Rogue Angel (The Rourkes, Book 10)

by Kylie Gilmore

  Just then, Jack leaps from his seat. “Ry, what’re you doing here?”

  His fiancée, Riley, walks in, beaming at him. “I thought I’d surprise you and meet you for lunch. I had a meeting in lower Manhattan and hopped on the ferry.”

  He hugs her, grins, and pulls her to join us. “My fiancée is here.” They take a seat at the table, and he starts making introductions to the crew, all while handing Riley half his sandwich.

  My chest aches watching the two of them so happy and comfortable with each other. I remember when Riley came to me, asking me to help arrange for her to show up at our worksite and win Jack back by showing him all the things she kept from their relationship, including an engraved brick with her future married name on it—Riley Walsh-Rourke. That engraved brick is now part of the pathway in our first development project. After her big symbolic gesture, she then declared her love for Jack in front of all of us. It took balls, and Jack didn’t respond right away. Talk about putting your heart on the line. And now look at them so frigging happy together.

  What am I doing sitting here wallowing in misery? I need to use my balls of steel and tell Becca the truth. I love her, I’ll never stop loving her, and I’m willing to fight for us.

  I stand. “I gotta go. Emergency. Tell Dylan I won’t be back today.”

  “Hey, hey,” Jack says. “As crew chief, I can’t let you bail on work with no notice.”

  “I’m following Riley’s brick example,” I say.

  She smiles. “Aww, he’s going to tell her how much he loves her. Remember when I gave you that brick?”

  He kisses her, waving me off. “Course I do, my beautiful loving fiancée.”

  I don’t wait around for the rest of the mushy conversation. I’ve got my own stuff to deal with.

  The whole subway ride I’m working on what I’m going to say. I know she’s at the coffee shop Tuesday afternoons. I don’t even know if she’s still taking that job out in LA since she won’t talk to me. I’m going to start with how I never should’ve crossed the line making an announcement to the class. It felt right at the time. She was floundering because of me, the class was nonresponsive because of her involvement with me, and it just seemed like the elephant in the room. I should’ve just ignored it and let it go. I could’ve gotten through the remaining classes. Yes, it was painful to watch her struggle, but that’s my problem. She was trying and I should’ve let her do her thing.

  When I get to the coffee shop, there’s only a couple of people in line for coffee, so I wait for her to get their drink orders by the end of the counter.

  The moment she notices me, she scowls. “I’m working.”

  “I know. I’ll stay for your break and then we’re going to talk.” I lift a hand in greeting to her boss, Judy, a woman in her sixties with a lot of energy.

  “Do what you want,” Becca snaps. “I’m busy.”

  Judy shoots me a sympathetic look. Obviously Becca’s not that busy since there’s only a couple of people in here. She just doesn’t want to see me. How did things get so screwed up? Those two customers leave and the whole place is dead. It’s just after noon, not a real busy time since most people are getting lunch. They only offer breakfast-type foods here.

  I decide I’ll order a coffee and wait as long as it takes for her to talk to me. When she hands me my drink, I say, “I’ll be waiting right over there for your break.” I point to a table by the front window.

  “I don’t want to talk to you,” she says through her teeth.

  “Then you can listen. Please, Bec. Just hear me out and, if you still don’t want to talk to me after I’ve said what I came here to say, then I’ll leave you alone.”

  “I need to clean the machines,” she says.

  Judy pipes up. “Take your break, Becca. I got it.”

  Becca takes off her apron in jerky motions and walks out from behind the counter, gesturing toward a table in the corner.

  I follow her there, taking the seat across from her. “I like your boss.”

  “Connor, why’re you here?”

  “Okay, first, I’m sorry. I said some things in the heat of the moment that I didn’t mean. You’re not a coward. I regret saying that a lot, and I crossed the line addressing the class. I was just trying to fix the problem, and I see now that it wasn’t the way to go about it.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” she says quietly, staring at the table. “Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me?” She lifts her head, her expression tight. “I still have to face those people on Saturday. I’m not sure how I got through the rest of class last Saturday.”

  “Because you’re strong and determined. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I lost my mind. I see us in a serious relationship. I thought you were on the same page, and then you went off with Simone for some new job far away, and I thought I was wrong about us. Am I wrong, Bec?”

  Her lower lip wobbles, and she blinks rapidly. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe she’s already made plans to move to LA. Desperation claws at my insides.

  “Bec, I’m going to lay it out there, okay? From the beginning I was so caught up in you, I couldn’t wait to be with you. It seemed impossible to wait four months. I don’t regret a moment of our time together, except for the part where I hurt you. I never wanted that, and I swear I will never do anything like that again.” I suck in air. “If you’ll forgive me, we’ll always be a team from here on out, and we’ll work out a plan ahead of time to fix problems together.”

  Her chin quivers.

  “Oh, shit. Don’t cry. I take it back.”

  “You can’t take it back! I love that plan. I love you!”

  She stands, holding her arms out to me, and I don’t hesitate, wrapping her in a tight hug. My eyes water. “I thought I lost you.” I kiss her hair. “I’m so glad I didn’t lose you.”

  She burrows into my chest. “I’ve been so miserable.”

