Page 35 of Beyond the Hate

“I wouldn’t dare offer any other beer.”

“Come on.” He ushers me out of the storage room to the office where we sit facing each other.

“I can’t believe you gave me an office.” And what an office it is. It’s much nicer than the one I have… er… had atFive Fathoms.

“You need somewhere to work. You can’t be on the floor all the time.”

He sips from his beer and I watch as he swallows. The sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows has me thinking of other things he could taste and swallow.

I drink my beer before I say anything inappropriate such as ask him to remove his clothes. Bad idea.

“Are you happy with what you accomplished today?”

I blow out a breath. “I wanted to get more done.”

He scowls. “You’ve literally worked your fingers to the bone.”

I hold up my hand. “I still see skin and muscles over the bone.”

He chuckles. “You know what I mean. There’s only so much you can do in a day.”

“I don’t know. I prefer to think of myself as a superwoman who can do anything.”

“Superwoman? Do you have a costume?”

I wave a hand over my jeans and t-shirt. “Do you not approve of my outfit?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it but I wouldn’t mind a chance to see you in a bustier with a little skirt.”

I laugh but sober when I realize he isn’t joking. Those striking blue eyes are full of heat as he stares at me.

No, no, no. I’m imagining things. Eli made himself perfectly clear in high school. He wants nothing to do with me.

“Bras are uncomfortable enough. A bustier would be torture.”

His gaze drops to my breasts and I tighten my hold on my beer to stop myself from covering my chest with my hands.

Why, oh why, did I say anything about bras and bustiers?

“Plus, bare legs aren’t safe in a production facility.”

His gaze snaps back to my face and he smirks. “Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to those legs.”

Those legs? I’m confused. Why is he being nice? Why is he joking with me? Why isn’t he being an asshole?

Was I wrong about him? Is Eli not an asshole? Maybe I overreacted about what happened in high school? Maybe he doesn’t want me the way I wanted him back then but does his past behavior make him an asshole in the present?

Rotten rum. I need to stop considering Eli Enemy Number One and open myself to the possibility I was wrong.

And if there’s one thing I hate more than Eli Raider, it’s being wrong.

Chapter 12

“I will not let a coffee machine defeat me.” ~ Eli

Eli

I’m not surprised there’s a light on in Paisley’s office when I arrive atBuccaneer’s Whiskey.No matter how early I arrived at work this past week, Paisley was already here. And she’s here when I finish work, too.

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