Page 56 of Shattered

She rolled her eyes. “Stop.” She wanted to curl in on herself. She had never been good at taking compliments.

“Would you rather I told you a lie?”

“What are you doing here?” she questioned once more, hoping to steer the conversation away from his statement.

“I wanted to see you. You haven’t been at work at all this week.”

“I thought you didn’t work there anymore?”

“Yeah, well. Seems I just can’t stay away for long.”

“Did you miss me, Mr. Barker?” She tried to sound strong and confident, but instead it came out as more of a sincere question than she meant it to.

“I told you not to call me that.”

“You also said not to call you ‘sir.’”

“Sam.” Her name was a warning. She wasn’t sure why addressing him in such a way seemed to dismantle every wall he’d built up between them, but she liked it.

“Do you miss me, sir?”

He shook his head as he ran his hands across his face. “You are going to be the death of me.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He looked down at the ground to his shuffling feet.

“Yeah, I did miss you.” When he looked back up to meet her gaze, she was sure his eyes had darkened by at least three shades. “Are you going to invite me in or not?”

“Why would I do that?” she inquired.

“Because, even if you won’t admit it, I know you missed me, too, and it’s hot as hell out here.”

She did refuse to admit it and rolled her eyes once more. Then without her own volition, her feet moved to the side to allow him room to pass. “Well, come on in then.”

“No, thanks,” he said with a shit-eating grin.

“What the hell? You just asked to come inside.”

“No, I asked if you were going to invite me inside. Those are two completely different things.”

She felt her skin turn hot. This man aggravated her more than anyone else she had ever been around. She had never known someone she both wanted to slap and kiss in the same moment.

“You are insane. You know that, right? Completely and totally insane.”

“So I’ve been told. Anyway, I’m headed down to the river and since there’s an entrance to the Riverwalk near here, I thought I would see if you wanted to come.”

Her arms crossed over her chest as she surveyed him in question.

“There are about fifty different entrances to it. Why come to this one?”

“Because I felt like it.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So, go get some shoes on and come with me.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” Callum mirrored her pose and leaned against the door frame.

“I have two projects I’m working through and an exam next week.”

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