Page 3 of Believing in You

Harrison.

“I told you to always get the caller’s name and tell me before transferring them to my phone,” he ground out, his chest heaving as if he was about to blow a gasket at any moment.

Nyla should be concerned, especially since he had never raised his voice at her, but all she could do was stare at him. The man was too gorgeous for his own good, and the fire in his eyes only made him look that much hotter.

Even his black, wire-rimmed glasses didn’t detract from his handsomeness. Smooth deep-bronze skin, a thin mustache and goatee, and eyes that were so dark, they almost looked black, made up his perfect face. Then there was the black turtleneck he was wearing. It molded over his muscular upper body, and the black slacks had to be tailored specifically for him to look that good.

Yup. Too damn fine.

“Did you hear what I said?” he snapped, and that shook Nyla from her thoughts.

“I heard you,” she said, though she wasn’t positive that she’d heard everything. Ignoring his rant and scowl, she said, “Good morning, Sunshine. Can I get you some coffee? Tea? Or do you need something stronger, like a shot of tequila, to calm you down?”

Stunned into silence, all Harrison could do was stare at the enticing woman who made him crazy. Not because she couldn’t handle the admin work. No, she was wonderful in the position. His issues stemmed from the fact that he was attracted to the unflappable beauty.

Not only was she beautiful in an understated way, but she was the most easygoing person he’d ever met. Nothing phased her. Not even him—storming out of his office and verbally attacking her like an idiot—but phone calls from certain people tended to have that effect on him.

Huffing out a breath, Harrison stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his black pants and finallyreallylooked at Nyla. Mischief glimmered in her eyes, and a grin spread across her lips. Her enticing, red, plump lips that he wanted to kiss more than he wanted to do anything else.

Apparently, Nyla Priestly was the cure for all things that ailed him because the phone call was all but forgotten, and his lips twitched as he tried to fight a smile.

“I think I need more than a shot of liquor this morning,” he finally said, remembering how she’d greeted him. “So if you have tequila, just hand over the whole bottle.”

Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew wide at his words. Hell, he was surprised too. He didn’t crack jokes. He barely talked to anyone, but there was something about this woman who brought out a side of him that he didn’t even recognize himself.

Laughing, she folded her arms across her chest and leaned a hip against the desk. “Well, well, well. Who knew you had a sense of humor? And I’ve been working here for months, andI can’t remember you ever smiling. At least not the way you’re currently smiling, where the smile actually makes it to your eyes. Who are you, and what have you done with the grumpy Mr. Harrison Grant?”

On that, Harrison couldn’t help but laugh. He shook his head and took a few steps back. He didn’t trust himself to be too close to this woman because he might do something else that was uncharacteristic of him. Something like pull her into his arms, hold her close, and finally find out what she tasted like.

Nope, he couldn’t risk it.

Thoughts of what it would be like to kiss Nyla had dominated his mind lately but kissing her was forbidden. Hell, even touching her wasn’t a good idea. At least as far as he was concerned. The company didn’t have a no fraternizing policy, but no way would Harrison get involved with an employee. Not even a temporary one.

Yeah, he needed to shut down this attraction toward her. Besides, he didn’t do relationships, and Nyla came across as the settling down type. Something he never planned to do.Ever.

When the desk phone rang, she answered it, and it was the perfect opportunity for Harrison to return to his office and close the door. Instead, his gaze took in her unique appearance. He didn’t know what the oversize clothing style was called, but it looked good on her. Hell, everything looked good on her. Though most days she wore outfits that hid her body, he’d had the pleasure of seeing her in formal wear at their holiday party last month. The little black dress had shown off all her curves. Including full breasts, a narrow waist, and legs that went on for days, even though she couldn’t have been more than 5’5”.

Today though, she wasn’t showing any skin, but her lovely face was enough. Her dark, curly hair was cut in a short feminine style, and he wondered if the curls were as soft as they looked. Her eye makeup was bold, with dark eyeliner and long lashesthat didn’t look fake. Then there was the deep-red lipstick she was wearing that made her kissable lips all the more tempting. If only…

“Hold for a minute, please. I’ll see if he’s available,” Nyla said, her words snatching him out of his thoughts. “Someone named Warren from Ludlum’s Marketing wants to speak with you. Are you available?”

“Yes, give me a minute, then patch him through,” Harrison said as he walked away, but then he stopped and turned back to Nyla. “I’m sorry for the way I acted a few minutes ago. I had no right charging out here talking to you like that. It won’t happen again.”

Nyla shrugged his apology off. “No worries, but I take it you don’t need that tequila anymore?”

Harrison chuckled. “Nah, I’m good, but thanks for the offer.”

“You’re welcome, and since we’re on the subject, who’s the person who makes you contemplate having tequila first thing in the morning? I’m only asking because I can do a better job screening the calls. That way, instead of bothering you when the person calls, I can tell them you’re not available. Then you won’t be forced to do your imitation of a grizzly bear again.”

Damn. Had he really behaved that badly? Probably, and he could only imagine how he’d sounded.

He inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly. “Let’s just say I’d rather talk to the devil himself than talk to my mother.”

Harrison ignored the way Nyla sputtered, clearly trying to come up with something to say. He didn’t give her a chance to respond as he returned to his office.

Maybe he should’ve told her to add his ex-fiancée to that short list. His feelings for both women were the same. Their betrayals might’ve happened years ago, but he still would rather have a conversation with Satan than either of them.

Chapter Three

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