“We’ve had this conversation already. I’m also a murdering asshole. I just do it legally.”
Declan has no retort, and when the silence grows too long, I finally let him go. “I’ll text Jax. I’ll take a day off. One, not two.”
He doesn’t argue.
Chapter 10
“Are you kidding me?” I shout the next morning when I open the office door at exactly 5:30 am to find a completely nude woman exiting the bathroom. My anger ignites, and warmth rushes to my cheeks.
Luckily, Owen is dressed. Kind of. He’s wearing his normal sweats with no shirt.
His head snaps in my direction, and I glare at him, holding the door handle so tightly that my scabbed knuckles crack and new blood rises to the surface.
He glances at the naked woman who’s completely unfazed by the situation as she grabs her clothes from his desk.
When his gaze finds mine again, he looks oddly apologetic instead of arrogant.
“You promised,” I hiss.
Owen flinches. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Again, I’m shocked at the woman who seems completely unaware. Uncaring. Where does he find these women?
She slowly dresses, clearly in no hurry.
Finally releasing the poor door handle, I stalk to my desk, dumping my bag in the chair. I rustle through it, trying to find my first aid kit, when I sense him hovering.
Looking up, I find him only inches from me, holding out gauze and tape. “I’m sorry,” he repeats.
Inhaling, I reach for the first aid supplies. “Thank you.”
He nods and takes a step back, giving me space, but not daring to move too far. I look around to find the woman already gone, and my gaze shifts to the bar. More dirty glasses and empty bottles are haphazardly spread across the counter.
“How do you even function consuming that much alcohol every day?” I ask before I realize how inappropriate that question is, but I don't care because I walked in on my boss with a naked woman, which is far more inappropriate.
“I’m sure I’d be better off without it.” He shrugs. “Habit.”
Narrowing my gaze, I know full well there’s more to it than that, but I drop it. Though I’m supposed to be earning his trust and getting to know him, there is only so far I will go. Traumatic pasts is where I draw the line.
And perhaps that’s because I keep my own locked up tight.
“How about I make it up to you by allowing you to damage my beautiful face?” He smirks, the dimple appearing. “If you can.”
I scoff while I finish wrapping my hand. “You have no idea how I’d like to mess up that pretty face of yours, especially after you broke our promise. But you’re still my boss, and you still need that face to help you save the world.”
I hear a sharp intake of breath. “You surprise me, Miss Riley.”
My gaze snaps to his. “How so?”
“I can’t quite tell if you hate me or love me.”
“I can’t either,” I deadpan.
His warm, deep laugh has my stomach doing flips.
“Let’s go before I change my mind and decide to mess up that face,” I say, standing and crossing the room. The scent of the rubber mats and gym equipment hits me like a long-lost friend, and I almost sigh.
“Beautiful face,” he corrects.
