Calculated Risk

by Marie James

  The damn bird starts opening and closing his mouth making sucking noises.

  “Wren,” Deacon snaps as he enters the room. “Get that bird out of the breakroom. We’ve talked about this.”

  “Fucking tyrant!” the bird yells, but he flies back to Wren’s office on his own.

  “At least he didn’t shit on you this time,” Flynn tells our boss. “Hi, I’m Flynn Coleman.”

  Hayden shakes his hand. “Hayden Prescott.”

  “Nice to meet you. This tyrant is Deacon Black, the big boss.”

  “The owner of the company,” he corrects, holding out his hand as well. “Nice to meet you. Quinten, can I speak with you for a moment?”

  “I’ll be right back. You okay?” I ask before walking away.

  “Don’t worry, big guy,” Jude says with a clap on my back. “I’ve got her.”

  I glare at my friend before walking away, a warning in my eyes.

  “You seem like you’re in a better mood,” Deacon says as we near the coffee pot.

  I grunt, not feeling very jovial at the moment. Hayden laughs, the sound drawing my attention back to her, and I don’t know exactly how to feel about watching her laughing with my friends.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Deacon says pointing to my face. “That smile. It isn’t something we see a lot of around here.”

  I resist the urge to touch my face for verification, but I know it’s there.

  “I don’t know where we’re heading,” I explain, knowing he’ll understand I’m talking about the thing crackling between Hayden and me.

  “I know exactly where you’re heading, and if I had to guess, I’d say you’re already there.”

  I grunt again, and he laughs as we watch everyone circle around Hayden in the middle of the room.

  “What did you need to speak to me about?” I ask, already wanting to go back to her side.

  None of the guys are flirting with her that I can tell, but there’s an ache deep inside of me that wants to be by her side whenever another man is near. I want to mark my territory and growl at each one of them. I want to bite Jude’s hand off when he touches her arm. The animal need to show each one of them that she’s mine begins to stir wildly in my gut.

  “Yep,” Deacon whispers. “Already there. Don’t hurt anyone.”

  He laughs as he walks away, and I get the distinct impression he just proved a point by making me take a step away from her and watch everyone else with her.

  “Oh, hey.”

  My eyes snap to the entrance of the room, finding Parker standing there with a weird look on her face.

  “I just wanted to see how you were. I was a jerk this morning.”

  Jude’s spine stiffens as his eyes land on Hayden’s friend, his throat working on a swallow before looking away.

  Chapter 32

  Hayden

  “What are you doing here?” I ask Parker as she approaches.

  “I wanted to apologize for acting weird this morning.” Her eyes stay locked on mine, and it’s unusual for Parker not to smile and look around the room when she enters. She’s always quick to get her bearings.

  Walking into a room filled with good-looking men and not smiling at each one of them is the strangest thing to witness.

  “Is there some place we can talk?”

  I look to Jude in question, but his eyes are locked on his feet.

  “Come on,” Flynn says. “You ladies can use my office.”

  We follow Flynn down a hallway, and I make sure to look at Quinten before walking out of the room. He gives me a slight nod before his attention goes back to the men on the other side of the room.

  Parker gives me a weak smile once the door is closed and we’re alone.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I should be asking you that,” she says, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. “I can’t imagine experiencing what you’ve been through. Are you okay?”

  She takes a step back, her hands still on my shoulders as she looks down at me.

  “I’m so confused,” I admit. “What are you—”

  “I saw that look the hot teacher gave you. So, are you two like a thing now? I knew he had the hots for you. I’m glad everything is working out.”

  “We’re… umm…” I brush a strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t exactly know what we are.”

  “And what exactly happened at your job yesterday?”

  I shake my head, unsure that I can talk about it again. I spent an hour and a half going through every detail with Detective Augley, and it has left me completely drained.

  “It was so bad,” I confess, my emotions starting to get the best of me. “I showed up to work and a strange man was there with Mr. Harrison. It’s like the guy knew me, and I’m pretty sure he’s the one who broke into my house or is involved with the person who did.”

  “That’s terrible, Hayden.”

  “He thought I found something I wasn’t supposed to. I saw in his eyes that he had no intention of letting me out of that office alive. He took my phone and smashed it. I would’ve called you, but I haven’t had much of a clear head since yesterday.”

  The truth is my mind has been on Quinten since he brought me back to his place. I shift on my feet hating that the echo of him inside of me has already faded.

  “It’s fine,” she assures me. “Go on.”

  “Quinten got me a gun. The stubborn man tried to convince me that I won it at the gun range, but I’m not an idiot.”

  “He’s taking care of you. That’s a good sign.”

  “He’s trying to fix my problems. That’s what he does. I’m just a problem to solve,” I confess. “When my problems are gone, he’s going to—”

  “That man wasn’t watching you just a minute ago because he’s trying to fix you, Hayden. That man is in love with you.”

  My heart jolts, wishing it were true, but knowing it isn’t.

  “He feels obligated to make sure I’m okay.”

  “That may be true, but I don’t think it’s for the reason you suspect. He had freaking hearts in his eyes as we walked away.”

