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The adrenaline shooting through him refused to ease off. “Hell, yes!”
“You can let yourself out.” She walked around him and headed for the door.
“Hey.” His hand brushed against her arm. He dropped it again when she glared at him. “Fine. No touching.”
“None.” Which sounded like not ever.
Regret plowed into him. He came here for them to talk this out. He’d gone into the computer and looked up her schedule. Came here unannounced, thinking he’d have the upper hand.
“I want us to be civil toward each other,” he said as he struggled to bring his voice back under control.
She shook her head. “No.”
“What?” He’d been the one to offer the olive branch. He hadn’t insisted on an apology or that she take responsibility. But she still came out swinging and didn’t stop.
“You lied to me,” she said in a voice growing stronger with each word.
For a second, his brain misfired. He couldn’t think of a response. “When?”
“You let me believe you weren’t that guy, but you are. Rich, entitled, ready to bolt, tied to his daddy and desperate for approval.” She counted out his perceived sins on her fingers.
That fast his temper skyrocketed again. Heat flushed through him “That’s enough.”
“The suggestion still stands. We ignore each other.”
“Does that mean you’re going to leave every room I enter? Get off projects I’m overseeing?”
She shrugged. “That all works for me.”
No, he was not going to be pushed into a corner. He was the boss. He wasn’t the one who screwed everything up.
He pointed at her. “You did this to us.”
Her mouth dropped open. For a second, she didn’t say anything, and then she clenched her teeth together. “You’re unbelievable.”
She slipped by him a second time. Got the whole way to the doorway.
“Stop trying to storm off, and talk to me.” He didn’t try to grab her but he did want to.
She was absolutely infuriating. Every word she said pushed him until the frustration mixed with the attraction and it all pounded in his head.
“Okay.” She whipped around and faced him again. “You want me to talk, try this. You’re no better than your father.”
The words sliced through him. Ripped right through the layers of clothing and skin.
“I guess you should be the one to compare us since you kissed both of us.” When she just stood there, staring at him, he wanted to lash out even harder. “What, no comeback?”
“Stay out of my way.”
“Or?”
“Don’t push me, Spence. Other people might be afraid of you or want to impress you, but I know better.” She shook her head. “What you need is for someone to kick your butt. Keep talking and I will.”