I’d just happened to pack my sexiest heels that were fire engine red. Perfect for walking all over him, I told myself.
Yeah, maybe in your dreams.
When he finished his shower, he reappeared wearing a stone-colored dress shirt and black slacks, shaved and his hair damp. It was annoying how good he looked. His gaze lingered on my shoes for a moment.
“Those aren’t exactly inconspicuous.”
“Am I going somewhere?” I muttered. His expression said I had a point.
We’d slept so long it was too late for breakfast, so he ordered lunch and had it sent up. We sat on the couch and ate at the coffee table, talked about simple things over the meal, purposefully avoiding the fact that Jason’s and Laurel’s lives were in danger and that I had potentially killed someone.
Once the dishes had been set outside the room, he sank down beside me on the couch and his phone chimed for the hundredth time.
“You’re a popular man,” I commented.
“I was supposed to be in the New York office today.” He scrolled through the emails and tapped out a response. “An issue with the drivers’ union has come up.”
“Do you need to go?” I asked it just as sincerely as I’d meant because he ran an enormous company, and I didn’t expect him to drop everything for me.
“No, it’s fine. My mother stepped back when she turned sixty but still sits on the board.” He gave a lazy smile. “Gisela Osterhägen couldn’t let all that control go at once. She’s happy to fill in for me when needed.”
I had yet to meet Gisela, but from what I’d heard from Laurel, this wasn’t surprising. The Osterhägen gene was one that liked to be in charge, and obviously the Dunn DNA had done little to dilute that.
“What’s the issue with the union?” When he hesitated, I understood and added, “You don’t need to give me specifics.”
He considered how to answer. “They want to renegotiate contracts because there’s been some theft recently.”
I pulled my shoulders back, confused. “How does your loss of product impact the drivers?”
He looked surprised at how quickly I’d cut to the problem. “Because the theft has been of an entire shipment, including the truck itself. Since the drivers own the trucks, they’re victims of the theft, too. They say carrying Osterhägen product is a risk to them, and they feel they should be compensated for taking that risk.”
“What are you going to do?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face in a contemplative gesture. “I’ll try to show them that this was an isolated incident. Ifthey’re not satisfied, I suppose I’ll walk. I’m not interested in renegotiating million-dollar contracts because a few trucks went missing.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Afewtrucks? Maybe your head of security should look into that.”
“Believe me, he is.” His expression morphed to one of concern, signaling he was about to change the subject. “I’m still struggling to understand why your place was trashed. I don’t know which I find more worrisome.”
My breath caught. “Meaning?”
“The man with the knife showed up five minutes after we did, which was hours earlier than you were supposed to. That tells me he knew we were there,” he paused, “because he was watching your place.” His gaze pinned mine. “That, on its own, is bad, but it sounds like he was watching because he expected Juric to be there. Why?”
My throat closed up. I’d struggled with the same question, but I had no answer, and that made me feel powerless. “Can we... ? I’m not ready. Let’s find something else to talk about.”
“All right. What do you suggest?”
I laced my fingers together in my lap and skewed my lips to one side. My mind stumbled to come up with a new topic, but Shawn abruptly shifted in his seat. The corner of his mouth lifted with an idea, and it was one he found exciting.
“How, exactly,” his tone dipped low and seductive, “were you and Paul incompatible?”
A warning siren blared in my head. “It’s none of your business.”
“Hmm. I disagree.” His expression was determination. “Tell me. I want to know.”
I swallowed hard. “Paul and I wanted different things.”
My generic answer only opened the door for him. “What did you want that he didn’t?”
