Always Will: A Bad Boy Romance (3 page)

Ronan Maddox
.

I try very hard to hide my surprise as Ronan shakes hands with Brad. I can feel my face flushing, and I desperately hope I’m sporting enough of a tan to hide it. I haven’t seen Ronan in five years. Not since his last night at Tech Solutions, our former company. A bunch of us from the office went out for drinks—a little going-away party celebrating Ronan’s last day. The night ended with Ronan and me sleeping together in his hotel room.

And I never heard from him again.

Fuck. This is bad. This is so, so bad.

I have a very staunch
no dating coworkers
rule. My dating life might be a disaster, but that’s one choice I’m sure of. Dating people at work never turns out well. I made a very ill-considered exception for Ronan that night, both because he was leaving—so technically we didn’t work together anymore—and because he was extraordinarily convincing. Looking at him now, I remember why, and my heart beats a little faster.

He’s … gorgeous. Tall and lean, with high cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. He looks every bit as incredible as he did five years ago. More, in fact.

“Everyone, this is Ronan Maddox,” Brad says. “He’s been running Edge Gear for the last several years, and took them from a small firm with less than a million in sales annually, to a powerhouse with one hundred million in annual sales last year, and on track to double that this year. I assure you, VI is in excellent hands with Ronan.”

Ronan nods, tucking his sunglasses into his shirt pocket. I want to crawl under the table and hide. I flip my hair forward a little and look down at the table, hoping he doesn’t notice me, knowing that’s incredibly unlikely.

“Thanks for the introduction,” Ronan says, and his voice sends a shiver up my spine. Damn him, he even
sounds
better than I remember. “I’m sure this is a surprise to everyone, but let me assure you, nothing is going to change at this point. I’ll be meeting with you individually over the coming weeks to get a better feel for your departments and your roles here, but I have no plans to make sweeping changes right out of the gate. VI isn’t going to be absorbed by Edge. I see this as a distinct set of brands, and you are all my experts. I need you to bring me up to speed and help keep things running smoothly while we make this transition.”

I lift my eyes just enough so I can see him. Perhaps his little speech should reassure me that I won’t be laid off this week, but hearing his voice is doing nothing but make my heart race. That night was…

I really need to stop thinking about that night. It was years ago, and if Ronan has held to his reputation I’m sure there’s been a long line of women who came after me. In fact, I doubt he even remembers me. We didn’t know each other well when we worked together. The most we ever spoke was at that cocktail party. He hit on me at work, but I always shut him down. I suppose he thought he might get lucky that night, since he was on the way out, and had a way around my rule.

Of course, he was right.

He keeps talking, answering a few questions. He doesn’t seem to notice me. I stay quiet, my eyes on the table, so I don’t attract his attention. I’m so glad I sat at the far end of the large conference table. Maybe I can get through this meeting without him realizing I’m here. I’m torn between hoping he doesn’t remember me, and feeling prematurely offended that he could have forgotten.

“Excellent,” he says when the questions die down. “Thanks, everyone, for coming.”

I look up, hoping everyone will stand and I can keep a few people between myself and Ronan while I sneak out the door. He opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something else, and his eyes meet mine.

I see almost nothing on his face, save a slightly lifted eyebrow. People get up and he turns to greet someone approaching him.

I breathe out a slow breath, trying to calm my thundering heart. If he recognized me, it’s obviously not fazing him in the slightest. I’m both relieved and mildly insulted. I slept with the man. It would be nice to think that was enough to make me stick in his memory.

And I clearly did not forget him.

We all file out of the conference room. Ronan is in the far corner, talking to several other people, as I leave. I get back to my office and sit down, wondering what the hell just happened.

It had to be Ronan Maddox. Of all the people in the world who could buy out the company I work for, it had to be a man I spent a night with.

A stupid, reckless night.

A hot, sweaty,
unforgettable
night.

But I am
not
dwelling on that. I am a professional. This doesn’t change anything.

I will do my job, and that’s the end of it.

