May
Holding my phone to my ear as I stood in line at the coffee place, I tried not to clench my butt cheeks, but the prickles zinging up and down my thighs made it impossible.
“Hello?” Sarah slurred from sleep and I frowned under furrowed brows.
“Sarah, hey. I’m just calling to check on you. I’m sorry for waking you up.” Strong hands kneaded my shoulders and I glanced back at Oran as his eyes sparkled brightly behind his glasses. “Okay, so I wanted to talk to you before I went into work about what we talked about last night.”
“Talk? About Mom and Dad or the less illegal stuff?” The double bed hotel room we’d been forced to get because of my apartment situation didn’t charge for phone service, thankfully, and I tilted my head thoughtfully. Noticeably rustling as she rolled over, my sister groaned into the receiver, and I switched my phone to my other ear.
“Not about Mom and Dad. I just want you to put some serious thought into what you want to do with yourself. I’m working on getting a new job somewhere else, and I already told you we might need to move to another part of Washington. When I get back, we’ll talk about it some more.” Sarah was half asleep, I got that, but I was kinda pissed when she just hung up on me without answering. I was trying to give her some slack, and I huffed softly as I stuck my phone in my purse. The huge file I now kept on my person permanently took up almost my entire bag, and Oran squeezed my shoulders gingerly.
“I’d miss you if you moved.” The murmur close to my ear made my heart flutter, and I twisted only to wince when the tender flesh on my abdomen stretched. Satisfaction flashed in Oran’s brown eyes, but I only shook my head before he spoke up again. “Listen, May, about last night . . . ”
“You’re not gonna say it was a mistake, are you?” The day after was usually worse, and I reached around to rub my lower back gingerly as Oran shook his head, his lips thinning. “Good.”
“I don’t regret it in the slightest. I bring it up because Carlyle wants to take us, and Natasha and her husband, out to dinner. I told him I wouldn’t bring it up unless I had his word that he was going to sincerely apologize to you.” I almost rolled my eyes at that, and sourness twisted my expression as Oran and I shuffled forward with the line. “Please. If there’s two things you should know about Carlyle, it’s that I haveneverheard him apologize, not a single damn time, and he likes sitting in places that shouldn’t be sat on. He’ll keep his word— he knows he was wrong.”
“I’ll think about it.” This was obviously important to Oran. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it up. Tapping my bag absently, I bopped my head side to side before nodding. “Okay, I’ll go, but Sarah comes with us.”
“The more the merrier, but you can’t sneak drinks to her.” Nodding firmly, I turned back toward the barista as one person stood between me and my morning coffee, and Oran practically sighed in relief. “Thank you. I promise, he’s not as bad as he seems. He’s just—”
“An asshole? That’s okay. I totally know where you get the ‘say the wrong thing at the wrong time’ thing.” Smiling when he squeezed my shoulders, I savored his palms against my neck, and he rubbed his thumbs against the back of my skull just under my hairline. “He was right, though— I was really upset because I didn’t know what could make my parents do that, but I guess money is a good enough motivator to destroy your family. Honestly, Sarah may not want to snitch on my parents, but I definitely do. How’d he know what they were doing, anyway?”
“Carlyle never goes into a situation half-cocked. He’s got the all-seeing eye of the internet and a really good cyber-terrorist.” My brows rose at that and Oran shrugged when I glanced back with annoyance flickering on his face. “He just doesn’t get that looking you up doesn’t actually tell your story. He was shocked when you just got out of the car. No one has balls like that with him.”
“Oran, he’s probably exactly as bad as that, you just ignore it because he’s your brother. I’m going because you said ‘please’, and I want my damn apology, but he’s . . . he’s not someone I want to associate with.” Oran accepted that pretty readily, and I stepped to the counter to place my order. The barista was already ringing me out, and I dug out a ten dollar bill from my purse and told him to keep the change before stepping out of the way. “Besides, he seems really pushy.”
“He is.” Ordering before glancing at me, Oran frowned under furrowed brows, and I reached to tighten my loose bun when the strands tickled my neck. “You’re probably right.”
“Speaking of that time he almost kidnapped me, what did your brother mean about what you didn’t tell me yet?” I didn’t really give myself time to digest that crazy few minutes, and Oran’s expression tightened. Shuffling to the pick-up counter, I adjusted my purse on my shoulder and picked at my plain, white blouse, and his frown deepened.
“I want to discuss that project I commissioned from you. I know you’re at the point that you can’t do much else on your own, so I was considering creating a team for you.” My eyes narrowed, and Oran rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned against the counter lightly. He lookedmightyuncomfortable, to the point it was kinda cute, honestly. “I figured, since you’re probably going to be out of a job, I should offer. I want this project done, and you’re already working on it, so . . . ”
“Okay. We can talk about it.” Grabbing my coffee, I waited for Oran to snatch his before we left the shop, and he slung his arm around my shoulders leisurely. “HR is still looking into my ‘case’. It’s so stupid. I mean, if they expect me to quit, they’re gonna be disappointed. I need my severance, and if they fire me, I can go after them for wrongful termination, and theyknow it. That’s why they’re not doing anything.”
“I take it you’re expecting to go to court at some point? You should know, May . . . ” Walking around the corner, Oran paused next to his car, but I could see his building from here. The chilly air nipped at my ear lobes as people poured around us, and he pulled open the back-passenger door for me before leaning on his forearm on the roof. Sitting my coffee in the holder pulled out from the middle seat, I turned to him fully as he took a breath in preparation. “Malory made up a file for me, and the whole subsidiary is failing. Hard. I don’t know if going after them will get you anything.”
“I appreciate the heads up. And also, thanks for letting me use your car.” He smiled, reaching to caress my cheek, and I scooted to pull my legs in as he straightened. “I’ll text you, Oran.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Shutting the door firmly, Oran didn’t wait for us to pull off before heading for his building, and I hissed as I held myself off the seat slightly. That gel stuff he’d used only alleviated the pain until it wore off. I really needed to ask him where he got it.
Sharp, pin-like needle pricks set fire to my legs and lower back, and dread burrowed in my belly at the idea of sitting all damn day. Groaning softly, I flopped my head forward and heaved a massive breath, and my palms stuck to the pleather interior. Despite the sting, or maybe because of it, the residual pleasure of last night blossomed in my abdomen, and I exhaled slowly through pursed lips.
