Trish Wylie – One Night with the Rebel Billionaire (страница 7)

‘Everyone has a choice.’

‘Not if they give a damn, they don’t. Then they make decisions based on what matters. Or what should matter.’

Adam shook his head, exhaling a soft snort of derisive laughter as he pushed to his feet. ‘Don’t pretend to know what mattered or didn’t matter to me, Jake. You don’t know anything about me.’

‘And whose fault is that?’ Before Adam could reply Jake pushed to his feet, gathering files together as he continued, ‘You might not care about this company, Adam, but I do. So if you’re selling, let me know. If you want to learn more before you decide, then say so. The door has always been open.’

He looked Adam in the eye on his way past. ‘Whether you thought it was or not.’

Adam stood in the empty room for a while after Jake left. He’d been there one day—hell, not even that long—and already he felt as if the walls were closing in. Dropping his head back, he scowled at the ceiling; it was as if he’d stepped back in time and hadn’t learned a single thing in his twelve years away.

Turning on his heel, he dropped his chin—and met Roane’s gaze through the vertical blinds. She was standing still in the middle of the bustling hallway, watching him. Lit by the bright light streaming through the office windows, her skin glowed, her hair shone like ripe corn fields in summer sunshine—and wearing a red jacket she stood out in the sea of greys, blacks and charcoals like a beacon.

For a split second he almost smiled at her. But instead he frowned at the fact she might have seen even a hint of how he was feeling. He didn’t want anyone to see. It was a weakness. So with a silent mental shake he gathered himself together, stepping out through the doorway and striding confidently towards her, determined to pick up where they’d left off. But before he got to her a middle-aged man from the meeting stepped over.

‘Good to see you, Adam.’ His voice was laced with thinly veiled disrespect. ‘We thought you were dead.’

Adam was a step away from him when he stopped. He clenched his jaw. Talking a measured step backwards, he turned his face towards the man, his voice cold. ‘Sorry to disappoint.’ He looked him over. ‘Jeffries, right?’

The man swallowed hard. ‘That’s right.’

Adam nodded, slowly turning ninety degrees to tower over him. ‘Well…Jeffries…a word to the wise…’

He paled. ‘Y-yes?’

‘Ever treat me like a fool the way you did in that meeting again and you’ll wish I was dead.’ When he lifted his arm the man flinched, and Adam smiled inwardly as he swiped an imaginary piece of lint off his shoulder before lowering his head to add, ‘Have a nice day.’

Roane blinked wide eyes at him as he walked by her, her voice choked. ‘Bye, Malcolm.’

‘Roane…’ Malcolm Jeffries was too busy scurrying away to pay much attention to her.

A quick glance over Adam’s shoulder told him she was following him to the elevators, so he punched the button and waited. When she got to his side Adam glanced sideways at her, ‘You got something to say, then spit it out.’

‘Nope. Nothing to say.’

‘Good.’

‘Except he probably deserved it,’ she said after a moment of silence. ‘Malcolm can be a bit of a jerk. Office lech too, from what the girls say. Wandering hands…’

Adam’s face jerked her way so fast he almost put his neck out. ‘He touched you?’

One arched brow rose as she rolled back onto her heels. ‘That would be your problem because?’

Damned if Adam knew. But it took a gargantuan effort not to turn round and go right back down the hall for another tête-à-tête. The elevator better get a move on. He glanced up at the numbers: forty-two, forty-three… It was the slowest elevator in New York.

‘Jake didn’t have a quiet word?’ Bitterness rolled off the tip of his tongue. But if he hadn’t, then he’d just dropped in Adam’s estimation.

‘Why would he—? Oh…’ When she faltered Adam turned to study her expression, the fact she wasn’t able to look him in the eye making him suspicious even before a hint of colour started to appear on her cheeks. ‘I didn’t say he touched me—I said the office girls mentioned it. It wouldn’t have been Jake’s problem even if he had. I can look after myself.’

Adam turned towards her, calmly folding his arms, ‘Anything else you want to set straight?’

