As she reached for the book, a highlighted paragraph on a sheaf of papers caught her eye. “The Rose Apartments … I know those.” She reached for the papers, turning them so she could get a better look. “If the apartment complex should empty due to lack of attention on the part of Adam Moreau, then …”
A small sound, no more than an intake of breath, made her blood freeze. She jerked her head up to find the Beast, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly, seeming to get bigger with every breath, glaring at her from the now open French doors to the deck.
“What are you doing in here?” roared Adam. He wore a new mask, a clear one. Pressed tight against his skin, she could see the angry red and purple lines across his cheek and down to his jawline. They almost touched his lips as they cut across the flesh. His eyebrows were darker than his blond hair, and his pronounced cheekbones were exaggerated by the compression. His hair was a mess under the black straps holding the mask in place, and his face was red with anger. He was a scary sight, not because of his scars, but because of his beautiful fury. The scars were … well, they were what they were. But his anger, now, that was something to behold.
She was in his personal space. She’d gone where she was forbidden to go.
Bella dropped the papers out of a guilty reflex, scattering them across the floor. She fell to her knees and scooped them together in a messy pile as she stammered an apology. “I-I needed this book.” She got to her feet, swallowing the lump of fear in her throat. Needing something to say, she held them out to him and asked, “Have you read this?”
“You read my papers?” he growled, snatching them from her grasp. His blue eyes had gone icy.
Oh man, she was fired. She’d ruined everything for her father. “I, um, not on purpose.” Which sounded dumb in her ears, so she could only imagine how it sounded in his.
He rose to his full height, towering over her. “Get out!” He pointed to the door.
Bella clutched the book to her chest and took off at a sprint. She ran until she was safely back in the east wing, and then she ran right to the garage where her car awaited. Landing behind the steering wheel, she buried her face in her hands. She understood his nickname now, could see how he made men tremble. And yet, she hadn’t been afraid of him physically. Even as his eyes sparked, she knew he’d not lay a hand on her. She should have stood her ground. She should have told him not to take things from her study. “Coward,” she berated herself.
Why did he have the book, anyway? He should have returned it. He must have been checking up on her again. Micromanaging her every move.
She started her car and threw it into reverse. A need for victory, to redeem herself, fired her spirit. “Bring on the wolves.”
Chapter Nine
Adam
“She’s what?!” Adam bellowed. His deep voice shook the aged rafters.
Ben circled the couch, his long legs moving in a giraffe-like gait. He and Mrs. Poole had come running in shortly after Bella went running out, like his rooms were suddenly a drive-thru. He huffed. “We tried to tell her it was dangerous, but she ran out of here as if being chased by awild animal.” The look he gave Adam made it clear how he felt about Adam yelling at Bella.
Well, she shouldn’t have come into his personal wing. And she darn sure shouldn’t have read his papers.Hehadn’t even read them. His father was manipulative and distrustful every day of his life and made sure his will carried on the tradition. Adam had read it once, allowed himself to hate his father for the last time, and then let it all go.
At least, he thought he had. Philip’s continual insistence that he read over the document made his stomach churn.
Adam went to run his hand through his hair and caught his fingers in the elastic straps of his clear mask. The doctor had switched the black mask out for one with tiny holes that allowed his skin to breathe. It felt so good to stand out on the veranda, to feel the cool breeze on his cheeks, to have feeling in his skin. Some reports he’d read said that it could take months to get feeling back in his face, but it hadn’t been that long. That’s what his big contribution to the hospital had gotten him—the best of everything. He didn’t dare probe his cheek with his fingers for fear he’d cause damage. Instead, he’d let the breeze tell him the news.
It was just after he’d figured out that he had sensations in his cheek that he’d heard Bella moving around in his study. Feeling vulnerable and ugly in his clear mask, having nothing to hide behind, he’d lashed out at her. The fear in her face confirmed every dark thought he’d had about himself.
Mrs. Poole wrung her apron. “She’s a strong-minded girl.”
“Foolish is more like it,” Adam quipped.
“Like someone else I know.” Mrs. Poole glared.
Adam glanced at the table. Bella had taken the book. “She has the right case information.” She should be able to block the injunction.
“She’s never been in court, Adam. And you would leave her to the wolves?” Ben shook his head sadly. “How many of their junior lawyers did you chew up and spit out?”
“Or partners, for that matter,” added Mrs. Poole.
Adam glared at the two of them.
“They won’t hesitate to return the favor to one of your associates. And don’t think for a minute that they will go easy on her because she’s beautiful.”
Adam blinked. “I never said she was beautiful.”
“But you were thinking it.” Ben winked knowingly. “She’s an innocent, Adam. She still believes the law is just and true and that judges are bound by their oaths to put aside personal vendettas.”
Adam stilled. “Who is the judge?”
