Page 45 of Nemesis
“¿Te despiertas cada día pensando en maneras de fastidiarme?” he gritted, frustration clear in his face.
“Ay, Mr. Alvarez. Me voy a dormir pensando en eso también.” I scoffed.
With how narrow the hallway was, none of us had realized that in the course of arguing about who gets the bed, we’d both stepped closer to each other until his harsh breath blew over my face, our wills clashing, emotion boiling in the air.
We stood there for a beat longer than appropriate before he took a step back, creating more distance between us.
Annoyance licked at my veins at him being the one to step back. I knew it shouldn’t bother me as much as it did, but why did he always have to be the one stepping away first?
He cursed under his breath, a hand smoothing over his beard. “Mr. Alvarez was my father. Theo’s just fine, Mrs. Morales. I—”
Groaning, I interrupted him before he had a chance to continue. “And Morales is my husband’s. Yet, you insist on calling me Mrs. Morales.” I pushed past him and walked back into the living room. “I told you to take the bed, so do it. Besides, you work for me, not the other way around, remember?”
He let out a frustrated sigh. “Olivia, I was simply trying to be considerate.”
I internally groaned at his use of the fabricated name, wishing deep down a different one would be called instead.
I halted, turning back to face him. “Don’t be,” I spat. My statement came out harsher than I intended, but I had to create a clear divide if I was to be stuck spending the next few days in his close proximity.
He rolled one of his sleeves and pushed it up past his elbows, revealing the sculpted muscles of his arms. My stomach flipped at the small action and I huffed a breath, annoyed that my body kept reacting so extremely to him, despite my best efforts at tamping it down to avoid giving myself away.
He went to work on his other sleeve when I realized the silence surrounding us was because I’d been staring. He quirked a brow, snapping me out of my trance.
“I’ll go assess the surroundings to make sure we weren’t followed.”
Wind blew through the open window and I shivered, from the cold this time, and pulled my blazer closer. He moved across the room, shutting them closed.
“I’ll also try to find some wood to get the fireplace started,” he finished as he walked past me toward the front door. Without waiting for a reply, he left, closing the door behind him.
Once he was out of sight, I grabbed my bag by the door and settled on the couch, dropping the duffle on the table. I waited a beat to make sure he wouldn’t come back and unzipped the bag, reaching into the inside pocket to retrieve the small black phone.
I checked for any reply to my previous text message, only to notice I had no service.
Mierda.
I walked around the room with the phone held up to see if it would start any connection, but nothing. I shoved the phone back into its place and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie to change into.
I knew it was only for a few nights at most, but this was the first time we would be under the same roof in over seven years. I had to put as much distance between us, because based on our track record of being in proximity to each other, I wasn’t convinced this getaway would go without a hitch.
As much as I tried to disregard it, I didn’t trust myself around him.
CHAPTER19
THEO
This was a mistake.
Why did I think that being completely alone with her for days would be a good idea?
But after reading the note she’d received before she was shot at, combined with what happened to Victor’s late wife, my brain went into overdrive.
I was used to compartmentalizing—cases and personal life were usually always kept separate. Yet, when it came to Olivia, I had this visceral need to protect her.
I was trying to convince myself that my reasoning was solely based on the fact that itwasmy job to keep her safe, but I was failing miserably because I knew deep down I was lying to myself.
This unfettered access to her on a daily basis might get me in trouble.
On our way here, I had to keep my hands glued to the steering wheel to stop myself from yielding to the need to touch her. She’d slept for most of the ride over here, but with every stir, her skirt kept hiking farther up, revealing more of her smooth legs. I eventually just grabbed my jacket from the back seat and covered her.
