Duke did what?My gaze darts back to Edison, who heard the comment.
His tight smile gives nothing away. “Nice to see you again, Grace.”
Before I can respond, Oliver pulls me into a hug. “So you made it to day two then.”
“It was a close call,” I say for Ed’s benefit. “There was a lot to take in and my head’s still spinning.”
“Oh, we can’t have that,” Oliver says, leaving his arm around my waist as he leans in and whispers conspiratorially, “Your head should only be spinning after a night on the town, not this early in the morning.”
“I can see you’re going to be trouble, Oliver,” I say as a shiver runs down my spine. From the corner of my eye, an office door has opened. Shadow fills the frame. There he is. The man who makes my head spin and my broken heart clench.
Oblivious to the shift in atmosphere, the architect is still laughing at my comment. “You’re the one who’ll be in trouble if you keep calling me Oliver,” he says. “I’ve told you, call me Olly.”
“And this is Duke,” Noah says with just enough force to bring everyone’s attention to the man seething behind us. “Duke, I know you and Grace have met briefly, but I thought proper introductions would help. It’ll take a while for her to get up to speed with the project, so Oliver and I are happy to join you for your first meeting.”
Duke’s gaze slides to the man’s arm around my waist. His jaw tics, but he doesn’t speak.
“I was telling Grace that I’m confident she can deliver the project,” Noah continues, filling the silence, “but we’ll need to work closely to ensure there’s consistency across the brand, especially while she’s so new.”
Noah pauses, waiting in vain for us to be invited into the office, but Duke simply drags his gaze from Oliver’s arm to the architect’s face, then finally to Noah. I’m immune to that glacial look, but my boss can’t say the same.
“And we’re still wading through the induction process,” Noah stumbles on. “You know how much paperwork that involves.”
“Has she signed an NDA?” Duke asks as if I’m not standing right in front of him.
Noah clears his throat. “It’s top of the list, but if you need–”
“Ed, print one out,” Duke says. To Noah, he adds, “I only need Grace this morning. You can hold your team meeting afterwards.” He steps back so there’s just enough room for someone small to enter the office. Me. “Shall we get started?”
His words are as cold as his expression, and I can either tremble at the power he exudes, or I can match his negative energy with positive force. A broad smile pinches my cheeks as I look from a shocked Noah to Oliver, who appears more bemused than offended. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
“Good luck in there,” Oliver says in a stage whisper. “I’ll have a strong coffee waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Olly. You know how I like it,” I say sweetly before turning to Noah. “And I’ll work as late as you need to get all the paperwork in order.”
Noah’s head tilts imperceptibly. You’d have to be blind not to notice the fury emanating from Duke, and bless Noah, he’s not going to leave until he’s certain I’m comfortable enough to stay. “Are you sure you can manage on your own?”
“She’s sure,” Duke answers for me.
I make a face at Noah. “See you in ten minutes.” I say under my breath, but loud enough for Duke to hear my little in-joke with my boss.
Duke looks ready to explode as I sweep past him into the office. I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that my bravado is hanging by a thread, and I hope he doesn’t see how I tense when the door closes behind me, sealing us in. Again.
“What the fuck was that?” he growls.
My gaze sweeps across the conference table littered with rolls of architect’s drawings and files before I spin on Duke. “I was about to ask you the same thing,” I say, keeping my voice surprisingly steady. “There was no need to be so rude. Olly and Noah were the only ones who made my first day on the job bearable.”
“Oliver-soon-out-of-a-job Chambers had his hand on you.”
“Don’t you dare fire him!”
“I’ll do what I goddamn like.”
“Not with me, asshole!” I yell as unexpected fury erupts from the pit of my stomach. I take a step towards him so we’re almost within touching distance. “You don’t get to have an opinion on who I’m friendly with, Duke! Not when you have a fiancée who just loves pawing you.Relationshipor not.”
“We should talk about that.”
“Not necessary. It has nothing to do with me.”
