When I Say Yes (Necklace Trilogy 3)

I blink in surprise both at the use of my first name and at his invitation. Or whatever it is. “I need to get my coat.”

“I’ll meet you at the elevator.”

I nod and turn away, walking toward the door.

No one else is here, but he wants out of the building, where we can talk.

I’m not sure what’s going on, but it doesn’t feel like it’s anything good.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

I’m about to exit his office when Tyler says, “Wait.”

I rotate to face him again, my nerves crackling and popping at his weird behavior, not sure what to expect next. “I have a damn meeting,” he says. “I put on a pot of coffee. In the break room.”

Confused by him being so indecisive, I just go with the flow. “Okay. I’ll get the coffee. How do you like it?”

“You’re not my damn servant, Allie.” He closes the space between us and motions me to the hallway. “I need coffee.”

I don’t know what is going on with him right now, but I don’t push him. I turn and exit and start walking, with him behind me instead of beside me. Talk about awkward. I cut into the break room and quickly dart for the mugs sitting beside the pot. I set two on the counter and fill them both. Tyler steps close beside me, really close, and I smell him—spicy and male—but different from Dash. I don’t even feel comfortable knowing how he smells.

Tyler and I have a connection. I know this. I’m drawn to him, but it has nothing to do with me wanting him. I think it’s about being alone. Because I was alone when I met him. Because he’s still alone. And I fear being alone again. On some level, even as I have this thought, I recognize this as a flaw. I was okay alone. I shouldn’t fear being in that place again. I don’t fear it, I amend.

I fear being without Dash.

Somehow I’ve had this entire internal conversation with myself and still managed to pour cream and Splenda into my coffee. Tyler has done the same. He glances over at me, his steely eyes meeting mine, and for a few seconds, we just stare at each other. I’m not sure what he’s looking for and I can’t read him. The longer this continues, the more uneasy I feel.

“Tyler?” I ask, uncertainty in my tone, I don’t try to hide.

“My office,” he says, picking up his cup and starting in that direction.

He exits the break room and I follow. Now I’m behind him and somehow this is just as awkward as the opposite. He enters his office and angles toward me long enough to motion me to the conference table. “Sit.”

It’s an impatient command. I do as he says because 1) I filled my cup too full and it’s going to spill if I get fired up one little bit and Tyler is pretty good at getting me fired up, and 2) I want to know what’s going on. I settle into my seat and Tyler sits across from me, sipping his coffee. I do the same. It’s good coffee, cinnamon, I think. Figures he’d favor good coffee. He works all the time, so fueling up is a necessity.

“You saw the interview?” I ask when he just looks at me again.

“I approved it before Bella made it happen.”

“Then you’re pleased.” It’s not really a question, and yet, it’s kind of a question. He’s just too weird to make assumptions with at present.

“For now,” he states. “When I told you he’s fucked up, I wasn’t speaking out of malice. I was speaking a fact. He’ll screw up again. And he managed to draw you back in to hurt you all over again.”

My defenses flare, my need to protect Dash right along with them. “You don’t know what happened between me and Dash.”

“You’re going to tell me he didn’t hurt you this weekend?”

“Do I have a job, Tyler?” I snap back, the snap hard to avoid.

“You work for Riptide. They’re renting your office for a sizable premium.”

“Then can I go?”

“No,” he states. “You cannot. You still work for me, even if it is as a contractor.” He softens his voice. “He will hurt you, Allie. You need to wake up.”

“You don’t know—”

“Why do you think he got so mad in that club when I said he was no good for you?”

“Because it was a lousy thing to say in front of me?”

“Because when he said it to me about another woman, I listened. I stepped back. I made the decision to think about her, not me. He should do the same. He will not.”

My lips purse. “This isn’t about me and Dash. It’s about you and Allison.”

“In or out, because if you’re not in all the way, you need to walk away now before this gets dirty and bad for both of you.”