I threw myself into work mode the moment I entered my office. There was too much to do, and thinking about this morning’s meeting made me want to vomit. Reviewing contracts always put my mind at ease because it forced me to focus. I was on the second to last page when someone knocked on the door. Unlike the top floor, mine was made of wood and not glass, so I couldn’t see my intruder.

With a sigh, I sat back in my chair and called, “Come in.”

Will Fucking Mershano entered in that carefree way of his, holding a plastic bag in one hand and a drink in the other.

“Lunch?” he asked as he closed the door with his foot. He had lost his jacket and tie somewhere and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to expose his muscular forearms. My damn hormones did a little jig at the walking male advertisement, while my eyes narrowed.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” The words escaped me before I could swallow them. His brow dipped down, which only further infuriated me. “You couldn’t even give me a few hours of peace after forcing my hand? Unbelievable.”

He set the items down on my desk and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Not the reception I expected—”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I stood up to be more on his level. He still had half a foot on me, but it was better than looking up at him from my desk. “Do you want me to fawn all over you now? Say how thankful I am that you don’t understand the word no? My bad, Will. Thank you for forcing me to work for you after I repeatedly said I didn’t want to. I truly appreciate it. Is that better?”

His eyebrows hit his hairline. “Okay, you have this all wrong—”

“Do I?” I stepped into his personal space and hit him with my best glare. “Did you not just open negotiations with my firm to hire them? All so you can force me to work with you? Because you know I’ll have no choice. It’s either I accept the project or forfeit my career, especially after you so beautifully brought up how we met. You do realize law firms frown upon their employees taking on pro bono work for friends, right? Of course you do; who am I kidding? Is this how you win all your games? By backing women into corners they can’t fight from?”

My tone was semi-hysterical by the end, but I didn’t care. After Ryan’s surprise visit, and now this, it was a miracle I could formulate words. Fury and fear fought for control inside of me, and right now the former was winning.

Will said nothing for a long moment, his dark eyes clouded by shock and an emotion I didn’t recognize. Regret, maybe? No. That couldn’t be. Men like him didn’t understand the meaning of the term, let alone feel it.

“Are you done yelling at me?” he asked, voice soft.

“Probably not.” I folded my arms and ignored the heat radiating from where they brushed against his abdomen. Maybe standing this close to him was a bad idea, but I refused to let him intimidate me.

“Your reasons for not wanting to work with me on this project were that you didn’t want to move to North Carolina or leave Baker Brown. And, although you didn’t quite admit it, I’ve gathered that you don’t want to work directly for me. Did I capture all that correctly?”

“Okay, so it’s not a hearing issue; it’s just you misunderstanding the word no.” We’d discussed this enough that he knew his summary was accurate. Why confirm it?

“By hiring your firm, I have agreed to all of your terms. You don’t have to move, you will continue to work for Baker Brown, and you will not be reporting to me as your direct supervisor. What am I missing?” Genuine frustration colored his tone, causing me to blink. I expected a smirk or a backhanded statement about how I should be grateful, or something manipulative. Not this logical explanation.

“But you’re still forcing my hand.”

“In what capacity?”

“Hiring Baker Brown under the pretense of working with me leaves me with no choice but to accept the project, or they’ll fire me. Hence, you win. Because I need my job.”

He studied me intently before releasing a long, drawn-out sigh. His fingers raked through his thick blond hair before trailing down to palm the back of his neck. The carefree man seemed to have disappeared behind a veil of uncertainty. That’s new.

“Rachel, I only approached your firm because I considered it a win-win scenario. It met your requirements and granted me the opportunity to work with you. If you truly despise the prospect of helping me with the project this much, then I’ll walk away. It was never my intention to force you to accept this position.”

All my fury and hurt dissipated into a cloud of confusion. “You would turn down the proposal?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. “Or, with your permission, I would accept and work with a partner as they suggested.”

“With my permission?”

“Yes. And since my admitting how we met could be an issue for you at Baker Brown—something that I didn’t know would be a problem, by the way—then I’d recommend this route, if that’s what you want.” Uncertainty and a touch of chagrin touched his gaze, and his voice lowered.