  “Me too.” I pull back to look at her. “What about the job with Simone?”

  She wipes her eyes. “She changed her mind after seeing me meet some of the music industry guys. She says I’m not aggressive enough. No hard feelings. Can you believe that?”

  I stroke her hair back from her face. “Yeah.”

  “But I have resting bitch face.”

  I smile a little. “I was not aware of that.”

  She nods, her sweet face determined on this matter. “My ex said I was an ice queen.”

  “You’re anything but that. Honey, you cried the first time I told you I love you.”

  She sniffles. “I like honey better than babe. And I only cried because your eyes were so soulful and sincere, and your voice was so warm I felt it in my bones.”

  “God, it’s been torture being apart. I didn’t know if I’d ever get you back.”

  “I was so lost. I didn’t know what to do. My plan blew up, and then I just was so mad I couldn’t think straight.”

  I take a seat and pull her into my lap. “Yeah, not my finest moment, but I had noble intentions.”

  She rubs my chest. “Because of your royal blood?”

  “Sure, let’s go with that. It sounds better than I was desperate to fix everything so we’d be good again.”

  “Oh, Con, I really like your idea of being a team. Let’s always check in with each other whenever there’s a problem before one of us impulsively comes up with a solution. That way we’re making decisions with good reasonable judgment instead of letting our emotions get the better of us.”

  I let out a breath of pure relief. She’s back, we’re on the same page, and we’re working with each other instead of against each other. And she called me Con in her warm voice, not Connor. “So there’s still the problem of you being out of a job.”

  “I know. It’s not like any university would hire me now.”

  “Did you love teaching? I’m sure we could come up with some way for you to do it.”

  Her brows furrow. “You know what? I didn’t love being in front of the classroom. I liked sharing what I
know, but it was hard to see the results right away. Like at a work project you can see the results. Teaching, you usually don’t see your students again after graduation, and you never know if you had an impact.”

  “You sure had an impact on me.”

  She laughs, and I soak in the beauty of a smiling, happy Becca. Happy with me. And then I have a great idea. I was part of the reason her job fell apart, and I can be the solution too. What good is being COO if I can’t make the important decisions?

  “Bec, work for my company. You love building projects, and you know management. You could help us with the management part of it. You’ve already studied us in class. I feel like you have a good handle of where we’re at and where we need to go.”

  She sits straighter, her eyes lighting up. “I could be CSO.”

  I lower my voice to a husky tone. “Chief sexy officer, yeah, you are.”

  She laughs. “Chief strategy officer. Part creative thinker, part strategist. Reporting directly to the CEO, not you, though we’d work as a team. Do you think Dylan would want me on board?”

  “I want you. I’ll make it happen.”

  She smiles and cups my cheek. “Are you making up this position just to keep me close?”

  “I legitimately think you’ll make a great contribution to the business.”

  “Aww, thank you.”

  I give her a sexy smile. “And I want you in a personal, entirely workplace-inappropriate way.”

  “Con!”

  “Hey, my brothers and I own the company, so it’s perfectly fine.”

  She gives me a stern look. “We need to keep it professional at work.”

  I let that slide because, hey, sometimes insane chemistry can get out of control. “In any case, you’re in on my say-so.”

  She worries her lower lip. “I should still bring my résumé and meet with Dylan.”

  “We’ll discuss all the particulars ahead of time so you can wow him. You on board?”

  She beams. “Yes.”

  “Great.” I kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, “Now can we please go back to your place for hot makeup sex?”

  She smiles. “Yes. Only because you asked so politely.” She stands. “Let me just ask my boss.”

  She crosses over to Judy to ask.

  “Go,” Judy says, giving me a wink. “I got this, lovebirds.”

  Becca leans over the counter to hug Judy and turns back to me with a bright smile. “Let’s go, HBG.”

  I chuckle. Hot Builder Guy. I like it.

  Becca

  The moment I get Con inside my place, I launch myself at him. He catches me, wrapping his arms around me and walking me to my bedroom while I kiss him all over his scruffy face. I don’t think he’s shaved in days.

  He sets me down next to the bed, and we rip each other’s clothes off, mouths fused, crazed to be together again. We tumble into bed, a tangle of arms and legs.

  “I love you,” he says, kissing my neck.

  I grab his head to gaze into his eyes. “I love you.” I kiss him tenderly with all the feeling in my heart.

  He smiles, and then he’s kissing his way down my body, and I’m lit up inside. This is true love, and there’s nothing holding us back anymore.

  I tug at his hair, urging him up. “I can’t wait.”

  He kisses me long and deep before grabbing a condom from the nightstand. And then he’s back, thrusting deep inside me. He entwines our fingers, pressing my hands to the mattress as he rises over me.

  “I love you so much,” he says gruffly.

  “Me too.” I lift my hips. “More.”

  He smiles against my lips and then he gives me what I need, a hot, exhilarating heart-pumping ride. I’m panting, chanting his name, and then I’m right there, on the edge of release. He shifts my hips up with one large hand, changing the angle just right. I gasp as an explosion of pleasure rocks me to my core. He pumps hard and fast right along with me, bringing more and more pleasure. His lips press against my neck in a low groan as he lets go.

