“I hope you weren’t about to sayfemales.”
His pupils shrank before spreading backout.
I shook myhead.
“Physically, Ness, we aren’t the same, just like a child isn’t built like anadult.”
I fastened my gaze to the floorboards, glaring hard at the spaces between theplanks.
I felt a finger crook my face up. I twisted free of Liam and stepped back. “Remind me how the Creek Alpha rose to power? Because the story I heard was that she defeated the Aspen Alpha in aduel.”
“She was already an Alpha. Alphas are stronger. If she hadn’tbeen—”
“Please just stop talking. It’s making meunhappy.”
“Look, I’m all for empowering females, but I’m not going to spout lies about corporeal equality when the hard facts are that we aren’t built alike. How many firemen are women? They’re even calledfiremen.”
“No, they’re calledfirefighters.”
He let out a molar-grinding growl and tossed his hands in the air. “Ugh. I can’t win with you. I can neverwin!”
I crossed my arms. “Funny how illogical that is when you keep saying I have no chance of beatingyou.”
His nostrils pulsed, and his fingers wrapped into fists. “Ness Clark, you fucking drive me crazy.” And then he all but lunged toward me and cupped the back of my head, tilting my face up. “I must be one hell of a masochist for being turned on right now.” His murmur skated over my lips, heightening the frantic pulse of my heart. “And just so we’re clear, I don’t findyouinferior. You’re too smart, persistent, and distractingly beautiful to be inferior. But that’s how you’d win a battle. You might punch hard and at the right place, but your fists have nothing on”—his gaze fused to mine—“you.”
When I felt the brush of his lips against mine, I backed away, put the desk between us. “I have work to do, Liam.” I watched the door, hoping he’d take the hint and leave. I also watched it because I was afraid of looking athim.
Afraid he’d see how deeply he rattledme.
Damn Liam Kolane.The man was such a hot-tempered beast, everything I disliked about men, and yet, he got under my skin too. He slapped and then soothed the slaps with such care andtenderness.
Without uttering another word, he crossed the office toward the door and left. Unfortunately, his retreat did little to calm mynerves.
And then it got worse when I got an email from August that read:Please keep your personal life out of the workplace.
I would’ve punched the monitor, but it would break, and the replacement cost would be taken out of my salary, whatever amount that was. Since I hadn’t discussed specifics, I expected minimumwage.
Liam was wrong about me being smart. Smart people didn’t find themselves saddled with debt, working for men whom they were physically linked to and infatuated with others who weren’t especiallykind.
It was time Ness Clark sharpened up and found a way out of her pit of misery. Which led me to send Sarah a message:Can I come with you to The Dentonight?
Clubbing wouldn’t fix anything, but it would temporarily take my mind off the hole that neededplugging.
Sarah’s answer came in the afternoon.Ness Clark wants to par-tay?
ME:Yes.
SARAH:Should I beworried?
ME:Aboutwhat?
SARAH:About you wanting to go out. You haven’t been in the mood to have fun since, well, since thefuneral.
ME:I’ll tell youlater.
SARAH:Counting on it. I’ll be at your place at 8 with a hotdress.
ME:What’s wrong with mydresses?
