“Sure,” he clipped, not even sparing me a glance.
I blinked, surprised. He rarely ate dinner with me these days, so I’d expected him to say no.
As I began to line what ingredients I needed on the countertop, I snuck a quick glance at Dane. He was staring hard at the island, his gaze inward.
I badly wanted to ask what was bugging him so much, but I’d already tried that. He wasn’t going to answer. So I just idly talked while I prepped our meal, not once saying anything that required a response. I half-expected him to tell me to shut up or something, but he didn’t. He was probably blocking me out.
I continued to talk a little as we ate at the island, and then again when we stacked our dirty plates in the dishwasher, still not expecting a response from him. I often did the same when my dad’s mind was elsewhere. Like Dane, he tended to ignore me, but Simon usually relaxed eventually.
Closing the dishwasher, Dane sighed. “Why do you keep telling me how good Ryan’s PA is? You’ve circled back to her three times.”
I was secretly pleased he’d finally spoken, even if he was being snippy. “I was hoping to get an idea of what your personal feelings about Patience are.”
He shrugged. “She’s good at her job.”
“Excellent.”
“Why is it excellent?”
“Because I was thinking she’d be a good replacement for me when I leave o-Verve.”
Dane went very still. “Replacement?”
“Well obviously I can’t keep working there after the divorce.”
“And why not?” he clipped, frowning.
“It would be weird.”
“Why?”
Unable to decide if he was being deliberately obtuse, I tipped my head to one side. “You don’t think it would look seriously strange if we divorced but kept working together?”
“No, I don’t. There’s no reason for you to leave. You can stay where you are.”
“Um, no, I can’t.”
His eyes flared. “Yes, you can. You will.”
“It would be too weird. And people would think I’d stayed to be near you; it’d look like I was clinging to what scraps you would give me. No, I have my pride. I can’t stay at o-Verve. Patience is a really good PA.”
“I don’t want her. I want you.”
God, how I wished he meant something wholly different by that. “Dane, just—”
“You’re staying. End of discussion.”
I felt my lips thin. “Why are you being difficult about this? Look, I know you had trouble finding a PA who ‘fit’ you and who can overlook the fact that you’re an asshole at times. That’s why I’m looking at a potential replacement now. I can give Patience a little extra training, and then she’ll just be able to slot right into my position when I’m gone.”
He ate up the small space between us, standing so agonizingly close I could feel the heat of his body; could feel the dark, sheer intensity he gave off like pheromones that made my body pulse with an electric awareness.
“You don’t need to give her any extra training,” he stated. “She’s not going to need it, because she’s not going to be working for me. I already have a PA, and she suits me just fine. I don’t intend to let her go anywhere.”
“You can’t force me to keep the job.”
His brow hiked up. “What do I always get, Vienna?”
I folded my arms. “Okay, tell me how you intend to ensure I stay in a job I’ll no longer want. I’m genuinely curious how you think you’ll achieve this.”
He tilted his head. “Did you ever think you’d marry me, Vienna—sham marriage or not?”
“No.”
“And yet, you did. Never think I’m a man who ever settles for anything less than exactly what he wants. I never have, I never will. I know how to get what I want, and I know how to keep it.”
“I wonder if you’ll be saying that same thing when I’m boxing up the stuff from my office desk after the divorce.”
“It won’t come to that. You’re staying at o-Verve.”
God, give me strength. “Dane—”
“You’re staying.”
“You’re being unreason—”
“You’re. Staying.”
“Oh. My. God. Stop being a brat.”
His nostrils flared. “A brat?”
“Yes,” I snapped, out of patience. “You’re all about what you want. For just a few moments, step out of Dane’s world and remind yourself that one of the things I really want is to get married for real at some point. Remember we talked about that? I want a partner. And kids. And, yeah, a cat. I want to find someone who does actually care for me; who wants to build a life with me. That’s never going to happen while you’re in the picture, because no guy is going to be interested in me if I’m working for my fucking ex-husband. That’s what you’ll be. My. Ex—”
He took my mouth with a low growl, sinking his tongue inside. Hands bunched my hair as he herded me backwards until I hit the counter. It knocked the breath right out of me, but his mouth kept on eating at mine with so much greed and urgency. Stunned by the absolute ferocity of his kiss, I could only cling to him, digging my fingers into his upper arms.