The Billionaire's Ex-Wife (Jameson Brothers 1)

"Where's the entertainment in that?" Eddie argued gamely.

"Mykonos?" Sam repeated. "The two of you went to Mykonos?"

Oh, shit.

Trinity kept her expression smooth. "Yes. Mykonos. It was a lovely trip."

"You went to Mykonos with Eddie."

"Hell yeah. It was awesome!" Eddie said. After glancing between the two of them, he quickly put up his hands. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that, Sam! It's not like…me and Trinity, we're like….

"Siblings," Trinity provided for him. Eddie nodded his head rapidly.

"You were supposed to go to Mykonos with me," Sam said.

"That's right." Trinity sat back. "But once I knew you were never going to stop working long enough to take me, I made other plans."

Both of Eddie's eyebrows ascended his forehead in sudden comprehension. "Oh…oh." He had the grace to look, if not at all repentant, then at least a little uncomfortable to be a third party to their argument. Trinity loved Eddie, but she really didn't need any more commentary from his end of the table.

Eddie seemed to sense as much, and rose—with a totally manufactured stretch of his arms—and casually gathered his coat. "You know, this has been great. Like, really great. I'm glad I have you guys on my team. It's just that…if nobody objects, I think I'm going to take five. Head down the block and grab a coffee from the store on the corner. You want anything Sam? Trinity?" Eddie didn't wait for a response, just gave them a hearty thumbs-up and grinned. "You know what? I'll surprise you. Be right back."

No sooner had the door to the meeting room closed behind him then Trinity was out of her chair. Sam rose, steadying himself in immediate defense of whatever assault she had planned. Normally, she would have loved the fact that she could get such a literal rise out of him, but nothing about the circumstances surrounding their forced partnership was normal. She was determined to take full advantage of Eddie being out of the room to give Sam a complete and unfiltered piece of her mind.

"You know, I used to back down so easily to you. Not anymore," she hissed. She stepped up to him to emphasize her point, aligning her assertive posture with the crisp, perfect front of his suit. "Those days have ended. You don't get to throw your weight around this conference room on this coast. I may not have your title or your paycheck, but I better damn well have your respect."

"You have my respect," Sam said in a low voice. "And my attention. Even if I don't have yours on either account."

Trinity met his eyes evenly, but felt a little chastened by his words despite herself. She wondered if this was Sam's way of trying to bring up Mykonos again, but she wasn't having it. Her personal life was just that: personal.

"The question is: what are you going to do with me, now that you have me so thoroughly at your disposal?" Sam asked her.

"I'm going to do my job," Trinity stated. "And so are you. We're going to have to learn to compromise to get Eddie situated. The onboarding procedure at the upper levels encourages creativity, and improvisation—not only in our employees, but in the transitional process. That means we both have to be flexible, Sam."

"I don't recall that being a problem between us in the past."

Trinity's face heated, and she was suddenly aware of just how close they stood to one another. She would never admit it out loud, but Sam's height was impressive—especially in a confrontation. He towered over her, an unscalable fortress unto himself, but his words kindled memories of every time she had successfully brought those defenses down.

She hadn't thought there was room left between them for him to step any closer, but he did. She couldn't afford to give ground now…but how could she successfully continue to stand up against such an imposing, conquering presence? Sam Jameson always got his way in the boardroom—the same way he did in the bedroom.

"Your heart is racing, Trinity," Sam murmured.

"And your suit is wrinkled, Sam."

If he could feel how fast her heart was beating through her breastbone, then there's no way he didn't also feel the points of her nipples pressing into his chest. Her breasts ached for more than just that fleeting, accidental touch, and a sudden wave of longing hit Trinity so hard it almost rocked her forward into his arms. Almost. She wasn't sure if Sam would take her. She wasn't sure she wanted to be taken.

That was a lie. Ever since she had first laid eyes on him yesterday, his eyes, his arms, his body, was all she could think about. If she asked him to rip her clothes off and fuck her right there in the conference room, would he? There was unmistakable movement behind the icy veil of his eyes, and she thought she had her answer.

Sam took a deep, seemingly deliberate breath, and his chest brushed hers again. The hot gust he released from between his lips was so close it stirred her hair. Then he turned away, his shoulder grazing hers as he walked toward the door. The tension between them released, and Trinity mourned its too-sudden withdrawal.

"You win this round," Sam conceded. "Eddie can bypass the digital course and attend whatever class the two of you want. But you haven't won the war."

I never wanted to go to war to begin with, Trinity thought as she watched him go.

Chapter Three

Sam

The bar was packed wall-to-wall ten minutes after he sat down. Sam counted himself lucky for securing a stool at all; most of New York's up-and-coming elite stood arrayed around what had once served as a dance floor.