She looked up at him, her luminous blue eyes filled with curiosity. ‘How come you didn’t tell me the reason you don’t like flying?’

She’d been asking questions about him, had she? That was interesting, but, ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’

She blinked blankly at him.

One of the things Roane Elliott needed to learn about him quick smart was that he wasn’t that easily diverted. ‘Are you or are you not involved with Jake?’

‘I am.’ She nodded firmly.

Adam knew he’d worded it wrong. ‘Sexually.’

Her eyes widened, gaze darting nervously around them and her voice lowering. ‘Do you mind?’

As it happened, yes, he did. He minded a whole heap.

They stepped into the elevator together, Adam waiting until the doors closed before he moved and effectively boxed her into a corner with his body.

‘Yes or no.’

The small space between them seemed to crackle. From the change in her breathing and the sharp intake of breath she took Adam knew she could feel it as keenly as he could. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so much heat radiating from a woman. He’d felt it on the beach, he’d felt it in the kitchen, he’d provoked it on the plane…

If she wasn’t involved with Jake, then she was in way over her pretty little head. She was exactly the kind of distraction Adam needed from the things he currently felt he had a fleeting control over.

The doors behind him slid open and he saw Roane angling her head to look around him, the small grimace on her face telling him they had company. So he casually leaned a shoulder against the wall and lowered his tone.

‘Yes or no.’

Roane glared at him, answering in a similarly low tone, ‘None of your business.’

‘I’m making it my business.’

‘Why?’ She seemed astounded by the notion.

Surely she couldn’t be that naive? But if she wanted to have the discussion in front of an audience, then so be it. ‘Why do you think?’

Taking a moment to smile weakly at the other occupant of the elevator, she flicked her long lashes upwards again. ‘I’m not interested.’

Adam’s smile was slow. ‘Liar.’

The elevator doors opened again and for a brief second Adam thought he heard her moan. Probably mentally willing their visitor to stay. But by the time the doors closed the spark of fire had returned to her eyes.

‘I meant I didn’t want to know why.’ She cocked her head to one side, the curls at the end of her shoulder-length hair brushing the collar of her jacket. Then she grumbled, ‘If your ego gets any bigger you’ll have to give it its own name.’

‘So why did you tell me you’re in a relationship with my brother if you’re not?’

Roane growled at him. ‘You are the most—’

Adam calmly folded his arms again. ‘Want to know what I think?’

She lifted her arms and flopped them down into a similar folded position, pouting in a way that drew his attention to her mouth. ‘No.’

Adam continued to stare at her mouth. ‘I think you were hiding behind him.’

When she worried on her lower lip it drew his hand out of the crook of his arm, his thumb pressing against it to still the movement. ‘Don’t do that.’

When his gaze rose he found her staring at him, the blue now clouded with—he frowned—was it fear? It made him study her closer, the realization slow to filter through to the front of his brain. ‘This is new to you.’

How could someone with so much fire not have experience of sexual attraction on its most basic level? There was no way she’d got to her age and not—He almost laughed in disbelief at the idea. There was no way she was a virgin.

When the doors slid open he dropped his hand and glanced over his shoulder, frowning when they were joined by several men and women in suits. He knew there was another reason he hated office environments. Too many damn people.

He looked down at Roane again, the flush on her cheeks and the laboured rise and fall of her breasts telling him just how affected she was by their topic of conversation and the proximity he’d forced on her. There was one thing he was sure of—she was turned on. He’d bet she was ready for him already.

He breathed deep as if he might catch the scent of her arousal in the air, then stated the obvious with deep satisfaction. ‘It’s a no to you and Jake.’

‘Well, that genius IQ obviously isn’t wasted on you, is it?’ She glared up at him, then looked away.

‘Was it ever a yes?’

‘No. Happy now?’ Another glare.

Ecstatic. For the first time since he’d laid eyes on her Adam let go. He experienced anticipation thrumming through his veins, the rush of adrenalin pumping his blood harder. It had been a long, long time since he’d been so turned on by the thrill of the chase.

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