Every Breath You Take (Oasis Book 1) (17 page)

Paige laughed, stopping my apology. “Charlotte. Don’t apologize. You were trying to set us up?”

“Sort of.”

“Is he hot?”

“I…” I wrinkled my nose. “He’s my assistant.”

“Meaning you’re falling in love with Finn again and only have eyes for him.”

My mouth dropped open. We reached the doors to the Business Community, and I paused, my stomach twisting. “Why did you say that?”

“You just talk like you still have feelings for him. And the kind of conflict you’re feeling makes it pretty obvious there’s still something there. You probably wouldn’t be so hesitant if you didn’t have all that leftover…what’s the word?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. It’s not just leftover feelings. It’s–I’m scared.”

“That Finn is going to hurt you?”

“That anyone is going to hurt me. Or that I’m going to have to leave again and we won’t be able to be anything more.”

“Is that what you want?” Paige asked, her brown eyes compassionate. “Something more?”

I swallowed, feeling that familiar flicker of tightness in my chest. Trapped. “I think so. Like I said, Finn has changed. In a good way. He’s who I thought I always wanted. But now I’m the one who’s not ready.”

“If it’s something you think is right, you have to go for it. Life’s too short to miss that kind of opportunity.”

“You’re right,” I whispered. If anyone knew this, Paige did. “But…what if something happens? What if…?”

“You’re going to be safe. Finn will make sure of it, and I will, too. Don’t let Mark chase you out of here. It’s about time he deals with the consequences.”

She sounded just like Finn. Like it was a simple process. I stand up to Mark, he gets caught, and pays the price for his actions and everything would be fine. I wanted to tell her it wasn’t that simple, but I doubted she’d understand.

Or maybe it was simpler than I was making it, but I couldn’t see past my fear.

Checking my watch, I gestured to the door. “I need to get in there.”

“I’ll walk you,” Paige said.

Laughing, I opened the door. “It’s just inside. And up the elevator.”

“And I feel like I need to make sure you make it into the elevator. I’ll feel better. You can laugh at me when you get inside and I’m gone.”

I waved at the security guard and stopped in front of the furthest set of elevators.

“And about that friend. Tucker,” Paige said. “I don’t mind. It’ll be nice to meet someone new.”

Relief seeped in, and I nodded as the elevator doors opened. “All right. This weekend, then.”

“Yep.” Paige smiled at me as I stepped inside. “Stay safe.”

On the top floor, Leslie greeted me when I got out. Her smile was warm. “Mr. Moore asked if you could check in when you got here.”

“Thanks.”

Because his door was open, I walked into his office first before getting settled. He stood in front of the window, staring outside at a sunny day. He turned when I got halfway to him, and his smile melted my bones.

“You’re here,” he said.

“I’m here. Safe and sound.”

His lips quirked. “Sarcasm. Hmm.”

“See?” I smiled. “I’m not the girl you once knew.”

My body heated when he stepped closer, and suddenly I wasn’t thinking about being sarcastic anymore.

“I like this version,” he said, examining my clothes, and then my hair. “All serious, hair up, outfit just right.”

His words made a rush of sadness go through me. I missed that carefree girl who was easy to trust and quick to try anything new. I used to know how to have fun. I used to make Finn come up for air when he got too busy with his school work or making business plans with his brother, Jake, and their mother.
He
was the serious one.

“It wasn’t an insult,” Finn murmured, moving close enough to touch my cheek. His fingertips fluttered over my skin like butterfly wings. “I was thinking more that you’re like a mystery. Wrapped up in this perfect little box, with secrets underneath.” He winced. “That probably didn’t sound right either.”

I looked down, tried to stop my hands from wringing. “No, you’re right. I’m different. I’m not the same person you met in college. Sometimes I don’t even recognize myself.”

“I do,” Finn said, his hand cupping the back of my neck as he went in for a kiss.

Pressing my hands against his chest, I stepped back. “
Finn.
”

He blinked. “What?”

“We’re at work.” I glanced behind me to the open door. I couldn’t see Leslie, but I could hear her. “This is
not
professional. You’re my boss.”

He sat on the edge of the table, amused. “Technically that’s not true. We’re sort of equals here. And once we’re officially open and I go, it will be yours. All of it.”

He’d said this before, but I couldn’t quite grasp the scope of it. I shook my head in protest. “No, Finn. This is your place, too.”

He waved his hand. “Sure, stocks and–”

“No, I mean more than that.”

Finn reached for me, but when I backed away, he held up his hands. “I’m serious, Charlotte, and don’t try to argue with me. I want this place to be yours. I have it all on paper–my lawyer will go over it with you when you’re ready. No, no arguing. This place is yours. Which means…you’re actually sort of my boss.”

My mouth hung open, words jumbling at the back of my throat. That wasn’t right. Finn built this place. It was more his than mine.

“Say something,” Finn instructed.

I pulled myself together, trying for a moment of levity. “If I’m your boss, how come you get the bigger office?”

He laughed and stood, reaching for me again. “Move in here with me. Then we can share the big office.”

I pointed my finger at him. “I know exactly what you’re after, and it’s not going to happen.”

“I miss being near you.”

My heart fluttered. Of course he had to go and say something like that. I felt the same way. But there would be plenty of time for all that. I hoped.

“After work,” I promised.

“That’s too far away.”

“You stay there,” I told him, already stepping toward the door. “I have work to do.”

“One kiss.”

“Finn–”

“Just one.”

Licking my lips, I glanced behind me to the door again, halfway expecting an audience. They had to know something was going on by now.