“Rachel, for what it’s worth, I would never purposely jeopardize your employment. I really do respect what you do, which was why I mentioned our history and also why I want to work together. I would never intentionally corner you, even if it has come off that way.”

I blinked. Will never did what I anticipated, and this was no exception. He floored me at every turn. I recounted the meeting from this morning and the moment I’d let fury take over. His high-handedness reminded me of Ryan, except his intentions were entirely different. While my ex-fiancé strived to control me, Will only wanted the opportunity to work with me. Despite his flirty nature, he’d yet to initiate a relationship.

Had I gotten this all wrong? Did he do all this to hire me rather than to sleep with me? It was the opportunity of a lifetime, not to mention a fantastic way to impress the partners. If I did well on his project—which I would—I’d be a prime candidate for an early promotion. And the bonus I would get in leading this project would handsomely increase my salary for the year.

“Look, I won’t have the proposal until tomorrow or Wednesday. And I can ask for the weekend to think on it, which gives you a week to let me know how you want me to respond.” The somber note in his voice wiped away all traces of his Southern drawl. Not that I’d heard much of it today. His accent only seemed to come out during playful moments, leaving me to wonder whether it was intentional or an indicator of comfort with his audience. Did that mean I no longer made him comfortable?

My phone dinged with a chime I hadn’t heard in months. A cool breeze swept down my spine.

Ryan.

When it pinged again, I cringed. I blocked his number once. It ended with him showing up unexpectedly at my office. Why did he choose now of all times to reenter my life?

I walked around my desk without a word to look at his messages.

My assistant made reservations for us at Provinos for 8 tonight. I’ll pick you up at 7:30. x

The next message had my free hand curling into a fist at my side.

Wear something appropriate. You know what I like, baby. x

“Everything all right?” Will asked, reminding me of his presence.

I swallowed and flipped the mobile over. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” I had to shake my head to clear it. “I’m sorry. I’ve completely lost my train of thought. What were you saying?”

Concern seeped into his expression as he looked me over. “I said I could stall the agreement for a week. Are you sure you’re all right?” His dark eyes went to the phone, then back to my face.

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” Just my ex-fiancé acting like we’re together again. “What are you doing tonight?”

His eyebrows crept up his forehead. “I need to make a few calls, but otherwise, I have no plans. Why?”

“How much information did you bring to Chicago? About the acquisition, I mean.”

“Almost everything is on my laptop, so I have the majority of it with me.”

I bit my lip to keep the words from spilling from my mouth. If I said them, there would be no taking them back. I chewed on my tongue, thinking through my options, and eventually sighed. My mind was made up when I realized I’d blown this morning’s meeting out of proportion and nearly chased away one of the best opportunities to ever reach my desk. There was only one thing left to do.

“I’d like to review it with you to get a head start, but I’ll need permission first. It’s not a typical situation, but we’re already behind, and I’ll need to pull several all-nighters as it is to catch up, so they should be agreeable. But you’re not technically a client yet, so that could pose an issue.” I stopped rambling as all the air left my lungs. Holy hell, he has a fantastic smile. It creased at the sides, creating a pair of adorable dimples that could captivate a room. I hadn’t realized I’d missed it until it appeared again. Frowning did not suit Will Mershano, but smiling? Oh, that suited him just fine.

“You’re saying yes.” Not a question, but a statement.

“Yes.”

Somehow his happiness seemed to increase a notch. “Oh, how I’ve longed to hear that word cross your lips.”

I rolled my eyes but felt my mouth curling in amusement. “Don’t get used to it, Mershano.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, darlin’.” That devilish glint returned to his gaze. “I’ll call Janet to expedite the contract and see if I can’t sweet-talk my way into starting early. What time should I come over?”

I looked at my phone, my grin slipping. “Uh.” I paused to clear the frog from my throat. “Yeah, let’s meet at your hotel instead. I assume you’re staying at Mershano Suites off Michigan Avenue?”

“My cousin would kill me if I didn’t.”

“Right.” Another message sounded from the mobile, solidifying my resolve. “I’ll be there at seven.”