“You can’t leave now. You have to see him. He’s got all these tattoos and he’s just so cool. None of the other cousins are like him.”
I thought about going to the bathroom and hiding, but then I worried about how long he might stay. I could always sneak out the back, but that meant I’d have to sneak past all the windows, including the ones in Blake’s office. Then, I’d also have to explain running away.
Before I could decide what I was doing, the door opened and the sounds of heavy boots coming near rattled through the office. I sank to my knees on the ground behind my desk and bent over, trying to hide. It was a stupid idea, but I was desperate.
“Hey, Julian! How are you?” Hannah sounded even younger than she was in her adoration of him.
Julian was quiet, but I could practically feel him standing on the other side of the desk, just existing. “Hey, Han.”
I cringed and tried to make myself even smaller. I was an idiot. The exact reason I should’ve stayed away from the Steele brothers was just on the other side of my desk. I silently banged my head into the floor and thought about how I was going to get out of there. I had to. I couldn’t run into Julian.
“Finding anything good down there?”
I jerked when Julian’s gruff voice came from over me. Hitting the back of my head on my desk, I winced even as I pretended to find something on the floor under my desk. “Ah, here it is.”
“How long are you in town for, Julian?”
Forced out of my hiding spot, I slowly pulled myself to my feet and turned to face him. I didn’t have a choice. What else could I do? I sucked in a sharp breath as I did, unprepared for the darkness in his eyes. He was so identical to his brothers, but seeing him again really allowed me to see how different he was. There was just a force of danger around him. His entire body radiated a negative energy that probably acted as a forcefield for most people.
I took in his worn black t-shirt and black jeans and the leather riding gloves he was pulling off. His hair was pushed back with a black bandana and his beard was longer and wilder than his brothers’. He looked like a biker, ready to charge into a bar fight.
“Cammie?”
I took a step backward and cursed my white skin that loved to glow red. It sucked.
Hannah laughed. “Wrong ex lady friend, Julian. This is Mallory. She just started working here.”
His eyes narrowed as he took me in. “Mallory?”
I shifted and crossed my arms over my chest. I felt like he would be able to see all of my secrets if I wasn’t careful. “That’s my name.”
“So you’re a liar.” He shook his head. “What are you doing here?”
Anger surged. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, Cammie, I’m not kidding.”
I came up to my full height, in heels, and scowled back at him. Who the hell did he think he was? “My name is Mallory and you can use it, or better yet, don’t use it.”
“Again, what are you doing here?”
Blake came from his office and spotted the tension between the two of us. “Julian, what’s up?”
“Why is she working here?”
Blake frowned and then turned to Hannah. “Hannah, do me a favor and go look for my phone in my truck. I lost it and I’m expecting a call.”
Hannah groaned. “Blake! I can see your phone in your pocket.”
“Hannah, go.”
She stomped out of the office and slammed the door behind her.
Blake then turned to his brother and frowned. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you being an asshole?”
Julian crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Just wondering why the fuck you’re hiring my old conquests.”
I felt my body heat up and growled. “Do you always think everything is about you? My working here hasnothingto do with you.”