  “You’re probably confusing it with annoyance. I’ve taken over his condo. I’m sure he’s counting down the damn days until I go back to my own house.”

  “You can come stay with me,” she offers.

  “No,” I answer immediately. “I… umm… they haven’t caught the other guys involved. The one I shot was only the middleman.”

  “And there’s no opportunity for great sex at my apartment. How was the sex, by the way?”

  “Amaz—” I clamp my mouth shut as her smile grows.

  “I knew it! Good for you. Great sex solves so many problems.” She looks away. “And can cause even more.”

  “Is there something you need to tell me?”

  She shakes her head, her eyes coming back to meet mine as if she’s forcing herself to not look suspicious. I grab her hands in mine. “Listen, if you’re in trouble, I’m here.”

  “There’s no trouble,” she vows. “You’re the one with the exciting life right now. All I’ve been doing is working.”

  “You’re lying.”

  She frowns.

  “I know when you’re lying, and you’ve been doing it for weeks. Is it drugs?”

  Her head jerks back. “I’m not on drugs.”

  “You looked exhausted this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so disheveled. If you’re addicted to—”

  “It’s not drugs,” she repeats.

  “But it’s something.”

  “I didn’t come here to talk about me.”

  “You say you came here to talk to me, but how exactly did you know I was here? How did you know where Quinten lived since you were at his building this morning?”

  She looks away, her eyes blinking rapidly.

  “You’re seeing a man there,” I surmise. “God, Parker, tell me he isn’t married.”

  Her eyes snap back to mine. “I’d never. You know that. Not af
ter what my mom went through. I could never be the other woman.”

  “You’re addicted to a man.” She swallows. “Is he a good guy? Tell me he’s not a criminal.”

  She huffs. “There’s no guy.”

  “Are you in trouble?” I ask again, hating that she’s refusing to open up to me. We tell each other everything. Or at least we did until recently. I’m not innocent in this either. I haven’t been as forthcoming with her about what I feel for Quinten. Opening my mouth and confessing those feelings will make everything real, and that will only make the pain in my chest worse when it’s over.

  “It’s stupid and I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “But you’re here to get help?”

  “I’m here to talk to you,” she insists.

  “You didn’t know I was going to be here. I saw that in your eyes when you walked in. Are you here to hire Blackbridge?”

  “I’m—” She gives me a weak smile. “Things are fine. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I sigh, praying she’ll open up when she’s ready. If I keep hounding her, it’s only going to take longer for that to happen. Parker has always been stubborn, and I let the subject drop because honestly, I have a lot going on right now as well, and I can only focus on my own issues.

  “I’m okay. Being around Quinten helps.”

  “He seems like a nice guy.”

  “Jude is really nice, too,” I say, thinking the shy, quiet man would be great for my friend. If anything, maybe he’d be able to get her to slow down in life.

  “Who?”

  I tilt my head to the side.

  “Jude, the man you studiously avoided looking at when you walked in. You know what? Never mind.” She’s too distracted right now to listen to anything I have to say.

  Her phone chirps with a text. “I have to go, but I hate leaving you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure her as I walk toward the closed office door.

  “Because you have Quinten,” she adds.

  I give her a wry smile. She has a lot more faith in that situation than I’m able to muster myself but arguing the point right now isn’t the time.

  We leave the office, agreeing to get together once this situation blows over. I smile when I look up and see Jude walking our way.

  “Jude, you remember my friend Parker.”

  Parker holds her hand out to him. “Parker Maxwell.”

  “Jude Morris,” he says with a sly grin on his face that makes a million questions come to mind. “But we hug around here.”

  I take a step back as Jude pulls my friend against his chest, and the hug I’m witnessing looks nothing like the one he gave me. The man is smitten with my friend, his hand a little low on her back for an acquaintance who just pretended like they’ve never met before. The entire situation is suspicious.

  “We’ll talk soon,” Parker tells me after she steps back from Jude. “Text me your new number once you get your new phone.”

  She gives a little wave over her shoulder as she walks away. Jude watches her, and I watch him.

  “Want to explain that?” I ask him once he realizes he’s been staring.

  “Is she single?”

  I frown at him. “Parker will always be single.”

  He frowns, giving me a little nod before walking away.

  I don’t waste time in the hallway. My body urges me back to the breakroom to find Quinten.

  Chapter 33

  Quinten

  “Like I’ve told every other one of my men when they’ve found themselves in this situation, take as much time as you need. You’re important around here, but we can manage without you for a little while.”

  I frown at my boss. “What do you mean in this situation?”

  “Completely in love of course.”

  Deacon’s smile isn’t teasing. He isn’t fishing for a confession. The look on his face says he’s one hundred percent sure about my emotions. How does he know when I’m just discovering them for myself?

  “I don’t know what you think—”

  “Stop before you say something untrue. Take the time off.”

  I stand from the chair opposite of his desk and leave his office.

  Flynn’s office door is open, indicating that Parker has left, and my blood heats as I prowl toward the breakroom looking for my girl.

