Page 12 of Coldhearted King

Cole’s eyes flash my way, a bright blue that sears into me and sends a jolt of adrenaline through my veins. I jerk my gaze away. It’s only when I focus on Paul, sitting several seats down from Cole, that my stomach clenches. The true horror of this situation hits me. I’m stuck in a room with Cole...and my boyfriend. The same boyfriend who’d been an ex when I told Cole—god, I have to make sure to call him Mr. King now—all about being dumped. Except not a week after that night, Paul had turned up at my apartment, asking for a do-over and saying he hadn’t known what he was thinking.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give him a second chance, but his sincere regret had eased some of the hurt I’d felt at his rejection. Of course, then there was the matter of telling him I was no longer a virgin. He’d pouted for a while, but I told him he had no choice but to take it or leave it, and I guess he came to terms with it because he asked me out to dinner, and a few days later, he stayed the night.

But since I didn’t even know who Cole was until now, there’s no way Paul has a clue. And that’s how it has to stay.

I turn away from them, reaching for the glass of water that’s been set at each position at the table and taking a desperate gulp. Even though I’m not looking at Cole anymore, his intimidating presence almost has a weight of its own. Like the heavy air that precedes an approaching thunderstorm, it makes my skin tingle, raising goose bumps along my arms and the back of my neck.

Needing something to do with my hands, I square my notebook and paperwork in front of me, place my pen on top of the pile, then take it off and position it alongside. A moment later, I pick it up and put it on top again. Only when I have nothing else to fiddle with—and I’m certain his attention will have shifted elsewhere—do I dare to glance up the table.

He’s still staring at me, even while the man next to him leans forward and talks earnestly at him. But that hard, blue gaze doesn’t leave mine.

I swallow and look away. Why does he seem so angry?

I certainly hadn’t been expecting to run into him again. I’d all but forgotten about him.

No, that’s a lie.

Fantasies of that night have continued to run through my head, and they only get worse after Paul rolls off me and goes to sleep. Then I lie awake, trying to work out why my body doesn’t respond to him the same way it responded to Cole.

But that’s just what they are––fantasies. The memory of a moment when I let go of my overthinking and just experienced.

And what an experience it was.

I shake my head to clear it. I can’t think about that. Not now, and definitely not here, when the man in question is sitting only feet from me.

And unhappy about it, apparently.

Whatever his problem is, I hope it won’t affect our proposal. I can’t imagine someone like Cole letting a meaningless physical encounter—which is what it most likely was to him, if not to me—influence his decision making.

Conversation around the table stops as Cole—Mr. King—rises from his seat. “Thank you for coming today.” The deep, shockingly familiar voice sends a shiver through me. As if every one of my nerve endings remembers when that dark, silky tone was whispering dirty things in my ear while its owner drove my body to heights of pleasure it hadn’t experienced before—or since.

I clench my pen in my fist.Stop it.

“This development is a priority for the King Group,” Cole continues, “and we’ll be assigning significant resources to it. The team of whichever architectural company we partner with will relocate to this building for the duration of the project.”

I twitch in my seat. Maybe it won’t be a good thing if our proposal is chosen. The thought of running into him on a regular basis is less than appealing.

But I can’t think like that.

This is a huge opportunity for the firm and for me personally. Very few architects have the chance to work on such a prestigious, high-profile development at my age. Having this on my résumé would be a major boost for my career. I won’t let what’s now looking like a colossal mistake on my part ruin this opportunity.

Cole finishes his opening words and nods at Paul, who smooths down his tie and rises to his feet.

I keep my attention fixed on him as he runs through our presentation. The whole time he’s listing our firm’s qualifications and the key features of our proposal, my eyes fight to slide to the right. The side of my face heats, as if I can sense Cole’s gaze on me. Which is ridiculous. I’m sure he’s riveted by Paul’s polished delivery.

But after a few minutes, my focus slips and my eyes are once more drawn his way. A spark sizzles through me as our gazes collide again. This time he has one arm folded across his chest, the elbow of the other resting on top of it as he rubs his thumb slowly back and forth over his lower lip. His brows are pulled low over his narrowed eyes, and I’m worried he’s too busy glaring at me to absorb the details of our proposal.

Knowing how much we need this deal, and also knowing I can’t keep staring at my potential boss’s boss, I turn my attention back to Paul, who’s wrapping up his speech by stating that the team is happy to answer questions.

Silence competes with the too-loud ticking of the clock that hangs above Cole’s head. My heart drums in my chest. Have we completely screwed this up?

Cole lifts his pen and taps the end on the table in front of him. “You’ve added quite a few sustainability features that weren’t included in the original design brief. Whose idea was it to focus on that for the project?” he asks.

At least he was paying attention.

Paul hesitates, and I know why. It’s unclear from Cole’s tone whether he’s pleased or annoyed about it. After clearing his throat, Paul gestures in my direction. “Sustainability is Delilah’s area of expertise. She’s a—”

“Is that so?” Cole says. I shift uncomfortably in my seat as he looks down at his notepad before leveling me with an inscrutable look. “Can you explain your thinking with some of these choices, Delilah? Making those kinds of customizations for each build will add significant cost to the project.”

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