Calum counted four separate huge arguments with Laurella during the following month. They bickered over everything. Strategy, direction, pricing, deals, offers. In fact, the only thing they could agree on was that they hated each other. Despite promising Zane he’d try, she had a special skill for doing the complete opposite of what Calum thought was the right thing, and he couldn’t keep his mouth shut—or turn a blind eye.

Finally, when Zane had asked if he wouldn’t mind preparing a financial review on a project Laurella had presented to Zane earlier that week, Calum jumped at the chance. Zane wasn’t sure her idea would work, and if Calum had his way, he’d make sure it failed spectacularly.

He spent the entire weekend working on the report. He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face when he hit Send late on Sunday evening. The report concluded that her project wouldn’t make money.

He arrived at the office early the following morning, keen to go over his findings with Zane. He grabbed two coffees from the deli across the street, hung up his coat, then headed to Zane’s office. He nudged it open with his hip.

“Morning.” He placed a coffee and a bunch of sugar packets on Zane’s side of the desk.

Zane removed the plastic lid and added three sugars. “Lifesaver.”

“When you hit thirty, you’re going to regret pumping all that sugar into your body.” Calum made a motion with his hands as if rubbing a fat belly.

Zane laughed. “We can’t all have bodies like temples.”

“Doesn’t come for free,” Calum said, smoothing a hand over his abdomen. “But the benefits make the hours in the gym worthwhile.”

“Some of us are happy with just one woman,” Zane said, referring to his girlfriend, Brienne.

Calum snorted. “Not for me, my friend. I’ve always preferred the variety of a buffet.”

Zane laughed again. “One of these days, you’ll get sucker-punched, and bam!” He clapped his hands together. “A woman you never saw coming will have you down the aisle before you can blink.”

“You’re clearly mistaking me for someone else,” Calum said.

Zane wagged his finger. “We all fall in the end. You won’t be any different.”

“Maybe… when I’m like, fifty. Until then, it’s all-you-can-eat for me.”

“I give up,” Zane said, turning his attention to his laptop. “Now, about this report you sent last night.”

Calum grinned, pulled out a chair, and sat. “It’s a good idea, but in its current format, it won’t work.”

Zane steepled his hands beneath his chin. “Tell me more.”

Calum explained what his research had thrown up and how he’d come to his final conclusion. Zane interrupted with the odd question a couple of times, but on the whole, he listened quietly.

“I see,” he said when Calum had finished. “She should be in by now. I’ll give her a call so we can talk it through.”

Calum withheld a grin. This should be good.

While Zane contacted Laurella, Calum wandered over to the window and drank his coffee, staring at people on the street below, all dashing around in their urgency to be somewhere. Thirty seconds later, the door creaked open behind him. He turned around in time to catch Laurella quickly frowning, then she smoothed her expression.

“Morning, Calum,” she said in a tight voice. “Nice weekend?”

“Excellent, thanks.”

“Good.” Her tone told him she didn’t care about his weekend. That was fine by him. He couldn’t give a shit about hers either.

She sat and crossed her legs. “What’s this about?”

That was the thing with Laurella. Small talk was something to be gotten out of the way, almost as if she’d read a How to Engage with Coworkers manual and was ticking off a list. Give a greeting: check. Ask about weekend or previous night: check. Acknowledge answer: check. Move on quickly, hoping no one will notice blatant lack of interest: double check.

Zane took a seat behind his desk. Calum remained standing to Zane’s right. Laurella’s mouth was pinched around the edges. Good. She’d read the situation correctly.

“I asked Calum to take a look at your proposal,” Zane said.

Her eyes widened, and she gave a slow, disbelieving headshake. And then her chin actually trembled before she clamped her jaw tight.

Fuck! The ice queen was actually hurt that Zane had gone behind her back. A tight feeling spread across Calum’s chest. Maybe he should have at least tipped her off or given her a heads-up that their conclusions differed. His guilt lasted a microsecond, ending when she met his gaze with an icy stare intended to give his balls frostbite.

“Why?” The question came out short and sharp as she quickly recovered her composure.

“I wanted a fresh pair of eyes from someone who’s been in the company longer than you. It doesn’t mean I don’t trust you.”

Her eyes cut to Zane’s. “That’s exactly what it means.” When his eyebrows shot upward, she backtracked. “Sorry if you think that was blunt, but I can’t pretend I’m not disappointed. I thought we operated as a team here.”

Zane winced while Calum remained stoic. She wouldn’t get a reaction out of him.

“We do,” Zane said. “I wanted a second opinion—that’s all—and Calum is my number two. Please don’t worry about being blunt.” He cocked his head toward Calum. “There’s the master.”

Laurella’s eyes didn’t even flicker in Calum’s direction. They remained fixed on Zane. “And what is Calum’s conclusion?”

“It’s a good idea,” Calum said. “But it won’t make money in its current form.”

She took a deep breath through her nose, her gaze still averted. “Yes, it will.”

“I disagree. And that’s what I put in my report.”

She finally looked at him, her irises tinged with an emotion he couldn’t place. Sadness maybe? No, it couldn’t be that. He was reading the signs wrong. Before he could take a closer look, her face became shuttered.

She turned her attention back to Zane. “It will make money. I will prove it.”

Easing to her feet, her posture stiff and unyielding, she smoothed her skirt—a regular habit, Calum noticed—and set her mouth in a firm line. “Would you do me the courtesy of sending Calum’s findings to my email please, Zane? It seems I was left off the distribution list.”