  I hug him. “Wonderful man!”

  His shoulders shake, and he lifts his head, smiling. “Wonderful, beautiful woman. Did I tell you that I love you?”

  I beam. “Yes, you did, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”

  “I love you so damn much.”

  “I love you too.”

  He kisses me and rolls to my side. We’re quiet for a few moments, holding hands in the aftermath. I think back to all the time we were seeing each other in class, trying to hide our feelings from the world when everyone picked up on it anyway. I still think his company’s case study was educational and worth spending time on. And I also think Con got something out of class too. Despite the fallout, I no longer believe my class was a total fail.

  “Did you do your final paper?” I ask him.

  He turns his head to look at me. “No. I thought I wasn’t invited back to class.”

  “Do it. You have every right to be there, and it won’t change the outcome of class for me anyway. I want you to finish.”

  “Don’t be a business school dropout, huh?”

  “Exactly. Just no grand announcements this time, okay?”

  “Bec, I swear I only spoke up out of desperation. I thought I’d lost you.”

  I roll on top of him, and he wraps his arms around me. “Well, you’ll never have to worry about that again.”

  Becca

  Con’s back for our last class, and people seem more relaxed this time. Maybe because they’ve all turned in their final paper. Maybe because I showed them that I could deal with the situation and returned to class after my exit last Saturday in utter mortification. Maybe because I brought two platters of homemade Christmas cookies.

  I nod encouragingly as Anita does her presentation on her paper’s topic, which has to do with the buyout of her company by a larger one and the debilitating effect layoffs had on her and her remaining coworkers.

  I take some satisfaction in listening to my influence on the presentations. I did teach them something. So far each of them has looked at their case study through the lens of change and how to work with it rather than fight it, longing for the old ways. It’s an important lesson for the fast-paced business world. Change or die basically.

  Class ends, and I actually feel a little emotional about it. “Before we go, I just want to thank you all for sharing your time with me. I know Saturday morning class isn’t easy to get up for, but I do hope you got something out of it. I know I learned a lot listening to such smart dynamic businessmen and women. I look forward to hearing all you accomplish in the future. This is my last class. I’ve had a new business opportunity that I couldn’t refuse, so it’s on to the next part of my journey.” I catch Con’s eye, and he smiles warmly at me. I smile back, my heart filled to bursting. “Wishing every one of you all the best and happy holidays! Please take some cookies on your way out or I’ll end up eating them all.”

  Everyone laughs and stops by the front to get a handful of cookies. Some say bye to me, some just say thanks for the cookies. I still don’t know which woman filed a complaint against me, but I hope she’s okay now. Nobody dropped out of class.

  Con leaves without a goodbye, but I know he’ll be waiting for me outside. He’s still trying to be discreet to make sure the woman who felt uncomfortable with our relationship doesn’t have to see it. He’s a keeper.

  The last person to go is Mike. To think I was so worried he’d be the problem just because he was so enthusiastic at my office hours and asked me out once.

  “Take some cookies,” I say to him. “There’s still plenty.”

  He slowly turns to me. “Rebecca, I have a confession. I heard you got fired—”

  “I wasn’t fired. I was only here on a probationary basis, and I wasn’t asked back. It all worked out fine.”

  He steps closer. “It was me who wrote a bad review on the teacher survey. After you turned me down, saying you never date a student, I realized you were seeing Connor. It was a l
ow blow. Sorry it had such bad fallout.”

  I look away, unsure what to say. “Don’t worry about it, Mike. You weren’t the only one who left a poor review.”

  “That was me too.”

  My head whips toward him. “What do you mean?”

  “I told everyone to give you bad reviews and I told them why. You had a favorite; you were inattentive and distracted; you didn’t care about us.”

  I swallow hard. “But I did care.”

  “I turned them against you, and Carla sorta clinched the deal, telling everyone how she felt triggered. It was a pile on.”

  “I don’t even know what to say to that.”

  “I do,” a deep voice booms.

  My hand flies to my throat and I whirl to face Dean Sears. He stalks forward, glowering down at Mike. “I heard every word. You’ll be expelled for your part in defaming Ms. Edwards’s good character. Do you have any idea the damage you caused? We let her go, and her reputation in academia could’ve been destroyed, ending any future teaching opportunities. Serious career damage.”

  Mike lifts his chin. “You can’t expel me. You have no proof.”

  Dean Sears crosses his arms. “I’m sure the other students will talk once I explain the consequences for falsely destroying a faculty member’s reputation. Of course, I’ll have to let your employer know they’ll no longer need to cover your tuition.”

  Mike jabs a finger at me. “She’s the one who was seeing a student! That’s against university policy.”

  “It’s over, Mike,” I say quietly. “I’m no longer working here. Maybe next time you’ll think about the consequences of your actions before you act out of spite.”

  His eyes narrow menacingly, and adrenaline spikes through me. Dean Sears moves quickly in front of me, blocking Mike from getting any closer. Mike lunges, upending both platters of cookies. They go flying everywhere. Then he stalks out the door, slapping the doorframe on his way out.