4: Ronan

People leave the conference room and some guy whose name I’ve already forgotten corners me. I say the right things and give him the right smile, but my attention just walked out of the room on a pair of mile-long legs.

Selene fucking Taylor.

I barely kept the surprise from my face when I realized she was sitting at the back of the conference room. I meant to spend more time familiarizing myself with the company roster before this meeting, but I don’t know if I would have believed it even if I saw her name. There could be more than one Selene Taylor in Seattle, couldn’t there? It’s not a common first name, but she can’t be the only one. There’s no fucking way I bought the company
she
works for.

But there she was—sleek brown hair, soft bronzed skin, dark eyes, full mouth. Holy shit, I still remember what it felt like to kiss that fantastic mouth.

I don’t know why she stands out the way she does. We only spent one night together. Maybe it’s because finally getting her into bed felt like conquering Mount Everest. Many men try, few succeed, and she made it almost impossible for me. She was clear from the moment we met that she did not date men she worked with. And she wasn’t kidding.

A lot of women say that, but if you pursue them hard enough, they relent. Not Selene Taylor. She kept me at a distance—a huge fucking distance—the entire time we worked together. I didn’t think she had a single weakness. I knew she dated. She just stuck to her one rule like it was iron clad, and there was no way I could get past it.

Until my last night at Tech Solutions.

A big group of us went out for drinks, and I found Selene standing alone at the bar, sipping a dirty martini. I love a challenge, and the fact that Selene had been inaccessible to me for so long made her completely irresistible. I spent time talking with her, and the more we chatted the more I realized she wasn’t just a stacked piece of ass with a face to match.

She was smart, and funny. She had a quick comeback for every one of my lines, never missing a beat. A woman like that could keep a man like me on my toes. That’s a rare thing.

I was a predator, circling my prey, and it wasn’t long before that rule of hers didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. After all, technically we no longer worked together. Our chemistry was off the charts—I think we’d both agree on that. I took her back to the hotel I’d rented for my last couple of nights in Seattle, and we lit that room up.

She was every bit as delicious as I imagined she would be. Tight, toned body. Legs for days. A set of tits that would make a swimsuit model jealous. She felt better than she looked, if that’s even possible. I strummed her like a fucking harp, making her pant and writhe. I watched her come the first time, pinned beneath me, and the orgasm she gave me was nothing short of epic. We were drenched and spent, sprawled out across the sheets, trying to catch our breath. Then I teased her, tasted her, got her hot again. The second time went from soft and slow to blazing hot and rough in the space of about two seconds.

Fuck, I can’t believe I remember it so well. It was five years ago, and it’s not like there haven’t been women since—quite a few, as a matter of fact. But that is one night I’ll never forget.

And now she works for me.

I shake hands with what’s-his-name, and manage to extricate myself from the conference room. I know everyone has a lot of questions. I just bought out their company and the entire staff must be waiting for the news that I’m bringing in my own people to replace them. But the truth is, I probably won’t.

A few will have to go—that’s inevitable. But it was the owner who was making a mess of this place. There’s a lot going right in this building, and with me at the helm we’re going to fucking
own
this market. I’ll only shake things up if I have to; for now, I’m content to let this ride and make big staffing decisions later.

I head to my new office. Brad cleared out late last night, so no one would realize. That was his call, not mine. The guy wants out of this place something fierce. He assured me he’ll be available if I have questions, but I know he’s full of shit. He’s taking his cut and running—probably somewhere tropical. I get the feeling Brad hasn’t been completely honest with the federal government on his personal tax returns.

I did my due diligence; my lawyers assure me the company itself is squeaky clean. Brad, though? I know the type. He probably has money stashed somewhere overseas. It doesn’t make a bit of difference to me. I’m all for risk taking—it’s one hell of a rush—but there are boundaries even I won’t cross. Tax evasion happens to be one of them.

There are a few boxes of my things already sitting on the large mahogany desk. Behind it, huge windows overlook downtown. I didn’t think I would, but I missed Seattle. San Francisco was a great place to live, and it was definitely the right move for my career. But it’s good to be back.