Ouch.

“Of course. Although that’s not Calum’s fault. I asked him to report back to me. I am sorry. I should have suggested he discuss his findings with you.”

“Or he could have come to that conclusion on his own,” she said. “But then, that would mean he had to think like a team player, and it’s becoming more and more obvious that Calum believes in the old adage of, ‘There is no I in team, but there is most definitely a me.’”

Double ouch.

Her final jibe having been delivered with scalpel-like precision, she swept out of the room, closing the door with a quiet click. Hmm. Calum had expected a slam. Another twinge of guilt crept in. Irritated with himself, he shoved the feeling to one side. Laurella Ricci wasn’t some helpless female being pushed around by the big boys. She was a tough competitor who gave as good as she got.

Zane looked positively distraught. His eyebrows were drawn low, and he repetitively drew his teeth across his bottom lip. “I feel terrible,” he finally said. “I shouldn’t have gone behind her back.”

Stunned, Calum slammed his hand on Zane’s desk. His friend jumped.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Calum said. “Does she have something on you that I should know about?”

Zane frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“The way you are with her. If you’re not mooning after her with puppy-dog eyes, you’re apologizing when absolutely no apology is required. Jesus, it’s like she’s the boss and you’re the lackey.” Calum straightened as a thought came to him—a very unwelcome thought that brought a burning sensation to his chest. “Are you fucking her?”

Zane’s eyes widened. “Of course I’m not fucking her. I’m in a happy relationship, remember?”

Calum shrugged. “Well, something’s going on, because your behavior is not normal.”

Zane launched to his feet, his nostrils flaring. He poked a finger in Calum’s direction. “It’s your behavior that isn’t normal. Ever since you came back, you’ve been picking fights with Laurella. Grow up. Find a way to get along with her, because I’m telling you now, Calum, she’s here to stay.”

Calum kicked up his chin and glared at the man who’d been his closest friend for almost ten years. “Well, maybe I’ll have to find alternative employment.”

He didn’t mean a word of it. He loved Necron. He had a vested interest in the company, both financially and emotionally. And he loved Zane as just as much as his brothers.

Zane folded like a balloon pricked with a pin. He sank into his chair, all the fight having left him. “That’s not even remotely funny.”

Annoyed at himself for upsetting Zane when he didn’t deserve it, Calum took the seat opposite. “I’m sorry. And you know I don’t mean a word of it. But there’s something about that woman. She infuriates me, and I can’t help behaving badly when she’s around.”

“Because she’s challenging you. Everything you believe in, everything you’ve done freely and without question over the past five years, she’s asking you to look at again, to maybe try a different way. And because you’re a hotheaded prick, you’re railing against her. Please, give her a chance. I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating to get it through your thick skull: she will help us take Necron places. I know it.”

Calum teased at his facial scruff and blew out a deep sigh. “Fine. I’ll apologize for not speaking to her about the report before I sent it to you. And I’ll try to get along with her a little better.”

“Good.” Zane reached into his desk drawer and took out a pair of airline tickets. He slapped them on the desk in front of Calum. “Because you and she are going to a conference in Chicago. You fly out Monday morning.”

Calum jerked his head back. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Nope. It’s a sales and marketing conference. A lot of the contacts Laurella is targeting will be there. It makes sense to have the heads of both departments in attendance. So pull on your big-boy pants and try to make sure you don’t kill each other.”

“Does she know about this?”

Zane nodded. “And believe me, she’s no more psyched than you are. She just hides it better.”

With a sense of foreboding, Calum went back to his office. He started up his computer, immediately spotting an email from Laurella in his inbox. He opened it and read:

You really are a sorry excuse for a man, Calum Brook. Nasty, narcissistic, a complete and utter basterd—not a spelling mistake, but the real thing probably won’t get through the security filters, and darn it, I want you to see this email. Know this—I am furious. I hope you’re happy.

He sat back in his chair, expecting to feel a sense of exhilaration that he’d riled her so much. Instead, exhaustion swamped him. Work had always been the center of his world, a place he couldn’t wait to come to, but the last few weeks had taken their toll. He needed to build some bridges. He’d promised Zane. It was time to deliver.

He headed down the hallway to her office. He rapped once on her door and walked in.

She looked up, and her eyes hardened. “What do you want?”

He pulled up a chair and crossed one ankle over the opposing knee. “To apologize.”

Surprise flitted across her face, an emotion she didn’t try to hide. “Wow. I didn’t think your mouth was capable of forming the word.”

There was barely a twitch to his lips. “I thought your email was a little harsh.”

“Did you.” A statement, not a question.

He palmed the back of his neck. “Look, I know my faults all too well. I can be brusque, at times a touch too candid, even audacious. But I care about the success of this company. And if I tread on some toes in order to protect it”—he shrugged—“so be it.”

“My idea will make money,” she said doggedly.

“Okay, then, prove it. Review my findings, and see what needs changing in your proposal. I’ll happily take another look when you’re done, and if I’m wrong, then I’ll back you all the way.”

She gave a curt nod. “Fine.”

He got to his feet. “I’ll meet you at the airport on Monday morning.”

“He told you, then?” she asked.

Calum nodded. “And by the expression on your face, you’re as thrilled as I am.”

“I can be professional about it.” She cast a scathing gaze over him. “Can you?”

He set his jaw. “Don’t push me, sweetheart.”