Page 16 of Hold On Me

She grits her teeth and inhales sharply through her nose. “It’s all a load of bullshit.”

“Ah, that’s two.” This time the smile isn’t sweet, and the danger flashing in her eyes has me throwing my hands up in surrender. “I’m just doing as I’m asked. Jenson can be very persuasive.”

She slumps back in her chair a little and folds her arms over her chest. “Fine. I’ll keep my words PG, but just know every time I get slapped upside the head from Mama because of your snitching, I’mma slap you twice as hard.” Her grin is a mixture of beautiful and scary, and I can’t stop looking at her lips.

“Mama Brady hits you when you swear?” She nods and I can’t fight the laughter that barrels out of my chest. “That’s fucking hilarious.”

“And that’s one.” She pulls her phone out of her bag and taps the screen as if making a note.

“I’m not a Brady. I can swear when I want, Penelope. And Mama has never hit me before.”

“Ha! That’s because you’ve never cursed in front of her. You think having a different surname will stop her? I’m not a Brady either, and neither is my dad, but it doesn’t stop us getting smacked. Welcome to the world of Brady. You snitch on me, I’ll snitch right back. Unless, of course, you want to come to some sort of arrangement.”

This is why she irritates me. The back and forth we have between us is too easy. It comes so naturally. And that worries me a little. I keep my guard up around beautiful women for a reason, but right now I don’t care to. I let a smile slide onto my face. “So you’re talking about making a pact with me? You don’t tell Mama when I swear and I do the same for you? Helping each other out?” She inclines her head slightly. “But the last time I tried to help you, you insulted me.”

“That’s true. But I also didn’t ask for help then.” She glares, her hazel eyes blazing and looking almost cat-like.

“Ah, so you like control? You’ll accept help when you ask for it, but when it’s offered, that's a no no. Okay, I’m slowly figuring you out, Penelope.”

Even though she’s embarrassed, the red blaze across her cheeks and chest show me just how right I am. She meets my gaze and it doesn’t flicker at all. She’s ballsy, and I like it. I’d enjoy seeing how far down that blush goes. Watching her relinquish the control she craves and trusting me to give her exactly what she needs is getting me a little excited. I feel like a fucking teenager who’s just seen his first boob. A subtle shake of my head and a quick shift in my chair brings me back to our interview.

“Accepting help is something I struggle with, yes. But I’ve also been brought up around the Bradys. Help has been forced on me more times than I can count. I’m also used to censoring my curses. I’ve become pretty good at it. I think you’ll accumulate more than me. So a treaty would work in your favour.”

This woman is dangerous. Images of us side by side in a business meeting, me making a point and her backing me up, batting off each other's strengths and making it impossible for anyone to get anything past us flit through my mind. I shift a little in my chair, the stirring in my trousers making me a little uncomfortable. I’ve never thought about sharing my work, my office, with anyone before.

“That sounds like a challenge.”

“Take it for what it is. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”

The image of my hands anywhere near her back makes my trouser situation worse.

“Okay. I’ll agree to your deal. I wouldn’t want my pretty face getting messed up by Mama’s backhand.” She rolls her eyes involuntarily and I try to bite back my grin but can’t. “But there’s a condition.”

Her focus zeros in on me, her eyes narrowing in caution. “You’re a tricky one. You don’t give without getting. I’ll remember that for the future.”

I tilt my head in recognition, not wanting to confirm or deny how accurate her observations are, before continuing. “Tell me why you really left the school.”

Her breath whooshes out of her through her parted lips, and for just a second her eyes plead with me. My heart thuds in my chest, something bad happened and she doesn’t want anyone to know. Bile rises in my throat as I swallow down my anger.

“Did someone do something to you?”

She opens her mouth and closes it again, wanting to speak but thinking against it. My fingers curl into fists and I take a deep breath to try and stem my anger.

Finally she clears her throat. “I’ll tell you when I’ve secured this job and after you’ve signed an NDA about it. I don’t want the Bradys to know. I don’t want anyone to know.”

My initial reaction is to make her talk. To walk over to her, stand so close her senses are rocked by my intensity, and steal the breath from her lips with a kiss so scorching she’ll spill her secrets. But, I find myself agreeing to her demands.

“Okay. Getting the NDA sorted by my lawyers might take a few days, though.” I nod back and blow a breath out, unsure if I’m doing the right thing or not, but not wanting to scare her off. She looks like she needs someone, and for some reason, I want that person to be me. I want her trust, and that thought scares the shit out of me.

“Why do you want this position, Miss Richards?” She smiles gratefully before speaking and I focus on a spot just over hershoulder, unable to look at her and concentrate on her words at the same time.

“When I was first told about this job, I couldn’t think of anything worse.” She squirms a little and offers a small smile. “Sorry, but I’m being truthful.” I dip my chin at her so she continues. “I left my teaching career without a back up plan, something that isn’t like me at all, but was necessary. My funds are running low and I refuse to sponge off anyone.”

She lowers her lashes and my estimation of her ratchets up a notch. Her brothers are millionaires. It would be so easy for her to ask them for money, but she isn’t. She wants to earn it herself. I’m impressed.

Her voice cuts into my thoughts, “Plus, I’m bored out of my mind. Working here doesn’t seem like it would be that bad. My dad loves it here. Jenson and Angie are always singing the praises of the team, and it does seem like kismet.” Her eyes meet mine and there’s a flicker of humour in them. “But then again, besides what my dad’s told me, I have no idea what the role really involves. And I don’t want to come across as arrogant by assuming I’d be a good fit.” She sits back in her chair, crosses her legs again, smiles, and I swear my heart skips a beat.

I knew this woman was dangerous, but fuck, she seems deadly right now. I break my gaze away from her and shuffle some papers on my desk, find the job description and hand it over to her.

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