Page 21 of Abyss

My anxious eyes crash with his before he takes a step forward, erasing the little space between us, and I take a small step back, making more. My palms find the metal bar on the wall behind me as I try to make myself as small as possible.

He towers above me, his hands back in his pockets, with that cool confidence he always seems to exude. The outline of his muscular biceps molds to his shirtsleeves while his chest puffs out even wider, and the scent of pine and lavender cologne has my nipples puckering inside my shirt.

My tongue peeks out, swiping over my bottom lip as I take in his chiseled jaw and that salt-and-pepper scruff that surrounds his plush, pillowy lips.

Jesus, the man is a sculptor’s dream brought to life.

And now those lips are turned upward in a smug smirk.

My eyes snap to his, watching as the crows’ feet around his eyes dance with mirth. Whatever he thinks he’s seen, he can be sure it isn’t that, so he can go right ahead and wipe that cocky grin off his face.

Yes, I find him physically appealing—the evidence of my attraction is a warm pool inside my panties—but that’s the extent of it, because I’m not in the habit of pining after gorgeous men with the personalities of cacti.

He leans in. “Why did you want this job?”

I raise my head, hoping to make myself look more confident. “Clearly not because of your sunshiny personality. It was for the money, obviously.”

“Why?”

I snort. “Why does anyone need money, Mr. Case? To pay past-due bills, student loans, and my mom’s lease . . .” I take in a tattered breath, realizing it’s too late to take back the unnecessary information. “Why does it matter to you?”

His lips thin. “It doesn’t.”

“Great,” I retort, keeping myself from adding ‘asshole’ to the end. I shift, unable to help brushing my chest against his to push the start button. “Then you should have no problems letting me get on with my—”

But before I can finish, Mr. Case’s hand wraps around my wrist, sending goosebumps not just scurrying up my arm, but traveling the length of my spine and back. “I’ll double your salary for the next three months if you stay.”

Cue my jaw dropping to the floor. “What?”

His steely eyes pin me in place, his hand still gently holding my wrist. “I’m not in the habit of begging, Ms. Jain.”

I pull my wrist from his hand and wrap my arms around my chest, not missing the way his eyes drag down to catch the movement. “Nor are you in the habit of apologizing.”

The barest smile strains my lips witnessing the twitch in his right eye. “Is that what this is about? I already apologized for this morning.”

“It wasn’t good enough and you know it,” I retort, enunciating my words. “Not even two hours later, you exploded at me in your brother’s old office.”

His shoulders straighten as understanding settles in his eyes.

Maybe he thought I wouldn’t find out the history behind the locked office, but after Belinda saw the way he treated metoday—not once, but twice—we had a long chat about why he is the way he is.

I could tell she wasn’t telling me everything, but I gleaned the fact that while he’s always had the charm of a damp kitchen rag, his brother’s betrayal really messed him up. That betrayal only heightened his need for order, work-ethic, and loyalty.

He huffs, swiveling his head toward the elevator panel, seemingly contemplating his life’s decisions that led him to this point. I swear he’s quiet for so long, I look over to see if he’s fallen asleep standing up.

“Fine. I apologize for my conduct at both the meeting and in Jett’s old office.” I don’t miss the way he tenses saying his brother’s name. “It was . . . uncalled for and demeaning.”

My eyebrow arches in surprise. Not too shabby for a reluctant apology, though he did look like he’d just taken a swig of brackish seawater.

Seawater, that I hope causes him a bout of temporary diarrhea.

I push my luck. “Andfor being an asshole to me on my first day.Andfor the way you fired me from my job at your restaurant.”

“Fine.” He scowls. “I apologize for all of that, too.”

“So, let me get this straight. You’ll double my exorbitant salary for the next three months if I stay on as your admin.”

“I’ll also need you to take over managing the excavation project here in the city for the new high-rise. It’ll require you to be nearby, in case you need to approve deliveries and last-minute changes. Sometimes our clients want to go to dinner spontaneously—”

---