Conflicted (Secrets and Lies) (25 page)

The smile that crept upon my face stood no chance of containment. Her resolve wavered and a small grin replaced the irritation. "I do give him props for bringing back your real smile. I've missed seeing happiness in your eyes so I'm glad he brought that back today even if it complicated your life a little."

I raised an eyebrow.

Bri chuckled. "Okay, it complicated your life a lot but I think it was worth it. Look at what you've been able to figure out from it."

~

I spent most of the night thinking about Ethan and decided on acting as if yesterday never happened. I hoped that he would maintain the professionalism between us. If he did, I stood a chance of not having to deal with it. The problem was that it relied on keeping a distance from him. It was going to make my investigation for Harrison even more difficult.

I sat in the parking lot giving myself a mental pep talk for the day. It mainly revolved around one word: avoid. My stomach was in a ball of knots on my way into the building. The glass façade of the building worked to my advantage as I gazed around to see if Ethan was lurking around up front. He was nowhere in sight so I picked up my pace to get to my floor without running into him. After swiping my access card, I hustled over to the stairs.

I was so busy trying to verify his whereabouts that I wasn't paying attention to anything else. I ran into the individual that was about to exit the stairwell. A set of strong hands gripped my arms to keep me from tripping. My body burned with desire then dread. Of course, I'd run into Ethan. He steadied me while chuckling at my entrance. Once stable, I pulled away from him. I glanced at him to determine where his head was at this morning. Ethan gazed into my eyes with more longing for me than he'd ever shown.

Shit. Those eyes scream that there is no way in hell he is letting go of last night. Fuck.

I gave him a tight smile on my way towards the stairs. "I'm sorry about almost running you over. I'm running late this morning. I should be a little more mindful of what's on the other side of doors before I run through them."

Ethan squinted and rolled up the cuff of his bright red dress shirt. It went well with plated slacks that fitted his body in all the right ways. My mind drifted to how well his trunks hung on him. It slipped over to the carved definition of his body and the firmness of his legs and arms. Eventually, it fell to how amazing his hands were on my body and the taste of his lips. My body was hot and wet and I was ready to throw myself at him in the stairwell without regard.

MIA! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! FOCUS!

I jerked my thoughts back to reality. He peeked at his watch to confirm the time. When Ethan gave me his attention again, his amusement with me was all over his face.

"It's fine Mia. It's obvious you were running from something this morning but I'm guessing it has nothing to do with being late for work," Ethan goaded.

I glared at him. I was happy that he pushed my buttons with that tone because it chilled all my tingles and fired up my temper. He cocked an eyebrow clearly baiting me.

Two can play this game.

"Ethan, I don't know what conclusion you're drawing up in your head but I'm running late. I told Connor I'd be here five minutes ago," I bit back.

Before I reached the stairs, Ethan closed the gap between us. He left no room between us and we stood nearly chest-to-chest equally determined to get our own way. My heart tripled in pace. I held on to my lingering frustration and motioned for him to move.

He leaned into my neck and seductively whispered into my ear. "I know what you're doing Mia. It's admirable that you can make it seem like nothing ever happened between us. I'm willing to play this game for the time being but you won't win. Keep that in mind the next time you need to come up with an explanation to avoid me."

I trembled at the way his breath trickled across my skin. My nerve endings were standing on end. It took everything in my power to walk past him acting like what he said meant nothing whatsoever to me when on the inside I was a bloody mess. He wasn't going to back down. I wasn't sure if it turned me on or tormented me.

~

Throughout the entire week, Ethan went out of his way to make my life at work a living hell. He made torturing me his new pet project. He managed to find time within each day to corner me and remind me of my unexplainable attraction to him.

Like I could forget. Bastard.

I wished that he were unaware of what he did to me whenever he was near. Ethan proved to me that he was very aware. He used it to his advantage every chance that he got. And the asshole was slick about it. He always found moments where we were alone. It made no difference where I was within that building because he was there. He was fricken everywhere all the time. I'd given up my addiction to caffeine and it made me somewhat of a bitch between the hours of eight to five. The poor guys on my team started tiptoeing around me. They were unsure of what version of me they were going to get if they said the wrong thing.

Ethan snuck up on me whenever he had a chance and hovered until my body crumbled to his advances. I wanted the last word every time we were around each other but I was never able to articulate a coherent sentence. He'd whisper sweet nothings into my ear or subtly touch me so that my body drifted to a different dimension. It left me with an inability to speak every time. After every heated run in, he departed with the same smug ass smile.

I knew that giving into my feelings for him was more trouble than I could handle. Unfortunately, I was approaching a point where I questioned if it was physically possible to avoid it. We no longer had personal boundaries whenever we were alone. He had become more creative as the days progressed. Ethan trailed his hands along every square inch of me. He never made a move to kiss me but that was the least of my concerns. After his hands grazed me, it took me hours to calm down from him turning me on with no release. I spent the majority of my days trying to avoid any contact with him and that interfered with trying to find out more for Harrison. This offer was always going to be at a risk for me but I never factored anything like Ethan into it. I knew what I was doing was questionable to most people but now it was downright insane. To say I'd become a mess after we kissed was a
major
understatement.

By the time Friday hit, I was more than happy for the weekend. It made me proud that I made it this far. The only thing holding me back from giving into him was my sheer stubbornness. I also knew Ethan underestimated that quality within me. There were times that I caught the annoyance in his eyes after he would whisper nonsense into my ear that didn't crumble my will to deny him.

Ethan had a meeting with my team that afternoon to determine our progress on an upcoming marketing pitch. He was more agitated than usual and fidgeting with his cuff links. Ethan cut people off and pressed for us to get through our respective points of contribution quicker. Our presentation was flawless so I couldn't help the smug smile that I directed towards Ethan. He had been watching me on and off during the entire meeting. He kept an edge in his eyes that masked his thoughts.