  If Deacon is right, and I get a fluttery feeling in my gut that he does for Anna, then I need to talk with Hayden. I need to lay it all out and see where she stands. This dancing around each other, especially after the intimacy we shared yesterday, is ridiculous. We’re adults, and we should be able to talk about what we’re feeling and what our expectations are. I may have to tone mine down because I’m not sure she’d be keen on the idea of moving in with me and staying naked in my bed twenty-four-seven, but that’s exactly where my head was at when I requested a few days off.

  Finding her is easy. She’s sitting on one of the sofas talking with Flynn and Ignacio. The clench of my fists calms slightly knowing that both of those guys are in committed relationships to the point that they won’t even flirt with her in an attempt to get my hackles up, unlike Finnegan and Brooks who see messing with people as an Olympic sport.

  “Ready to go?” I ask her the second I step into the room.

  “Sure,” she says, telling both of the guys goodbye.

  Her eyes are on mine as she draws closer to me, and I don’t know if it’s my own obsession with her or actual heat in her gaze, but my body begins to respond immediately.

  The guys chuckle as we leave the room, and it makes me press against her back just a little harder on the way to the elevator. Pam gives us a little wave as we walk through as she continues her conversation on the phone.

  She doesn’t put any distance between us on the elevator ride down, and she seems reluctant for me to step away when I help her into the truck. Both of those are great signs going into the conversation I know we need to have when we get back to my place.

  I don’t offer to stop and get food. If she’s hungry, we can order delivery, but the longer I put off this talk, the more I’ll lose my nerve. Part of me is telling me to take things slow and let whatever it is between us progress at a natural speed, but being with her only for her to pull away the next day is bound to drive me insane. The other part of me is urging me to start the conversation at the first red light we come to.

  I manage to keep my lips clamped closed on the drive back, and still in the elevator on our way up to my condo.

  She gives me a weak smile when I open the door and indicate for her to step inside. She doesn’t pause as she crosses the threshold as she walks toward the guest bedroom.

  “Hayden.” She stops in her tracks, but I need more than just her attention right now.

  In a flash, I have her back pressed to the front door, and I smile as she blinks up at me. When her tongue licks at her bottom lip, I nearly drop the conversation we need to have in favor of stripping her naked right here in the entryway.

  “We need to talk.”

  Her eyes flash with something I can’t explain, and I brush my lips against hers to make the uneasy look fade away.

  “I fucking yearn for you,” I confess as her fingers tangle in the fabric of my shirt at the shoulders.

  “Good sex does that to a person.”

  My cock thickens with the reminder.

  “I want to fix all of your problems. It’s been hell holding back and watching you try to do it all on your own.”

  Her teasing smile fades away.

  “Fixing things is what I do,” I continue. “But I’ve had to force myself to take a step back. I know you want to work through the problems on your own. I’ve been fighting it since I met you. I hate seeing you struggle.”

  Her eyes lock on mine.

  “I felt physical pain watching what was happening to you on that video feed. I’ve never felt terror like that in my life. I feel like I’ve been put on this earth to protect you, Hayden. I never want you out of my sight, and I
know at times that’s going to seem a little smothering, but I just can’t see myself acting any differently.” I swallow, trying to force down the emotion clogging my throat because the tears burning the backs of my eyes don’t feel very manly. “I want to pull you to my side and protect you, cocoon you from anything bad that threatens to touch your life. I know you’re independent, and I’m in awe of that side of you, but I want to be a part of your bubble.”

  “My bubble?” She blinks up at me, her cheeks red.

  “This barrier you surround yourself with, daring anyone to cross you. I want inside that protective casing. Let me in. Please, Hayden, just let me be a part of who you are.”

  Her eyes water, and I back a way a little, thinking I’m crushing her without knowing it, but she clings to my shirt.

  “You said you don’t date.”

  “Date?” I scoff. “I don’t want to date you, Hayden. I want to be a staple in your life. I have no baggage, no real reason to have avoided relationships as long as I have, and as corny as it sounds, I feel like I’ve been waiting for you, and I didn’t even know it. Being inside of you the other night was absolute euphoria, but this isn’t just about sex. It never was.”

  “Waiting for me?”

  “For you.” I run my nose up the side of her neck, smiling against her skin when her breath hitches. “I want to spend every second with you. I want to make you coffee in the morning and run my hands down your soapy body in the shower. I want to argue with you about stupid TV shows and whether tomatoes are a vegetable or a fruit. I want to pull you to my side and growl at any man brave enough to approach you.”

  “And sex?”

  “Oh, I want lots of that, but not more than you can take.” I give her a wicked smile as I pull my face back to gaze down at her. “But I can admit that watching you walk a little funny after being inside of you last night made my cock hard all over again.”

  “I can’t feel you there anymore.” She bites her lower lip as her eyes sparkle. “I miss it.”

  She squeals in delight as I pick her up and carry her to my bedroom.

  “No more sleeping in the other room.”

  “The bed is really comfortable,” she argues as she pulls her shirt over her head.