Smith

Damn . . . that kiss, though.

My brain instantly supplied a mental replay, and I shifted my dick in my pants to make sitting behind a desk bearable.

Jesus, sometimes I wondered if I had a screw loose or something, because I couldn’t make this whole thing any harder on myself if I tried. Not to mention that my thoughtless move could have jeopardized everything good in my life—my job, my relationship with Evie, my friendship with her brother.

What if Cullen had walked in?

All of his possible reactions flitted through my mind, and I winced. At the very least, some blood would have been shed, whether it was mine, his, or both.

But for some reason, I couldn’t have stopped myself if I’d tried. Once I saw Evie there, bent over the copy machine, her bottom lip pinched between those white teeth, I was done. It was like I was on autopilot. My body moved toward hers as if controlled by some otherworldly gravitational pull.

I gritted my teeth and drummed my fingers on the desk in front of me in frustration.

This was torture. Spending time with someone I liked as much as I liked Evie, wanting her more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life and not being able to have her, it made me feel like an addict. Twitchy, needy, and sort of desperate.

Not a feeling I was accustomed to at all. And not a feeling I liked one bit.

What it we gave in? Tonight, even. What if I texted her right now and asked her to meet me at my apartment after work and put an end to our shared misery?

Then what about tomorrow when we go back to being friends?

I swallowed a bitter laugh and raked a hand over my face.

“Here are the numbers you asked for,” a male voice murmured.

Adam, my assistant and an all-around nice guy, waited near my desk with a file folder in hand. I’d been so distracted, I hadn’t even heard him come in.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I took the folder without further comment, and then looked up a minute later when I realized that he was still hovering.

He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “I know it’s none of my business, but are you okay? You’ve been looking sort of weird lately. Not sick, but . . . stressed. Distracted, maybe.” He perched his glasses higher on his nose and shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I wanted to make sure you’re not working too hard or if there is something more I should be doing on my end to clear your plate.”

I closed the file folder and blew out a sigh. I’d been dividing my time between the two offices—this one that my family ran like a well-oiled machine whether I was here or not, and of course, the new office for Sophia’s headquarters.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I hope I’m not being too much of an asshole.” I weighed my options and decided on a half truth. “It’s been difficult juggling my work here with the consulting work I’m doing at Sophia’s.”

Adam crinkled his nose. “You sure that’s all it is? It’s not like you to let work bog you down.”

“Okay, the truth is work is going well, so no worries there. I’ve got a woman on the brain. I like her and she likes me, but there’s a raft of shit in the way. I gotta admit, the whole thing is getting to me a little.”

A relieved smile tugged at his lips, and I realized then that my poker face wasn’t as good as I’d thought. Poor Adam had been worried that I was going to fire him or something. Totally my fault, because I probably walked around this place looking like I was about to claw the bark off trees and start roaring.

Not cool.

Plus, with my new gig, I’d been spending very little time in this office lately.

“I hear you there, boss. I’ve got a girlfriend too, and she’s bugging me about not having an engagement ring yet and all that. It can really get to a guy,” Adam said, looking a little shaken at the mention of an engagement ring. “If you ever want to meet for a beer after work and blow off some steam, let me know. I’m always down.”

I nodded and grinned at him. “I might take you up on that. Thanks.”

Adam backed out of my office and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts again. Sure as shit, I almost begged him to come back, because my thoughts were confounding as fuck.

There had to be a logical explanation for this. Working alongside Evie day by day had clouded my brain. Her citrusy scent that was burned into my nostrils, the sound of her laugh when she really let go, her passion for her work—all of it had left an impression that I couldn’t shake.

Shit, I even liked watching the way she contributed at work. She enjoyed pretty things, and took pride in her work making our web presence more visually appealing. I liked that when she needed inspiration, she’d flip through fabric swatches, finger squares of delicate lace, toy with pieces of buttery-soft satin, line up neat rows of tiny pearl buttons until her next wave of brilliance struck. She was young but she was savvy, and it was incredible to watch her use her God-given talents to create something good in the world.

All in all, my work with Sophia’s was certainly far more interesting than the number-crunching I did all day long for my parents’ company.

