nderstand the words in front of me. There were numbers, percentages and corpo

glance a

ng blue eyes locked, like he

I wouldn't give hi

olling through the pages. Words bec

air," I whispe

was

arch an eyebrow, his

ueezing the papers harder. "

learly amused

hould just instantly turn

y around the desk with measured, deliberate strid

at doesn't mean you have

to my chair, le

he said softly. "If you want som

w, smooth, but it was weight. Lik

llowe

ould see the sharp angles of his face, the clench of

s too

inte

urn away. "Fine," I said, picking up

in satisfac

ng to his side of the de

ed. "Tw

they read an

l open. "Tha

didn't change.

dy turned back to his computer, ty

ted

bout this challenge 

rustrated, and I hadn't understood half of wh

the next p

our l

drow

ng from all the reading. I'd never fe

to his laptop, jaw tense, fingers g

nd rubbed

ded a

chair and stood u

dn't look

nked.

a. If you want something,

d. "Fine. Can

N

him. "Are y

sting into a languorous, calculated smirk

t throw the pap

down, clutching the

ng to sur

show him that

surviving Damien Blackw

ad po

same sentence, it bore no meaning. Corporate acquisitions. Shareholder agreements

away from my face, annoyance boilin

n Blackwo

aptop as if I wasn't even there. Like I was some other di

s curled

ted

nd, how he hardly even looked at me, h

Worst of all, I wa

teeth and tur

na. Get through

turned the page,

. The sound of his footstep

fr

he was b

ing c

cl

 made me

y fingers grip the papers a

u're going to rip it," he said,

"Maybe I want

rk ticked his lips.

, and my heart tripped when

dark stubble on his jaw, the way his icy blu

eath

had failed to completely see what had bee

t just p

werfully 

pissed

giving us room.

didn't f

u can't possibly expec

duties," he interjected smooth

owed my

I couldn

pose, prodding, probing,

But at least give me a

ying a word, he started digging into his p

set it on the des

idn't mo

ingers grazed

shot thr

my heart

hrough his eyes. S

I wanted

t was impossibly low. "You're playing

and left me col

like th

o longer j

was a

t entered ene

ad po

s I read the same sentence, it didn't make sense. Corporate acquisitions. Sharehold

hair to the side, the anger bubbl

n Blackwo

laptop, as though I were invisible. That a guy like me was just an expendabl

s curled

ted

dly ever looked at me, how I had allowed myself

. I hated that I wa

eth and turned

na. Get through

flipped the page,

hair. The soft patter o

fr

of a sudden, h

ing c

cl

m sent a shive

papers as he leaned over my

're going to rip it," he murmured,

"Maybe I want

 a slow, knowing smirk

tly, and my heart trip

face, dark stubble along his jaw, the way his i

eath

fully see what had been right th

t just p

ngerously

pissed

ing distance between

didn't f

re not seriously expecti

," he interjected smoothly.

owed my

I couldn

ng a challenge of me, seeing how far

e. But at least give m

rdlessly, he took a pen from h

esk in front of me

idn't mo

ngers grazed mi

shot thr

air, my hear

mered in his eyes.

wanted to le

ce impossibly low. "You're participati

ck, leaving me ch

like th

o longer j

was a

t entered ene