I sit down and open my laptop, but I’m distracted. Instead, I lean back in my seat and put a hand to my chin. The presence of Selene in my new company presents me with an interesting dilemma. There’s no doubt that woman was off the charts. And I’d be kidding myself if I tried to believe she didn’t leave her mark on me. So few women do.

None have, in fact. Not for a very long time.

I know that’s why I never called her. It’s easy to blame the move. I was literally on the road to California the next morning. My stuff was on its way, my new condo purchased, new job waiting for me.

And that one night made me question it all.

I woke up in the morning to her dark hair spilling across the pillow, the soft curve of her body beneath the sheets, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go. One night with a woman—no matter who she was—should not have made me question my life choices.

So I did the asshole thing and left, brushing her off like our night together didn’t mean anything. Like it was just a good time after some drinks, and I was happy to be on my way. After that, I doubt I’m on her list of men she cares to see again.

What is she thinking now? At the meeting, I didn’t see her long enough to read her expression. I wish I’d noticed her when I first walked in. She had the advantage there—she got to watch me for a while before I realized she was in the room. What did she think when I came in? Was she pissed? Interested? Disgusted?

Did her panties get a little wet?

There are a lot of reasons I should steer clear of Selene. She works for me now. I assume she maintains her rule about not dating coworkers. And there’s something about her—something that makes me nervous in a way I haven’t felt in years. It makes me wonder if I should stay far away from that magnetic woman.

Selene is a risk. A big one.

But risks are like crack to me. I can’t resist.

5: Selene

Aidan pulls out my chair and I take a seat. We’re out for dinner. Again. Though the restaurant is new, so I suppose he gets points for that. His hand caresses my shoulder as he moves around the table to sit down. That’s some extra touching from him. Interesting.

I give him a nice smile and pick up my menu.

I haven’t seen Ronan since the meeting yesterday. I’m not sure if he was in the office today—I didn’t see any sign of him, and I avoided the hallway that leads to his office like the plague. The anticipation of having to speak to him face to face is getting worse. I wish I got it over with yesterday. I could have stopped by his office to say hello. It’s not like I don’t have a reason. I worked closely with Brad, and I have a lot of valuable information that Ronan is going to need. But mostly I want to get that first conversation over with so we can move on.

Instead, I’m sitting with my boyfriend (he
is
my boyfriend, right?), completely distracted by thoughts of another man. That’s really not good.

“So,” I say, trying to stay in the moment. “How are you?”

Aidan smiles over his menu. “Not bad. You?”

“Lots going on at work,” I say. “Our company was bought out.”

He winces. “That’s not good. Are you worried about your job?”

“Well, the message we’re getting is that no one is going anywhere, but I’m not sure how much I trust it.” After all, that line came from Ronan—and I don’t trust that man any farther than I could throw him.

“Are you going to start looking for a new job?”

“Definitely.”

As I peruse the menu, the back of my neck prickles. I have the distinct feeling that someone is watching me. I shift in my seat, telling myself I’m being paranoid. We’re in a busy restaurant. A lot of people could be looking in my direction.

The feeling doesn’t go away. I glance over my shoulder and almost drop my menu. Ronan is sitting across the restaurant, his hand resting on his chin. Our eyes meet, and he makes no attempt to hide that he’s staring at me.

I quickly turn back to Aidan.

“Are you okay?” he asks. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

I do my best to smooth out my expression. “Yeah, I’m fine. What are you going to order?”

Aidan opens his mouth to answer, then looks up in surprise.

Ronan’s smooth voice almost makes me jump out of my seat. “Selene.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Of course he would come over here and interrupt my date.

I decide to play it off like Ronan isn’t the only man here who has seen me naked. “Ronan,” I say. “What a surprise.”

“Excuse me for interrupting.” His eyes flick to Aidan, and immediately back to me. “I saw you sitting here and had to come say hello.”