Page 211 of By His Play

I smile politely and nod once before returning to my notes.

I like Alison; she’s fantastic at her job and a really lovely person. But just like everyone else I work with, we’re nothing more than colleagues.

The meeting continues, and everyone discusses the fresh ideas that are thrown around, but while they’re all passionate about our future endeavors, I barely hear a word.

Kieran might have put himself at the other end of the table, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel his heated stare every time he turns it on me.

By the time Henry brings the meeting to a close, my need to get out of the room and breathe in some fresh air is out of control.

“Excuse me,” I say, squeezing past a couple of the guys who’ve decided to stop and have a conversation right in front of the exit.

Blood rushes past my ears as I slip out of the room and make a beeline for the bathroom. It might not provide me with the fresh air I need, but at least I’ll have a few moments alone.

The instant I’m inside, I lock myself in a cubicle and just take a breath.

My heart is racing and my hands are shaking.

This is his foundation. He has every right to be here.

But he isn’t here for any kind of update on how things are going. He’s here for me.

He fucked me up last night and walked away.

The only reason he’s here is to see how much damage he’s caused.

And like fuck am I going to let him see the truth.

It might already be too late for that, a little voice points out.

As much as I might think I acted indifferently in that meeting, Alison noticed I was out of sorts with his arrival. And if she noticed, then there’s no way that Kieran didn’t.

Eventually, I make use of the facilities and step out of my hiding place to wash my hands and freshen up.

With a new coat of gloss on my lips and my hair smoothed over, I hold my head high and walk out of the room.

Best case scenario, Kieran has already left, probably feeling smug that he forced me to flee the meeting room and hide in the bathroom. Worst case, he’s still here talking to everyone just to taunt me.

Trying to focus on what I need to do this afternoon, I push thoughts of his whereabouts from my mind and head to my office.

The second I step inside, I discover just how naive I was only moments ago.

Kieran hasn’t left, and he isn’t making small talk with any staff.

He’s standing in the middle of my office looking like a GQ model.

The scent of his cologne hits me before I’m even inside my space.

Everything in me screams to run, but I can’t.

So instead, I channel what little strength I have left and lift my eyes from the wooden floor, focusing on him.

“I have a lot of work to do,” I explain in the hope it’s enough to send him on his way.

He certainly didn’t feel the need to hang around and discuss things last night.

“I’m sure it can wait ten minutes,” he says, pushing from my desk and taking a step toward me.

I sidestep around him, needing to put something between us.

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