My cell rang, and I snatched it up without even glancing at the number, happy for another distraction.

“This is Hamilton,” I murmured, thumbing through the file Adam had brought.

“Smith? It’s Arabella Christianson from Château Prive.”

I stiffened and glanced at my desk calendar. Fuck. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. Arabella’s boutiques were one of Sophia’s newest, most high-profile retailers. I had a call scheduled with her tomorrow to discuss upping our shipments. Not to mention, she and I had a sordid history.

Just be cool.

“Hello, Arabella, good to hear from you. I hope I didn’t mix my days up?” I was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Adam kept a tight rein on my schedule, but I couldn’t think of any possible good news that would have her calling me a day early, and I definitely wasn’t in the market for any bad news.

“No, we’re still on for tomorrow, but I wasn’t sure whether to call you or Cullen,” she said, her tone chilly. “I’m having an issue with your social media director.”

Evie.

Shit.

I cleared my throat and sat up a little straighter, my brain already churning out potential ways to put out whatever fire was smoldering. The good news was Arabella had called me first and not Cullen. The bad news was I didn’t know if I was going to be able to help Evie, and this might have to escalate anyway.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, she was supposed to send me a mock-up for the social media advertising campaign yesterday, and I still haven’t received it. My concern is that if you people can’t meet a simple deadline for some shared advertising, how can I expect you to meet our shipment deadlines once we increase?”

Her voice grew more clipped by the second, and I could tell she was building up a serious head of steam.

“When Cullen told us he was expanding and could push out product more quickly, we took him at his word. I have seventeen stores prepping premium front-of-the-store space for the new line as we speak. If those spaces are empty come delivery time—”

“They won’t be,” I said simply, cutting in before she could lob a threat that would really piss me off.

Our personal shit was set aside. I was here to help Cullen make his company a financial success again, not to let myself get all pissed off and defensive on behalf of Evie. But, damn it, Evie was good at her job. No way she’d just blown off this deadline. I’d seen her bustling around the office all last week, muttering to herself about this very campaign. Something smelled fishy, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Arabella, I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I’m going to find out. Evie is the most responsible person I know, so I do believe there is an explanation. Give me fifteen minutes to get it and call you back, all right?”

For a second, I thought she might have hung up, but then she let out an exasperated huff.

“Fine. Fifteen minutes,” she snapped before breaking the connection.

Just fucking dandy. I stuffed my phone in my pocket and made a beeline to the elevator. Thankfully, Sophia’s office was only a seven-minute walk from here.

When I reached the office, Evie was standing with her back to the door, facing a back wall that was covered with images of women in gorgeous lingerie. The splashes of color and the layout of her presentation were so eye-catching, I found myself distracted for an instant by the sheer punch of it.

“Hey, Smith, everything okay?”

She blushed a little as our gazes connected, and for a moment, I was silent as the memory of our kiss passed between us again.

“Uh, yeah. Wait. No.” I scrubbed a hand over my jaw and motioned for the two of us to sit. “Look, I just got a call from Arabella Christianson. She said you were supposed to send her your proposed ad campaign yesterday.”

Evie’s brows drew into a frown as her cheeks drained of color. “No. That’s not correct. I have it here in my notes . . .” She turned and began riffling through a pile of papers on her desk, tugging one out and holding it aloft. “This is due by end of business today. I still have a few hours.”

She slid the page across the desk to me. Sure enough, the time and date were written there in Evie’s graceful script and underlined twice.

That was good, but it would only take me so far. In her mind, Arabella still believed the agreement was for yesterday.

“I figured as much. You’re never late on anything, and I know how hard you’ve been working on this. Did you firm up these plans via e-mail or phone?”

“Shit. I’m pretty sure it was on the phone.” Evie shot a glance over her shoulder and turned back to me, looking as vulnerable as I’d ever seen her. “This would suck if it reflects on us poorly because, to be honest, it’s been done for two days. I’ve just been putting off sending it until the last minute because I’m nervous that she won’t like it.”

“That’s not possible. I know Arabella.”

“Arabella?” Evie paused, her eyes narrowing. “What’s the story? Is there something I should know?”

