Page 68 of Conquering Oz

The corner of his mouth spiked, and he grabbed his phone. “It’s waiting downstairs.”

She threw off her covers and went in search of her clothes.

“Did you bring your financials?”

She hooked her legs through her panties. “Yeah, but there’s not much there. As I said, I don’t have a formal contract with Julian. I did bring everything I’ve gotten from the lawyer. You want to see that too?”

When he didn’t answer, she glanced over her shoulder. Oz’s gaze scanned her body, and his gaze darkened. A chill ran over her skin. She’d been with a few men, but none had looked at her like he was looking at her now. She arched her back and pointed to the bed.

“We could skip dinner.”

Oz smirked and lifted his chin. “Get dressed.”

Much to her surprise, he hadn’t been lying about dinner. It was fully prepared and plated when they arrived in his kitchen. They opted to eat in his office while he looked over her paperwork. She sat on the couch, devouring her meal while Oz was seated at his desk, sifting through her files. He hadn’t even touched his food.

She placed the empty plate on the table, and strolled across the room, sidling up next to his chair. His hand wrapped over his beard in a stroking motion with his gaze hardened. Two small lines indented between his brows. While she appreciated him looking over her financials, he hadn’t said much since he’d started thirty minutes ago.

“So, what’s the consensus?”

He looked up with a harsh glare. It was almost scolding.

“You made a bad deal.”

She sighed. “I know.”

His brows tightened. “Why didn’t you have something written up?”

“Because he was a friend that I trusted for years. And he caught me in a very vulnerable state.”

It was the first time all night, but Oz’s features softened. He was still carrying anger, but it seemed redirected toward Julian rather than her.

“I have my mediation the day after tomorrow. Hopefully it works in my favor.” Elodie wasn’t optimistic.Neither is my lawyer.

“Discussing payment?” he asked.

She snorted. “I hope. Up until now he’s been demanding full reimbursement. But my lawyer said he’s going to try and get a payment plan set up.”

This was the last thing she wanted to discuss while spending time together.

She waved her hand. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Okay?”

Oz eyed her, slowly nodding.

Thank you, Oz.

*

Elodie stretched her arms over her head and curled toward the warmth of his body. It was early with no light streaming through the blinds. She hiked up on her elbow and squinted. 5:37am. She’d always been an early riser. Her internal clock never allowed sleep past six. It seemed Oz was different.

She slowly got out of bed, dropping her feet from the high mattress to the floor and peeking over at him. He was completely out.I did that.

She tiptoed through the eerily quiet house. That might’ve been downplaying it. Oz lived in a mansion. Elodie had been in really nice homes before but not to this magnitude. As she passed by the window, she noticed two men walking the perimeter. Again with security. She made a mental note to inquire more about it.

She walked into the kitchen and flicked on the lights in search of a coffee machine. Instead, she came face to face with a cat sitting on the counter staring back at her.

“Hey there.”

The cat meowed and hopped off the counter, stalking toward her. He weaved through her legs, and when she bent down to pet him, he curled his head into the palm of her hand.

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