Page 26 of Worth Every Penny
“Exactly that. I’m impressed.”
Against my will, delight flashes through me. I hate how good his praise feels. If I were a dog, I’d be rolling on my back, tongue out, kicking my feet at the ceiling, and begging him to rub my belly.Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“I want you to have the best of Hawkston to work with,” he continues. “I’ve picked out a team of twenty employees with skills particularly suited to your project.”
This takes my breath away. Why would he bother paying this sort of attention to a project like mine? It’s small scale compared to what he has to deal with. Well below his pay grade.“Thank you,” I grit out.
“You deserve it. Not many people would have persevered with a project as long as you have. It’s commendable.”
That flash of delight repeats. More of this and I’ll be licking his expensive shoes any minute now. I hope it doesn’t show on my face. “I’m doing it for my dad.”
“I know.”
My chest constricts. His response is so direct, so simple, and yet it means more than it should. He understands why I drive myself so hard and why this isn’t just another project. Nico was Dad’s godson. It might have ended badly between them, but perhaps he isn’t immune to that shared history. I’m certainly not.
My heart thumps and silence stretches between us before Nico speaks again.
“Stay. Have lunch with me.”
I hold his gaze for a moment, and there’s a softness in his eyes that’s inviting. He appears to want my company, and for a second I want to say yes, want to grasp this moment alone with him. But I remind myself that Nico Hawkston is still a controlling, arrogant arse who cares more about money than people, and a few kind words and big gestures aren’t enough to change my opinion of him.
“Like I said, I have plans. But there must be at least a hundred other junior employees who would jump at the opportunity to have lunch with you.”
He slides his hands into his pockets. “True. But I don’t want them. I want you.”
My stomach bottoms out. Ten years ago, I would have died to hear those words from Nico. But now, it’s too late. I steel myself and say, “The answer is still no.”
He flicks a flat look my way. “You’d better have some very important plans.”
A few beats of silence hang in the air. I’m not explaining myself any more than I have already.
“Will that be all?” I keep my voice as hard and cold as I can manage, which is a challenge, given the heat raging through my body.
“For now, yes. You can go.”
His tone is even colder than mine.Well, fuck him.
I march double-speed out of the spa, pushing the door open with such force that I’m surprised I don’t hear it clattering off its hinges behind me. “I’m putting my cab back to the office through expenses,” I yell over my shoulder.
He doesn’t reply, but even if he had, it wouldn’t matter because the wordsI want youhave taken up residence in my head. I can hear nothing else.
I want you, I want you, I want you.
And in spite of everything, all I want is to turn around, march back into the spa, and ask him to say it again.
9
NICO
Istand in the middle of the empty spa and drag both hands through my hair.Fuck. This was supposed to be an opportunity for us to get on better terms. To repair this messed up connection we have going on.
I’m more riled than I’ve been in weeks. Kate Lansen has a way of getting under my skin. She’s like the tip of an expertly wielded needle, sliding unnoticed into a vein and emptying its poison into my bloodstream.
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, recalling my words to her.
I don’t want them. I want you.
What the fuck was I thinking? If she’d just done what anyone else would have done and had lunch with me, I wouldn’t have said something like that.