Page 66 of Hate Notes

"Us?" His eyebrow raised. "That’s rich, coming from you.”

I could feel the heat radiating from his body, see the muscle ticking in his jaw. The air between us crackled with anger and something else—something that had been building since that night in his apartment.

"I'm trying to help you," I whispered. “That’s all.”

"Are you?" His voice was rough. "Because from where I'm standing?—"

"Where you're standing is too damn close," I breathed, but I didn't move away.

His hands gripped the edge of the table on either side of me, caging me in. "Then leave. Take your secrets. Take your ideas. Take it all and walk away."

Part of me wanted to. The hurt and confusion and guilt were almost too much to bear. Instead, I tilted my chin up defiantly. "You don't want me to leave.You want me. You're so caught up in your suspicions that you can't even admit the obvious truth here."

"Yes," he said, cutting me off. "Against every shred of good judgment, I want you. I've wanted you since that first day you walked in with your hate notes and your defiance. But that'sthe difference between us, Ember. Some of us can want without taking."

My heart was thumping so hard I was sure he could hear it. The smart thing would be to walk away. End this mess before it got worse. But I was too far gone, too invested in everything—in Eleanor's ducks, in Davenport's legacy, in the glimpses I'd seen of the real Orion at dinner with Colton.

And God help me, in the way he was looking at me now.

I found myself drifting closer, though I didn't remember moving. My breasts pressed against his chest as I breathed in his cologne. "I can tell you everything you want to know. All my secrets.”

“No,” he said. “This… inconvenient attraction I feel to you is the problem. It’s clouding my judgment. It’s a distraction. Here’s my proposal: we agree to stop pretending there’s anything more between us than physical attraction. We work together. I’ll be civil, and so will you. And when we want…that, we’ll allow ourselves to have it.”

“Want what?” I asked, swallowing with a click.

“Sex. But that’s all it will be. Is that clear? You’ll keep whatever you’re hiding about Cole and Northman Group to yourself. I’ll watch youveryclosely as you continue to work for me. Close this Davenport deal for us, and I’ll consider whatever devious shit brought you here to be water under the bridge.”

“So you want to be fuck buddies?” I asked.

“Not even that,” Orion said. “I want your body. The less we talk, the better.”

That stung, but I was pathetically desperate for any thread of hope—some slim chance of salvaging what it felt like was breaking apart beneath us. And maybe part of me even wanted this—the chance to keep my secret while still having him, even if only physically.

"I understand," I whispered.

Orion checked his watch, considering. When his eyes met mine again, they were dark with intent. "Fifteen minutes. The old storage room where your desk used to be. Lights off, door closed. Don't let anyone see you go in."

"Yes," I breathed, hardly believing this was happening.

He lifted his hand, thumb brushing my lower lip. "Good girl," he said softly. "Now go."

I turned to leave on shaking legs.

"Ember," he called after me.

I looked back over my shoulder.

"I expect to find you wet and ready when I arrive. Don't disappoint me."

I swallowed hard and nodded, then practically ran from the room.

Holy shit.What the hell am I doing?

31

EMBER

Irushed to my desk and checked my email once I was out of Orion’s office. I had a message from Moira asking if I could meet her in thirty minutes to talk about a new client she wanted me to meet with later this week. I quickly drafted up a response saying I had to run an errand for Orion and wouldn’t be back for…an hour? Two hours?

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