“One,” I said, holding up my finger again. “Just
one
. No,” I said when he wrapped his arms around my waist. “A small one.”

I gave him a peck on the lips, breathing in his cologne long enough to make me pull back. I couldn’t get distracted or I wouldn’t get anything done today.

Finn’s hands tightened. “Not enough,” he murmured against my cheek, and went in for another one.

His tongue parted my lips, tracing them until they opened. Until my breathing became ragged. One hand slid to my back, holding me against him.

“Finn,” I whispered against his mouth.

His cheek nuzzled mine. “I don’t want to work today.”

“I don’t think you got where you are in life by giving into those kinds of urges.”

“You probably shouldn’t say ‘urges’ around me right now.”

Laughing, I pulled away. “Now, focus. I might be the boss by default, but I want to be respected, too. That’s not something I can get by kissing the other boss.”

He gave a playful frown. “Why don’t we try it and see?”

“I’m serious, Finn. I want to belong here because I earned it, not because you handed over this place I had nothing to do with–”

“You were the vision. And I wish we could stop having this conversation. I get that you want to earn it, but this place is yours for more than that. Okay?”

I nodded, still reeling inside from the information and from the kiss. “Okay.”

He took my hand before I could turn. “One more thing.”

“What?”

He kept his voice low and gentle when he said, “We should talk to Powell today.”

I tensed, dropping my chin automatically.

“I know it’s hard,” Finn said, “but it’s for the best. He’ll be discreet, I promise. No decisions until you agree, okay?”

Lifting my chin, I looked straight in Finn’s eyes. “Do you trust him?”

“Absolutely. Working at Oasis was just a favor to me–normally he does something a little more high profile. Private security, bodyguard kind of stuff. He helped Jake out when he had trouble with his ex and he was very thorough and very discreet. He’ll be able to do more than we can on our own.”

“Mark knows people, too,” I said quietly, my eyes flicking to the door. There was a pinching in my chest, and I instinctively squeezed my fist over my heart. “He wasn’t lying when he said he’d hurt someone.”

“Which is why it’s time we do something.” Finn pulled my hand away from my chest. “Relax, take a deep breath. We’ll do it one step at a time.”

“We have to tell Curtis about my family. I don’t want anything to happen.”

“He’ll know what to do,” Finn assured me. “I promise.”

His confidence seeped over to me. If Finn could trust Curtis, so could I. I was running out of options.

“Can we wait for a few hours so I can get some work done first?” I asked.

Finn grinned. “See, now, that sounds exactly like Charlotte. Yes, let’s see about doing this over lunch.”

My stomach swirled, but I only nodded. “Lunch. Right.”

Then I pointed my finger at Finn again to make him stay where he was. He laughed once more. I felt his eyes on me as I walked out of his office, and tried to focus my mind on work.

() () ()

At noon, Tucker appeared at the doorway to my office. He smiled. “I wanted to make sure you were still here. You’ve been so quiet, I thought you might have stepped out.”

I pointed to the papers scattered around my desk–mostly just notes I’d made for myself–but also stacks Tucker had brought me this morning. “Busy, busy.”

“I updated the contact information so now all upper level questions about the communities will be directed to you.”

“Thank you, Tucker.”

“Don’t thank me,” he said. “Your phone and your email are about to get very busy.”

“It’s the job. No worries.”

Tucker glanced behind him. “Also, I think they’re ready for you in Mr. Moore’s office.”

I realized I was holding my breath, and tried to blow it out. I’d rather stay here with my papers and pretend nothing else was going on, but it wasn’t going to solve the problem.

“Thanks, Tucker,” I said, standing. “Have a nice lunch.”

He nodded and walked off. I searched my desk for something last minute to do. Then, deciding it would be better dealing with it rather than putting it off, I left my office and passed Leslie’s desk, giving her a wobbly smile.

“We still on for this weekend?” she asked.

“Yes. My neighbor Paige is coming with us because she needs a dress, too. And then afterward we can relax and have dinner.”

She grinned. “Margaritas.”

“Sounds good.”

But the idea sat heavy in my stomach. I couldn’t get past what I was about to tell Curtis. Things I’d never told anyone else. Not even the police.

In Finn’s office, both men sat at the table. Leslie had ordered lunch in for us and it was clustered in containers at the middle of the table.

When Curtis saw me, he stood and held out his hand. “Good to see you again, Ms. Evans.”

“Could you just…call me Charlotte, please? I’m about to tell you a lot of things I’ve never told anyone, so I guess…it would help if you called me Charlotte.”

He gave a gentle smile. “Sure.”

Finn walked around the table and shut the door. He’d already closed the blinds and now, with the entire office shut in and closed off from the outside, I was starting to feel trapped again. Finn touched my back. “Maybe you could start with something to eat.”

I grimaced. My stomach didn’t feel like starting with something to eat. I just wanted to get this over with.

I sat at the table and Finn sat next to me, passing me a bottle of water. He was close enough I’m sure Curtis was curious what was going on between us. Or maybe Finn had already told him. Either way, he didn’t show anything on his face. Now he was all business.

He had a plate of food in front of him, but ignored it as he faced me. “Ms. Evans. Charlotte,” he started again. “Mr. Moore has asked me step up security–particularly in Housing–and he and I are both concerned about the notes you’ve been getting. He’s also implied there’s more to it–from your past. If you feel like you’re in danger, and it’s something I can help with, I’d like to try.”

I felt like a little kid, sitting with my hands clenched on the table, having to tell the truth about something I’d been lying about for months. Years.

Finn squeezed my leg under the table, and I flashed him a pained smile. “Sorry. I…this is hard to talk about.”