks tired even in her sleep.
I approach her, pushing some hair off her cheek, and she stirs, nuzzling into my hand.
I feel a pang of emotion that I try to ignore.
Eve is the last woman I would ever want to get entangled with.
I like women who are delicate and sweet.
Eve is anything but that. She’s got a streak of violence, a thorny exterior, and she will argue with me at every turn.
So why do I keep going back to her? Why do I keep seeking her out and engaging with her?
The phone on my desk rings, distracting me from my thoughts, and I drain my coffee before going over and answering it.
“Mr. Wilder, this is Miss Hans, Mr. Rogan’s assistant. He’s willing to meet you tomorrow to discuss collaboration. He’s traveling at the moment, but he'll be back in the city around eight in the evening tomorrow. Will you be available then?”
A smile spreads across my face. “I’ll take him out to dinner. The Vivan Hotel, say about nine?”
“Excellent. He’ll see you there.”
Setting down the receiver, I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face. Got him.
I consider waking Eve up to share the news, but she looks exhausted.
I head over to Iris’s office instead. I don’t bother knocking, and I walk into a peculiar scene.
My brother is leaning against her desk, bending towards her, and her face is flushed.
Clearing my throat, I look away awkwardly. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
I look back just in time to see Iris jump to her feet nearly spilling over the coffee cup on her desk. “Shit!”
I leap into action, but Jake is faster, snatching her laptop and setting it aside. Grabbing a few napkins, he cleans up the mess, but not before he forces Iris away from the scalding liquid now covering her desk.
“Sorry,” she says, flustered. “I was just—What did you want, Caleb?”