Page 5 of Protected
Crap! I knew I should’ve gone straight to work, Chelsey thought as she stared at the stupid bastard who had dumped her a few months ago. She could call Parker a bastard now, but she’d once thought he’d be the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
Wrong.
Instead, he was the man who had broken her heart; not once, but twice. Actually,bastardwas too good of a name for him. Asshole was much better.
But man…asshole or not, he still made her heart flutter at the sight of him.
How was that even possible? How could her body spark to life just by sharing the same airspace with him, especially when she was so pissed?
Her gaze swept the length of him, and though he looked fine as hell, Chelsey could tell that he had lost some weight. His face was thinner, and his strong jaw was more pronounced. It also looked as if he hadn’t been sleeping well, if the bags under his eyes were any indication.
Nonetheless, that didn’t detract from his good looks. His penetrating, whiskey-colored eyes bored into her as if he could see deep inside her soul.
God, she’d missed him. Missed their easy conversations. Not only was he easy to talk to, but he was a great listener. He also made her laugh, something they used to do all the time. More than anything, though, she missed his sweet kisses and being in his arms. What she wouldn’t give for one of his bear hugs right now. They always made her feel as if all was well in the world.
Six feet tall with a muscular runner’s build, he looked like a wet dream in the black Harley-Davidson T-shirt that molded over his chiseled chest and torso. And the medium wash jeans that weren’t tight, but tight enough to show off his firm thighs and long legs, made her body stir with need.
She hadn’t been with a man intimately since she and Parker had broken up. Well, except for that slipup she’d had with him six weeks ago, but Chelsey was trying to forget that huge mistake. Still, seeing him had her horny. Which only pissed her off more. She didn’t want to like Parker Wilcox, and she sure as hell didn’t want to still be attracted to him.
Chelsey didn’t know how long they stood there staring at each other without speaking, but it wasn’t until Mason cleared his throat did she snap out of whatever trance she’d been under.
“Am I missing something here?” Mason asked. Chelsey jerked her attention to him as he looked from her to Parker and back again. “Do you two need me to leave so you can—”
“No!” They both said in unison, and Mason quirked an eyebrow.
“O-kay,” he said slowly. “Then what the hell is going on?”
“Nothing, I was just leaving,” Chelsey said and turned for the door, but glanced at Mason over her shoulder. “This isn’t over, Mase. I’m not done pleading my case. You need more security specialists, and you and Egypt are wasting my talents by hiring me to work in the office. I’m just sayin’.”
His chuckle followed her out of the office.
Chelsey unintentionally slammed the door behind her and hurried to the hallway that would lead her to the elevator.Damn Parker for looking so good.
Why’d he have to be there, today of all days? She’d been planning her visits to Supreme perfectly in an effort to not see him. Today was supposed to be his day off, and yes, she had checked. If her body betrayed her every time she saw him, what the heck was she going to do when she started working there full-time?
She shook her head. That was a question for another day, but one she’d have to think about.
When her sister-in-law, Egypt, suggested Chelsey apply for the office assistant position, she’d said no. But when Egypt mentioned that it might be a good way for Chelsey to get her foot in the door of Supreme, she reconsidered.
For years, after finishing her degree in criminal justice, she had been trying to get on at Supreme. Not only because the pay was outstanding, but also because she wanted the challenge.However, Mason was hard to impress. Supreme was known for hiring the best, and she considered herself the best. No, she didn’t have experience with the FBI, CIA, DEA and any of the other agencies like most of the people on their team, but she’d been a cop for years, and now a parole officer. She knew she could do the job.
“Chelsey!”
She cursed under her breath at the sound of Parker’s voice and kept walking. She’d take the stairs instead. No way would she get on an elevator and risk being in close quarters with his sexy ass.
“Chels, come on. Wait up.”
“Go away, Parker,” she said, but he caught her before she reached the doors to the stairs.
“I need to talk to you,” he said quietly while glancing around. They had both agreed to keep their relationship a secret until they were ready, and when they were finally ready to go public, Parker dumped her.
Remembering that was like adding gasoline to a fire. Her anger sparked, and a barely contained growl rumbled inside of her chest.
“We don’t have anything to talk about,” she said through gritted teeth. “Now get out of my way unless you want to be walking funny for the rest of the day.”
He flinched and took a step back, knowing that her ability to knee him in the balls came from practice. She had taken several self-defense classes over the years, some led by her brother, Kenton Bailey, a former FBI agent, and she could easily take down a man twice her size.
“Chelsey, please, baby. Let’s go somewhere and talk. There’s something I need to tell you.”