Page 36 of Never Going to Care

He claimed me in a single night. Hell, he claimed me with a single fucking kiss.

He showed me a different side of himself that night. He was still gruff, but it wasn’t used against me like it was when we first met. It was used to show me who he is and give me peeks into why.

I can see the way his eyes are haunted by his past, by his experiences, even now as my eyes slide closed while I wait for the coffee to brew.

I need something stronger than a cup of coffee to chase away my regret and my mistakes. I don’t regret sharing that night with him. I don’t think I ever could.

I do regret slinking away like I did something wrong by being with him. The night we shared was more than I had ever experienced before and not just because of the pleasure he gave me, though it was a nice bonus.

“Bad day?”

The words are way too close and make my skin feel like I’m covered in slime. I whirl around, my eyes popping open as I take in Joe. He’s way too close to me for comfort. Even though I try and fight my instincts and not give him an inch, I take a step back.

His eyes flare with something like triumph and it makes my heart hammer in my chest. Can he hear it? I hate the idea of him knowing I’m afraid of him, even if it’s only a little bit.

What could he really do to me? We’re surrounded by people and we’re at work. He knows that I’m just looking for a reason to fire him. He knows he’s on thin ice.

He wouldn’t do anything to make it break. I don’t think. I’m pretty sure.

“Joe,” I keep my voice neutral, “was there something you needed?”

He takes a step toward me and his voice drops, as if I would find it seductive. I don’t. “I asked if you were having a bad day,” there’s an edge of demand in his voice that has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

“My day is going well, thank you for asking,” I keep my voice brisk and professional. “Was there something you needed?” I make a sweeping motion with my hand. “If you need some coffee, it’s brewing now. It might be a few minutes, but when you come back it should be ready.”

He doesn’t take my subtle hint for him to leave and takes another step closer to me. I don’t like it, but I don’t step away from him. I hold my ground.

I’ve been holding my ground against guys who think they are better than me, stronger than me, like I owe them something by simply existing. I don’t know if it’s because of my height or something else, but I’ve encountered men like him before. Ezra taught me not to back down. He helped me to find my backbone and I’m not going to give a single fucking inch now.

Not to him. Not to anyone.

Hale never made me feel intimidated. He never made me feel small in a bad way. He made me feel delicate because he’s so much bigger than me, but he kept his strength under his tight control. Even as he fucked me hard and fast, it wasn’t to hurt me, it was for us to find our mutual pleasure.

“You look stressed,” his voice oozes across the distance between us and I barely hold back a grimace. “I could help you with that.”

I cock my head to the side and assess him which makes him light up. My voice is icy, “Did you just proposition me?”

Joe blanches slightly, but it doesn’t stop his cocky attitude. He taunts me, “Did I?”

“It certainly felt that way. I’ve told you I am not interested, Joe.” I narrow my eyes at him, the coffee filling the pot forgotten. “Why do you continue to make passes at me when you know it is unwelcomed and what that means if you continue to ignore my warnings?”

He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t do anything inappropriate.”

I barely hold back a snarl. “It felt inappropriate to me.”

His eyes widen when I take a step toward him. There is only warning in the way I hold myself. He knows he fucked up and now he’s going to backpedal and try and make excuses. I am so far past excuses.

He doesn’t say another word and instead, turns and books it out of the break room. When I turn, I heave a sigh of relief. Not only did he leave, but the pot is now full. Before I can enjoy a cup, I pull my phone out and navigate to my work email to send my boss an account of what just took place with Joe.

I don’t want to give him a chance to try and spin it, not like it would work anyway. He’s been warned so many damn times and everything has been documented. Every single infraction. We just needed a tipping point and I hope like hell he just provided me one.

I cross my fingers as I send off the email and pour myself a cup of coffee. It would be nice to be rid of him. He’s toxic as fuck and I’m not the only one he has made to feel uncomfortable. It sucks when you have to work within the corporate structure to take care of someone like him, but I can also appreciate that the rules are there for a reason.

I feel a little better, more settled now with a cup of coffee in my hands as I head back to my office. When I enter my space, I’m expecting a few more hours of drudgery and scattered, half-assed concentration.

What I am not expecting is Hale standing in front of my desk with his arms crossed and his deep brown eyes pinning me in place. I gasp and slosh a little bit of coffee over the rim of my mug. I hiss a little with how hot it is, but it’s a fleeting, momentary pain.

His eyes look down at my hand and he steps into my space, taking the mug from me and bringing my hand up to his lips. When he kisses the slightly red skin there, my eyes slide closed. It’s such an intimate gesture that my stomach knots at how much I like it.

---