“You really have no control over your mouth, do you?” he asked. “A bit of a job hazard, don’t you think?”
She narrowed her stare. “Did you come in here to pick a fight? Because you’re doing a bang-up job.”
Curious stares began to swivel their way and Jeremiah paused to close the door before their conversation became everyone’s topic of discussion around the watercooler. He advanced to lean across her desk, his eyes flashing. “Given our history, you might think you can talk to me as if I were not your superior, but that would be a mistake,” he warned quietly. Her stomach muscles tightened as adrenaline rushed through her veins, the urge to seal her lips to his warring with the righteous anger burning a hole in her gut. “If I ask you to follow a lead, I expect you to do it without question.”
Miranda rose slowly to meet him, staring hard into his eyes so he knew she didn’t take this kind of bullshit from anyone—not even her boss. “I don’t follow any instruction without question. It’s not in my nature. And since you’ve undoubtedly read my personnel file, you’ve already gathered that I’m hardly the type to meekly accept whatever is thrown my way like some pathetic little underling hoping to catch some favor from the boss.”
“Why are you being so damn difficult about this?”
“Because it’s in my nature,” she quipped with a hard smile. “That’s probably in my file, too.”
They were standing toe-to-toe, the close distance hardly appropriate and they both knew it, yet neither made a move to pull away. It was a standoff of sorts, and the instant, almost-palpable heat between them was enough to set off the ancient sprinklers poking from the yellowed ceiling. Would he kiss her? For a wild moment, she desperately hoped he would. But as her heart threatened to stutter to a stop with anticipation, Jeremiah remembered himself with a start and abruptly pulled away. His stare cleared of the heat clouding his gaze and his mouth compressed with frustration. “I... Damn,” he muttered, looking away. He blew a tight breath and walked to the door, saying, “My directive still stands. I want you to look into the Belkins. No more arguing the merits of my decision. Got it?”
She didn’t trust her voice and simply nodded. If her hands hadn’t been supporting her weight on the desk, they would’ve been shaking. It wasn’t until he’d left her space that she could breathe again.
What was it about that man? He turned her upside down and backward. If Virgil had made a similar request she would’ve been annoyed but not to the degree that she was when Jeremiah had asked. She’d just about jeopardized her job by openly defying her boss for no discernible reason aside from the need to be difficult. She cradled her head in her hands and groaned softly at her own idiocy. Way to be mature, Miranda.
She sat at her desk, forcing herself to regroup and find a way to apologize for being a colossal ass for no good reason at all.
On second thought, it might be easier to quit.
* * *
JEREMIAH’S HEART THUMPED as if he’d just run a marathon when all he’d done was pick a fight with Miranda because he was out of sorts and scattered.
Was this a nervous breakdown? He wasn’t sure, having never suffered from mental-health issues, but he supposed a person actually having those kinds of episodes rarely knew until it was too late. He squeezed his eyeballs with his thumb and forefinger, desperate to get his head on straight for a blessed moment so he could think of a way to apologize for his brusque behavior. Was it a big deal that she was second-guessing his instructions? On one hand, he was her superior; on the other hand, he knew she was probably chafing at his handling of the situation. He’d never been so uncertain in his life about a work relationship or how he should handle himself or his employees. Well, you’ve never slept with one before...
Astute observation.
He released a shaky breath. There had to be a way to get past the elephant in the room without bumping into it every time they were together. It certainly didn’t help that, God love him, he’d probably choose to sleep with her all over again. The memory of their one night together was scorching what little dream time he managed when he closed his eyes.
They’d tried the frank conversation—the adult way—and yet they were still unsure of how to act around one another, and now they were sniping at each other behind closed doors at the office. Not off to a great start.
But wait a minute...he had a valid concern that she was too close to the case to see what clues might be right under her nose. The benefit of his involvement was a fresh pair of eyes and that meant going over every stone that she’d either disregarded or overlooked. He wouldn’t apologize for sending her to reexamine the evidence but perhaps he could soften his delivery. He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. He’d thought that coming to Alaska would help ease the tension he’d been living with since his life imploded, but it seemed he’d traded one type of stress for another. He needed a solution and he needed one fast.