Stepbrother Charming(26)

Maybe Mom is right. Today's mine. This life's mine.

I don't have to let anyone get in the way – not even some ginormous muscle head who keeps me up fucking with nothing but a wall between us.

That evening, there's a knock on my cubicle wall. I swing my chair to see a tall, lean guy in a nice gray suit holding several manila folders.

“First day on the job, and you're already showing us we've been stupid not to hire a girl who knows Congress sooner.” He steps inside my space as I flash him a smile. “I'm Dan. Office manager while my dad's hobnobbing in DC.”#p#分页标题#e#

“Oh, you're Mister Jacobsen's son?” I'd been wondering where the older man who'd interviewed me had gone.

“Guilty as charged. Listen, Claire, I don't tell every new girl I'm impressed, but I really mean it here.” He opens the folder in his hands and starts flipping through it while he's talking, obviously excited. “I mean, hell, if we can get half these groups on board, we'll double the funding we need to fight the new business center going up on fifteen hundred acres of prime Cascades wilderness.”

I clear my throat and mumble an apology. Half the business project's financing is from none other than my brand spanking new step-father. Talk about a conflict of interest.

I don't even know how to approach the subject with my new boss. I'm in no hurry, either, despite the way I know it'll cause a collision sooner or later.

Dan adjusts his glasses and cocks his head at me. Damn it. I'm a terrible liar, and even worse at covering my tracks.

“You're not worried because your mother just re-married one of the corporate jackasses we're taking to task, right?” He gives me a knowing wink.

Fuck. I'm more than a little relieved he's being so nice about it, but I'm not sure my poor heart can handle any more excitement today. There's been plenty of that the last couple days, and I could really use a break.

“Oh, Mister Jacobsen, I'm sorry. I didn't know whether I should bring it to your attention or just –“

He holds up a hand. “Please, call me Dan. Claire, you've got nothing to worry about. Have you met your new neighbor, Eddy?”

I glance over the wall next to me toward his desk. Yes, the portly middle aged guy introduced himself as soon as I sat down. Seems nice enough.

“I'm sure old Eddy didn't tell you he's Governor Lambert's nephew, right?” I hear my neighbor laughing uncomfortably through the wall.

My eyes go wide. The former Governor leveled more Washington wilderness than anyone before him thanks to some special contracts with his corporate buddies, as I've learned from my research. My new employer is still reeling from the aftermath, trying to turn back the clock on the mess he created.

Dan steps close to me and leans in. I get a big whiff of the spicy cologne he's wearing like a second skin. “We keep that on the down low around here. Eddy's one of our best, and he's got nothing to be ashamed of. Just wanted to let you know, Claire. We care about your work, your ethics. Nobody else's. I don't care if your mom married a robber baron, and neither does Pops.”

I sit up straight, trying not to beam. I've got to hand it to him – he's just lifted about a hundred pounds off my shoulders.

“I won't disappoint you, Dan. I'm here to learn everything I can from this organization. If that means going toe-to-toe with some family interests...well, I'm game.”

“Keep it up, and you'll be on our permanent staff before you know it.” He leaves the folder behind for me and starts to head out, giving me one last wink.

I turn back to my computer, head abuzz with all sorts of things.

Despite the thick glasses and the even thicker cologne, he's kinda cute in a trim, geeky way. He just doesn't make my heart race like –

Damn it. There you go again. This isn't healthy, I think, warning my rebellious brain. You've got to stop thinking about him. Pick up some earplugs on the way home.

I'm totally serious. I'll sleep with plugs in my ears and my phone curled up to me on vibrate rather than hear Ty fucking his latest conquest again.

I still can't believe how he took her. They were at it for hours, smacking lips and twining flesh, rocking the bed springs so hard I swore they'd break.#p#分页标题#e#

Jesus. I can't stop thinking about him. And yeah, I definitely can't believe my own filthy desperation, the way I was drawn to the wall like a magnet, rubbing myself to bliss while they fucked.

It's not just that he's crude, arrogant, and he's treated me like trash every time we're together. He's totally off limits. There's something horribly addictive about it that warms my blood.

If I can't control the heat surging through my veins every time I think about Ty Sterner, then I need to make sure I never, ever act on it.