Page 18 of Even if You Fall

Did I think Owen would do that?Yes. Yes, I did.

She was still here, and she was driving me crazy.

It wasn’t that Gray was constantly finding reasons to go up to the front to flirt with her, or that Briggs was yelling at him throughout each day to leave Chloe alone. It wasn’t even her bubbly personality that, with each passing day, I was more sure was just a front.

It washer.

Her hazel eyes that unsettled me with their secrets. Her long, red hair that was almost as distracting as her curves. Her smiles that always seemed to widen at my attention, even though I was almost always asking if she was ready to quit yet. Her scent that was driving me crazy in the best way, even though Ireallyhated coconut.

I had a very specific type: slender blondes with blue eyes and so much makeup, you knew they had daddy issues and didn’t care for relationships that lasted longer than an hour. There was nothing about Chloe that should draw me to her, and yet, I’d thought about nothing but her since I’d had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting her four days ago.

I’d told myself it was only because she was the current threat to my family.

But as my heart faltered in my chest before taking off when she came around the corner into the main office, I knew I was only lying to myself.

I let myself take in the way she’d dragged her waist-length hair over one shoulder and was nervously playing with the ends, all that thick hair nearly hiding her funny graphic tee of the day—Star Warstoday,The Hobbityesterday...not that I’d been paying attention—for only a second before forcing my attention back to my desktop. To the work I needed to get started on, but had been struggling with all week because I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the infuriating girl whose high heels had just stopped beside my desk.

“The day just started, Bubbles,” I began, letting irritation color my tone. “If you’re finally quitting, you probably should’ve just skipped coming in.”

A hesitant laugh left her before she said, “No, I, uh...I actually need your help.”

At the soft yet overly happy words, my attention drifted Chloe’s way in time to see her gaze snap away from where she’d clearly been studying the tattoos decorating my arms and hands. I didn’t let myself focus on that as I pointedly told her, “You don’t need my help to quit either.”

Her eyebrows lifted as her stare fell to the floor. “You’ve made your point, Superman. Still not quitting.”

Yet.

I shifted at the uncomfortable feeling that abruptly unfurled in my chest at the thought, gripping tight and making my next breaths feel strained.

Almost as if needing to prove to myself that the unfamiliar feeling had nothing to do with the girl beside me—that I didn’tcare about her—I forced in a slow, deep breath before releasing it with the words, “What do you need?”

Her gaze lifted to me, hesitation and sadness filling those eyes and spearing me in the chest. Before I could do something stupid—like apologize—understanding and dejection replaced the former as she resolutely said, “I’ll ask Hudson.”

She turned, and without making the conscious effort to move, my hand shot out, grasping hers and stopping her from leaving.

The shock on her face didn’t come close to the shock coursing through my body, nearly drowning out the ugly feeling twisting through my chest. Something I would’ve sworn resembled jealousy and possession if I didn’t know better—if this wasn’t Chloe we were talking about.

Releasing her hand as if she’d burned me, I repeated, “What do you need?”

“Um...” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and her head faintly shook before she gestured behind her. “I still need to learn how to organize client files.”

I should’ve reminded her she wouldn’t be here long enough for it to matter. I should’ve sent her back to the front alone. I should’ve given her another encouragement to quit. But I found myself pushing from my desk as I said, “Let’s go.”

Frustration rippled from me as I followed her to the front because I’d given into this threat of a girl. Because I hadn’t wanted her to go to Gray. Because she was getting in my head and under my skin, when I knew I couldn’t let that happen.

“Get online,” I ground out once we were rounding the large front desk.

Once again, hesitation darkened that joy as she looked back at me. “Really, I can ask Hudson. Or Cameron. It was just that you?—”

“Get online,” I repeated over her, prompting her to hurry for the desk chair.

As soon as she had the browser open, I gestured to the page already set to pull up—our website. “Again, Ada could only remember so much. Or, at least, she pretended to. The first part of all our emails is our first and last names. The domain isshadow industries dot com. The first part of Ada’s email wasadmin.”

“So, mine is?—”

“The one for this desk isadmin,” I said over Chloe.

At that, she whirled around in the chair and looked up at me, her joy only slightly dimmed when she said, “I’m sorry. I’m seriously so sorry I hurt you when I first met you—it was obviously unintentional. I don’t know how to make up for that, but I think it’s a little ridiculous and completely immature for you to be so against me working herebecauseof that.”

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