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Well, damn. It was nice while it lasted.
My hand finds the base; I ease the toy out on a shaky exhale before collapsing back against the chaise. Running a hand through my curls, I realize that despite everything that just happened, I'm left with a hunger that hasn't been satisfied.
If anything, it made the ache deeper. Meaner.
Which is just fucking wonderful, considering the three men responsible for it aren't even in the same state.
eleven
Voiceprint
The lights in my office are dimmed low, but the tension still hums like exposed wiring.
We've been back from Vegas for barely four hours, and most of that time has been spent reviewing recordings for the upcoming BRÉVÉ launch. The analysts have gone to retrieve the final submission from last night, leaving us with a brief reprieve from hours of biometric readings, performance reports, and anonymous voices.
I don't bother sitting.
Elias stands at the far window, hands clasped behind his back. Jace disappeared somewhere during the break, leaving me alone with a man who's been avoiding this conversation for days.
Even in Vegas, surrounded by work and sharing the same hotel suite, Elias managed to keep enough distance between us that we never finished the argument.
Now we're home, and I'm done giving him opportunities to escape it.
“You crossed a line,” I say.
He doesn't turn. “I stopped.”
“That's not the point.” My patience, already worn thin from days of arguing about this, finally snaps. “The agreement was that we don't get close enough to need to stop.”
“And yet you keep bringing it up.”
“Because you keep avoiding the fucking conversation.”
He turns then, his expression giving nothing away. “I've heard everything you have to say, Nathaniel. Repeatedly.”
“Then explain why you thought it was acceptable to corner her in a restricted laboratory with security cameras recording every move you made.”
His jaw tightens.
“I expect that shit from Jace. Not you.”
Elias leaves the window.
“You want to talk about security cameras?”
I hold my ground as he approaches.
“Because I seem to remember a certain private elevator being stopped between floors.” His voice remains maddeningly calm. “Did you honestly believe I wouldn't be notified when the CEO overrides a security-controlled elevator?”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“Barry was harassing her.”
“And you handled that when you confronted him. So explain why you needed to trap Sloane in an elevator afterward.” I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Elias gives a humorless laugh. “That's what I thought.”
“Watch yourself.”
