Victoria’s wearing a thin silky camisole andshortshorts… and nothing else. Her top is thin, sheer, and exposes a bare stretch of midriff. Her shorts leavenothingto the imagination about those shapely, toned legs that she hides under all her other outfits.
For a second, I forget why I came here.
If I knew she looked this good under her shitty jeans and shirts, I might’ve been nice to her a lot sooner—
“What the hell are you doing here?” Victoria pushes up a pair of black-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and the gesture prompts me to tear my eyes away from her body. “It’s3am.”
“Were you asleep?”
“No, but that’s not the point. Again,what are you doing here?”
When I only gape at her, she scowls. “If you’ve officially managed to get me fired, that’s a talk I’ll have with Ilya or Declan in the morning. For now, let me work in peace.”She tries to slam the door in my face; I flatten my palm on the wood to keep it open.
A growl bubbles in her throat and bursts from her full, cupid-shaped lips. Ialmosttell her she sounds like an infuriated kitten—more adorable than menacing—but decide such a comment might not be the best way to go.
“This isn’t about your job.”Focus, Asher. “It’s, um…” my gaze gets caught on her navel again. Would her skin be as smooth and silky as it looks if I ran my tongue over it?
“What’s wrong with you?” she demands. “Jesus, are youdrunk?”
“No.” I clear my throat, and glue my gaze to her eyes.What did I come here for again?It certainly wasn’t to walk her back into the room, pin her to the bed, and—
Stop.
“I’m here because I’ve decided I’ll allow you to assist me.”
Fuck, could I sound like a bigger asshole if I tried? Probably, but it’d take effort.
From the way Victoria’s expression turns truly menacing, she shares the sentiment with that voice of reason in my head.
“Excuseme?”
Maybe I should be a bit less of a prick, but… “You’ve been insufferable in trying to help me. I’ll let you.”
Her expression vacillates between indignation and outright fury. Several silent moments pass.
“No.”
She tries to slam the door in my face,again. I stop it, again.
“Why the hell not?”
“I don’t know, maybe because you demean me every chance you get? Dismiss me? Disregard me? Remind me that I’m a nobody on the team?” She steps forward. “Perhaps it’s because you got me banned from the pit the last time I tried to help you. I don’t know, Asher—I can’t choose a single reason, because you’ve given memany.”
“You’re assigned to me and my car,” I growl. “Do your job.”
“I have been doing nothingbutmy job since I got here, and you have been nothing but a completeassholeto me!” she shouts.
That’s when I see it. The lines of exhaustion on her face. The shadows of lost sleep under her eyes. And, most of all, the sheer dejection glinting in her eyes.
She’s hurt. I’ve hurt her by being a complete asshole. Previously, I didn’t pause to think what effect me being a jerk would have on her because she always stands up to me. For fuck’s sake, her first words to me were an insult. But now that I’ve seen it, I can’tunsee it… and a trickle of guilt bunches my shoulders.
On the heels of one realization comes another; I’m here because she’s the only person on the team who has even botheredtryingto help me this season. That’s why I chose her, and why I’ve been pushing her away. She’s made herself an easy target by repeatedly attempting to get close.
“I was just testing your mettle,” I manage to say. “I didn’t mean most ofwhat I’ve said.”
As soon as the words are out, I realize they’re true. She might be the most junior member of the team, but she’s also already shaping up to be the most competent. I’m not the only one who thinks as much; she’s developed a rapport with Oliver, Declan, and even Ilya. They might dismiss her, but they allow her to get in their vicinity in the first place—which isn’t usual. More, it seems like they let her work on her forecasting thing without much supervision, which ishuge.
“I don’t want to have this conversation.” Her eyes darken into the shade of clouds foreshadowing a tempest. “It’s late, I’m tired, and I have to be up in two hours to catch a cramped flight back home.”