The only reason I caught his irritation was because of his unconscious fidgeting. I had no guilt with being a catty bitch towards him. The bastard had earned it after what he put me through all week. When the meeting finished, we rose to head back up to our floor. Ethan pulled Connor aside and was talking to him in a stern voice. Connor glanced at me and nodded his head. It made me want to get the hell out of there before anything else happened this week. I was almost out the door with my weekend in reach.

"Mia, hang on a minute," Connor stated.

Fuck! So close.

Connor waited for everyone else to exit the conference room. It sucked up one way and down the other. The extra time fueled my frustration with Ethan. I went to the opposite end of the huge conference table between us. Connor stood in the middle with a cautious eye on Ethan and me. We were in a standoff to see who could incinerate each other first with our glares. Connor cleared his throat and we turned to give him our attention. I focused on Connor with a fake smile.

"Ethan has requested your assistance on a deal he's trying to close soon. You're going to work with him until he secures this account for the company," Connor instructed.

You've got to be kidding me!

"Sure. If that is what Mr. Fitzgerald needs, I'll be happy to help him," I replied sweetly.

I wanted to wipe away any ecstatic feeling that Ethan had right now. I really wanted to lash out at his arrogant ass. Connor nodded on his way out of the conference room. He paused at the door. It was obvious that our behavior and this request confused him. Once he left, I turned to Ethan with my death stare. He stood as still as a statute with his hands in his pockets. The look in his eyes was beyond egotistical. He made a power play against me and he knew it. I slammed the binders in my hands onto the table.

"What the fuck Ethan?"

"Watch your language Mia. I'm still your boss," he snapped.

My blood boiled with the rage I had for him. It heated every part of me to a broiling point. I took a step back and threw my balled fists into the air. He was seriously trying to play the boss card. I grasped my neck in defeat. "Fine, as my boss, can you please explain to me what deal needs my assistance? I don't see how I'm the best candidate for it considering I've been here the least amount of time."

His eyes were like daggers as he stared at me. This was a first for us. There was no sexual tension in the air. It evaporated with the anger blistering through us. I brought my hands back down to my hips. His face flushed as he slammed his palms down on the table.

"Don't be a smart ass. I'm tired of playing games with you," Ethan shot back.

"Unbelievable. Do you realize how ridiculous this has become? If your efforts haven't worked thus far, they aren't going to and I've made that obvious," I said bitterly.

Ethan rushed around the table and stood as close to me as possible without touching me. The anger was still very much present in his features but I didn't care. I angled my head towards his without showing an ounce of weakness. My fury dominated every facet of me. He leaned in even closer to bring his nose within inches of mine. A gasp from within me slipped out against my will. He was so close that heat emanated from him. A vein in his forehead throbbed and the ire in his eyes was undeniable.

"You've never been clear about why you won't move forward with me. I know you want me and I want you. It has been glaringly obvious since day one," Ethan bit back.

His warm breath spread across my face and my anger began to fade as a tingling sensation swept through every part of me. I hated doing it but stepping away from him was necessary. The fiery rage coursing through me was slowly morphing into a whole different kind of burn.

"If you remember from my interview, I got expelled school. Around the same time, I got out of a long-term relationship. I'm still in the process of getting my life back on track. The last thing I need right now is a relationship...especially one with you."

Ethan groaned and tossed his hands in the air. "I don't understand what that has to do with taking a chance on something that you want. Don't for a second tell me that you don't want this with me."

If he doesn't drop it soon, I'm going to end up shouting at him at the top of my lungs or punching him in the face. I'm leaning towards the latter.

"I can't do this with you. I need to get back to my desk to finish the day," I said icily.

I took another step back willing the anger to stay strong. He pissed me off but my body was struggling to remember. Ethan inched forward with every step I took backwards until I backed right into the shelves that lined the wall. I braced myself against them and he placed his hands next to mine. He towered over me and kept his body within inches of me. It left me with no room to move away. The problem with the entire position was that it was the on switch for my body. His behavior this week had made me more than horny. This particular position sent all sorts of naughty thoughts throughout me as my body overheated with its need for him. My heartbeat skyrocketed and my breathing was raspy at best.

Son of a bitch! Stupid betraying body!

His eyes remained glued to me but the rage started to subside as cockiness took over. Ethan trapped me there for what seemed like an eternity absorbing every loud beat of my heart. Before he pulled away, Ethan leaned in one last time.

"Go finish your day. Monday, you're
mine
."

Ethan strode backwards to the door never taking his eyes off me. He stood at the door for a moment before giving me a parting glance. I inhaled deeply several times after he left. I was very thankful that I was bracing myself with the shelves because my knees were about to give out on me. The reality sunk in that it was only a matter of time before I did something stupid around him again. Even when I was furious with him, my body remained drawn to him.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When I got home that evening, my anger was back in full force. On my way in, I tossed my heels to the ground. A huge thud echoed around the room when they crashed and skidded across the floor. The chuckling from the hallway startled me. I looked up to see Bri on her way out of the kitchen.

"Ethan?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Yes," I fumed.

I threw my purse towards the wall with the same force. I stormed into the living room and flopped into the recliner. My hands flew to my head to massage the tension. Bri sat on the couch next to me. She tried to stifle her laughter but gave it a minimal effort.

"Are you going to tell me what has you so wound up or do you want me to let my imagination wander? You know all the dirty little scenarios I can come up with on my own."

I glared at her. She held up her hands innocently.

"He did the unthinkable today."

"And what would that be?"

"He pulled me off my team to work with him."