I cleared my throat. “It was a long time ago.” And not something I wanted to get into with Evie—ever.

“And what, you’re older and wiser now?” Her eyes narrowed further into the shape of slivered almonds, and I felt my stomach tense.

“Yes, and more importantly, I know how to show some restraint.”

“What does that mean exactly, Smith?”

“It means you have nothing to worry about.” That part was true.

“Why would I be worried? There’s nothing between us, right?”

“The truth is, she and I have a history. Let me go smooth this over. I’m afraid she’s got some old hang-ups, and this really isn’t about you at all.”

Evie shot me a now wide-eyed glare, curiosity written all over her features.

“She and I were connected in the past. And she might be trying to sabotage you to punish me. I’ll handle it.”

“No way. You’re not fighting my battle. And what kind of relationship?”

“It was purely physical.” The words felt sour in my throat. I hated admitting this to Evie, but I wouldn’t lie to her.

“So you slept with her?”

“Like I said, it was a long time ago.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I hated myself. The look of disappointment that flashed on Evie’s features was brief but unmistakable. A few seconds of silence passed between us, and I was left feeling like even more of an asshole than I was.

I shook my head slowly and took another long look at the collage of campaign elements. “If Arabella doesn’t like the campaign you created, then she’s a fucking idiot, Evie. This is brilliant.”

And it was. She’d struck the perfect balance between sensuality and class, each image showcasing the pieces to their best advantage. One teddy in particular caught my eye and I cocked my head, imagining Evie in that very outfit.

“That color would look amazing on your skin,” I murmured softly, my voice dropping to a whisper. “You’d look am—”

“Fucking horrible in that outfit,” a low voice chimed in sharply from behind me. “Ew, Smith. Don’t be imagining my little sister in this shit, or I’m going to have to fire you both,” Cullen said, stepping between us.

Evie’s cheeks turned the color of cooked beets, but I managed to keep it together.

“It’s a pretty color, buddy,” I said with a grin. “It would look great with her hair. Don’t get your panties in a wad.”

Cullen grunted and then shrugged. “Whatever. Still gross. The three of us need to have a quick discussion about the new line with manufacturing in an hour, so clear your schedules, all right?”

Evie gave her brother a thumbs-up, and I nodded. “Sure thing.”

He turned on his heel and left, already on to the next thing, seeming to forget all about the fact that I’d been imagining his sister in a peach teddy. That didn’t help either Evie or me, though, because we were left gazing at each other guiltily.

“I’m going to go see if I can talk Arabella down,” I said, breaking the tension. “And if not, don’t stress. I know that once she sees this, all will be forgotten anyway.”

Evie gave me a grateful smile and waved. I’d made it all the way to the door before I couldn’t stop myself from turning back.

“You would look super hot in that lingerie, though. Just saying.”

A pair of satin panties whizzed past my face, hitting the door frame. When I looked back at Evie, she was casting a scowl in my direction.

• • •

Once at home, I felt the stirrings of a headache forming. Huffing out a deep breath, I sat down on the side of my bed. I just needed a fucking minute here. I raked a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of all this new pressure on my shoulders.

Reaching into the drawer of my nightstand, I pulled a worn slip of paper from inside a familiar envelope. The paper’s edges were soft, and the faded ink reflected its age. As much as it evoked memories of my less-than-desirable beginnings, it was almost comforting in a way too.

I was left at four years old with just the clothes on my back—a size too small and fraying at the edges—along with this note in the parking lot of an emergency room downtown. My fingers traced the barely legible scrawl absently. I remembered nothing of my life before, and my adoptive mom said that was a good thing, but I wasn’t so sure. Even some sad memories would have helped me piece together the fragments of my early childhood.

The blank space was left to fester, growing wider, deeper with each passing year. It was an emptiness inside me that nothing in my life had been able to fill—and believe me, I’d tried. Booze. Women. Fast cars. I’d tried it all.

Now I’d resigned myself to live with that hole in my chest. I kept my head down, throwing myself into my work to compensate for the missing puzzle piece inside me. But what else could I do?

I stuffed the paper back inside its resting place, knowing I was about to get deeper into my own issues before I found my way back out again.