“I don’t believe that for a minute, Angel,” he told her with a smug grin. “What we had together was too good, too special, for us not to give it another shot.”
Angela stared at him. “Are you high? Or having a serious mental breakdown? What we had, Nick, was a one-sided relationship where you had absolutely everything your way all the time. Granted, the sex was hot, but since you’re far from the only guy in this world with a big dick and a dirty mouth, I’d say you don’t have a hell of a lot going for you these days.”
For a minute he looked so furious that she was half-afraid he was going to shake her again, and then tightened his fingers around her wrist so fiercely she was convinced it was going to snap in two. Gradually he regained his composure and loosened his grip some, but still didn’t release her completely.
“We had a lot more than just good sex,” he replied tersely. “Only I was too much of a self-centered prick to admit it. And I realize now that I’m going to have to earn your trust again after the way I treated you. But just so we’re clear, Angel – you
will
be mine again. I don’t care about the high jumper. You don’t belong to him because you’ve never stopped being mine.”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” she snapped. “And if you think I’d ever willingly go back to you, then you’ve gone completely off the deep end.” She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears once more as she mumbled, “It almost killed me, Nick, losing you. I won’t go through something like that ever again. So just stay away from me, please? I realize that by some fucked up twist of fate we’re stuck working in the same office, but I’ll transfer to a different branch if I have to. So, please – leave me alone.”
He was silent for long seconds, his face almost devoid of expression, and Angela wondered wildly what kinds of thoughts were running through his head right now.
When he finally spoke, his voice was somber, almost hollow. “I’ll leave you alone for now. But this isn’t over, Angel.
We’re
not over, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you realize that.”
She tugged futilely at the wrist he still held imprisoned between his fingers. “Can I go now?”
He let go of her wrist only to take her by surprise and bring her palm to his cheek instead. “Just answer me one more question before you leave.” At her nod, he gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Why are your hands so cold now? One of the things I remembered was that your hands were always so warm and soft. What happened to change that?”
She tried valiantly to ignore how good it felt to touch him again, even just his cheek, and replied in a cool, impersonal voice. “You know that old saying about cold hands, warm heart? Well, that’s just a stupid old wives tale because my heart is covered in ice, too.”
This time when she jerked her hand away he didn’t try to hold her back, simply standing there and watching as she drove off.
***
“Good morning, Cara. How’s everything going so far today?”
Cara Bregante glanced up from her computer monitor at the sound of the deep, masculine drawl and gulped. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the effect the tall, dark, and ultra-intimidating Nick Manning had on her. Of course, she assured herself hastily, it seemed like he had that same effect on nearly every other woman in the office so she was hardly alone in her weakness. And while Nick did seem to pay far more attention to her than he did to any of the other females, Cara knew it wasn’t because he was hitting on her. No, she knew exactly why he stopped by so often, and why she’d so willingly joined forces with him.
She grinned up at him, trying not to feel dwarfed by the way he towered over her. “Really well, Mr. Manning. She was so ticked off after you stopped by earlier that she ate a whole bagel. With extra cream cheese.”
Nick grinned back, giving her a wink. “Atta girl. One way or another we’re going to pack some more weight onto that boss of yours.”
“She already looks a lot healthier than when I first started working here,” chirped Cara. “Though I’ve got to admit it’s a little weird that she tends to eat more when she’s angry or irritated.”
“Emotional eating,” declared Nick. “It’s a well-documented fact. Admittedly most cases are when someone is stressed or depressed but apparently the key with Angela is when she’s pissed off at me.”
Cara giggled merrily. “You really made her mad this morning. When I went in there after you left, she’d thrown a book against the wall. And then she ate that whole bagel without even being aware she was doing it.”
“Happy to oblige,” he replied. “Now, tell me. Anything interesting on her schedule this week?”
Cara glanced behind her nervously, making sure the door to her boss’s office remained closed. If Angela had any idea that Cara was not only secretly conspiring with Nick to get her to eat more, but was also letting him know about her personal appointments, she’d be throwing more than just books against the wall.
