Happily Enemy After (Hawthorne Brothers 2)

I shove the box I’m still holding into Asher’s chest. “Then we have nothing more to talk about, Mr. Hawthorne.”

I proceed to the door and leave his office with my head held high and the corners of my mouth turned up.

Yup. I’m the one grinning now.

~

I’m still grinning when I get to The Mistral. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can breathe easily as I walk across the lobby. I don’t have to worry about getting bullied at work anymore. Asher might even finally leave me alone. I can do my job in peace and enjoy being in a new city. I may never even have to make pancakes at 2 A.M. because I’ll be able to sleep well at night.

I’m free. Well, not of Asher, because he’s still my boss. And let’s face it. He’s a Hawthorne. I may never be able to get his job. But at least I’m free from the past I shared with him. As long as he doesn’t hold it against me, I won’t hold it against him. It’s a fresh start.

We can go on as boss and employee, never interfering with each other’s personal lives. Then who knows? Eventually, I may be able to forget about him completely.

I stop in front of the elevator.

Maybe I don’t hate Asher. I’m not going to keep punishing him for what he did that night five years ago. But I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not going to let myself fall for Asher Hawthorne again. He may be hot and smart and maybe he’s not completely heartless, but he’s still all wrong for me, which is why I’m going to stay away from him from now on. I’m going to have my guard up at all times and keep things strictly professional between us in the office, and as soon as I’m out of that building, I’m going to stop thinking about him. No more fantasies.

The elevator doors open and I step through them. Only the operator, Mitch, is inside.

“Good evening, Ms. Cleary,” he says as he presses the button for the thirty-fourth floor.

“I think it will be one,” I reply.

I’m going to take a shower, listen to some music while cooking dinner, watch a bit of TV while eating, and then go to bed without a care in the…

“Hold it, Mitch!”

A hand slips between the doors just before they close. Mitch presses the button and they open, giving me a clear view of the man standing outside. My jaw drops.

Asher?

“Violet?” He gives me a puzzled look as he steps inside. “What are you doing here?”

I could ask him the same thing.

“I… live here.”

“Oh. Really? So do I.”

What? I didn’t know that. Stella didn’t tell me about it. Besides, I’ve never seen him here before, though I guess it’s entirely possible for two busy people not to bump into each other even if they’re living in the same building.

Still, I don’t like the fact that we’re living in the same building one bit. But I do love my apartment, so as long as he stays out of my way, then…

“You didn’t ask Mitch to press the button for your floor,” Asher points out.

I look at the button for the thirty-fourth floor. It’s still lit.

“Oh, but I did. I…”

I stop as I realize none of the other buttons are lit, which can only mean one thing. No way.

Mitch chuckles. “Congratulations. It looks like you’ve finally met your neighbor.”

What the hell?Chapter FiveAsher

“I want her out of The Mistral by tomorrow,” I tell Ethan as soon as I find him in his office at the mansion.

He puts down the piece of paper he’s holding and lets out a sigh.

“Who did you sleep with this time?”

I frown. “What?”

“The last time you asked for someone to be kicked out of The Mistral, it was a woman you slept with,” Ethan reminds me.

I remember. “A woman who turned creepy and started stalking me.”

After our one-night stand—and I did make it clear to her that that was all it was—she made it a habit to camp outside my apartment. She would even ambush me whenever I was in the pool or the gym. Worst of all, once while my apartment was being cleaned, she snuck inside and hid in my bathroom, popping up just when I was about to take a shower. I sued her for trespassing and had Ethan kick her out of the building.

“You do have that effect on some women, don’t you?” he says. “So, who did you turn into a creep this time?”

“Nobody,” I answer. “I haven’t slept with anyone staying at The Mistral since then.”

“Wow.” Ethan’s eyebrows arch. “Maybe I should give you a cookie.”

I ignore his remark and draw a deep breath.

“I’m talking about Violet Cleary.”

Ethan’s expression turns serious. “Did you sleep with Violet Cleary?”