"Yes. Thank God, she's with the sitter."
"Good. So, all we have to do is sit tight and wait for someone to get us."
"Great. Unless the demon ghost kills us first," she muttered. She began pacing. The wood under her feet creaked dangerously.
"Let's not test the floor foundation, too," he said. Dragging over a dusty trunk, he swiped the surface halfway clean. "Sit."
Blowing out a breath, she plunked herself down on the trunk and stretched her pink-clad feet out in front of her. Her ponytail had flopped to the side of her head, and fiery curls had sprung loose. Her purple flannel shirt was wrinkled and missing a bottom button. Her jeans had a hole in the knee.
His dick shot to life, and he smothered a groan. Great. She rocked the sexy librarian role in the office, and the girl-next-door look was even more appealing. His fingers itched to grab that ponytail, drag her toward him, and feast on those luscious, sulky lips. Unbutton that farmer-type shirt, yank her jeans down, and figure out the quickest way to stroke her to orgasm. It had never taken him long before. In fact, he'd just kiss her, and she'd be dripping wet, ready for his fingers to slide into her tight heat until she begged for more.
But that was then, and this was now.
He turned his back on her and pretended to check out the window so she wouldn't spot his current condition.
"Hey, can you break the window and call for help?"
"Hard to shatter glass between steel bars. And since the block is deserted, yelling won't help."
"At least I'm trying to come up with ideas," she shot back. "Why'd you have to go waving that stick around like a messed-up Jedi? If you hadn't hit the door, we wouldn't be in this mess and stuck with each other."
He turned back around. Guess being locked in a room with him wasn't her favorite thing. Her desperation to get away from him would've been funny if it didn't bring a touch of annoyance. "Are you kidding me? First you didn't listen to me when I told you to wait. Then you lost it over a silly mouse. This whole thing is your fault."
Her chin rose a few notches. Emerald fire shot out at him. "You've been testing me from the moment we got here. I think you want me to fail so you can go back to your brothers and tell them 'I told you so.' You voted against me for CFO!"
The jab hit home. Guilt sprung up. "I don't want you to fail," he retorted. "And I just wasn't sure if you were ready, that's all. I had no idea you wanted more."
"Why would you? You don't know who I am anymore. You haven't even talked to me since you got back home two years ago!"
He jerked back. She slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Obviously she hadn't planned to let out such a truth. They'd become masters at the art of non-conversation, avoidance, and the occasional snipe. When he'd been forced to return to Harrington for his father's will and found himself back working for the company, he'd intended to keep the tension between them to a minimum. In the beginning, her betrayal had still bothered him. He was reminded of that scene each time he looked at her or her daughter.
But she wasn't the same person who'd sent him away. Nor was he the same person who'd left. And maybe this distance was tearing apart pieces of them in a long, torturous process. Maybe it was time to try to move forward instead of living in the past.
"I didn't know it bothered you," he said quietly. She tore her gaze away. He waited for a few moments in silence, gathering his thoughts. "Syd?"
"It didn't. Not at first. But I'm getting tired of the boxing match." He lifted a brow in question. "A jab here. Uppercut there. I keep waiting for the knockout punch, but then we may not be able to work together. And we need to find a way to do that, Tristan."
He let out a breath, then slowly nodded. She was right. He'd been so focused on fighting their physical attraction he'd forgotten his ruthless ability to close himself off. It was easier to treat her with a cold distance to keep her locked safely in the box of his past. He hadn't allowed himself to really get to know the woman she'd become while he was away those five years.
"You're right." She looked at him with surprise. "I don't think either of us were able to deal with each other at first. Then it became habit to avoid you or keep communication limited."
"I want to be able to work together again." A tentative smile touched her lips. "Or at least, I want us to try. I need you on my team for this project to succeed. I'm not pretending I can do this all alone, but I want a chance to prove myself and show what I can do for Pierce Brothers."
His gut clenched. He might still have doubts, but he admired her tenacity and determination. She'd changed from the shy, uncertain girl who'd once looked to him to make all her decisions. This company meant something important to her. And God knows, she'd grown up in his household-more of a family member than a casual friend. She deserved his respect, and it was time he stopped questioning her abilities.