Nick had told her in strictest confidence that he and Angela had been together a few years back – a fact that Cara had begun to suspect the first time she’d seen them together and observed how hot and fast the sparks had flown. Nick had also begged for Cara’s help in convincing Angela to give him a second chance, and Cara, who’d always been a starry-eyed romantic, had willingly agreed to do whatever she could. She would secretly let Nick know about any weekend plans Angela might have mentioned, or certain meetings or appointments where he could contrive to “coincidentally” be in the same area.
“Um.” Cara hesitated now, not at all certain if she ought to be telling this particular bit of news to Nick. “Not really. I mean, no social engagements or races this week. Except, well, I’m not sure -”
Nick placed his hands on her desk and leaned over a little further, bringing his darkly handsome face to within inches of hers. She gulped again as he very deliberately smiled at her, and she wondered weakly if it was really possible to drown in someone’s eyes.
“Cara.” Her name sounded like a purr on his lips – the purr of a huge, menacing lion, that is. “You know you can trust me.”
Cara shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just, well, this particular appointment is different. It’s – more personal. Like -”
“What?” asked Nick teasingly. “A pap smear? Bikini wax? Or some other type -”
“Lunch with Dwayne,” she blurted out. “He’s meeting her here today at one o’clock.”
Nick straightened suddenly, his grin fading. “I see. Well, things are going to get very interesting around here in a few hours, aren’t they?”
Cara fought down a paralyzing sense of alarm. “What – you aren’t going to approach him, are you? Angela will go ballistic if you do anything.”
Nick gave her another wink. “Didn’t you know I’m a huge track and field fan? I’d love nothing better than to meet a medal winning high jumper. Hey, no worries, Cara. I just want to size up my competition a bit is all. Everything will be just fine.”
As Nick sauntered off with his usual careless swagger, Cara couldn’t help sighing in reaction. God, she thought, it was a real pity he was way too old for her, way too tall, way too out of her league, and way too interested in Angela. And, having met Dwayne Conroy more than once or twice, Cara thought rather smugly that Nick definitely didn’t have to worry about any potential competition coming from that end.
***
Nick scowled as he read over the limited amount of information he’d been able to pull up on Dwayne Conroy. It was basically just his athletic bio and results from his college and professional competitions. There was an official photo posted on the U.S. Track and Field website that revealed a guy of average looks, large, squarish features, a shock of sandy brown hair, and a decidedly goofy grin. Aside from that, there was really no other information he could find.
As he closed out the website and returned to the financial report he was
really
supposed to be checking out, Nick wondered what the hell he was doing anyway. When had he ever bothered to check out the competition, so to speak? Christ, he’d never
had
competition before now, never had to worry about wooing a woman away from another man. Women flocked to him automatically, ignored other men in the hopes of attracting his attention. So why the hell was he bothering to try and get Angela back again, especially when she continued to make it very obvious that she didn’t give a shit about him any longer?
But it was precisely because he didn’t really believe that fact that he kept on trying. He refused to accept the reality that the blazing attraction that had existed between them four years ago had burned out and couldn’t be re-lit. And he wasn’t going to give up on her without a fight. He
knew
that she still cared for him, could see it in the way she reacted to him. Granted, her reactions right now consisted of alternately cursing at him or threatening to throw something his way, but, hey – wasn’t hate just one step away from love?
Nick was grinning as that old saying came to mind just before one o’clock, and he started walking towards the elevator lobby. But the grin froze on his face as he saw Angela and Dwayne approaching from the opposite direction.
Today had been the first time since he’d started working here that Angela had actually worn something other than one of those god-awful tailored pantsuits. And while the crisp, khaki-colored belted shirtdress wasn’t exactly sexy, it was a vast improvement over any of the other outfits he’d seen her wearing the past couple of months. It showed off the long, slender length of her legs, which, he was relieved to notice, didn’t look quite so scrawny these days. In fact, Angela was slowly beginning to gain a bit more weight, and while she was still a long way from where she needed to be, her cheekbones didn’t look so gaunt and she actually had a hint of cleavage.
She’d also, Nick noticed grimly, bothered to do something with her hair and makeup today, and was even wearing a pair of earrings and a gold bracelet. And, he realized with a pang, she was smiling,
really
smiling, for the very first time since he’d seen her again. The fact that she was bestowing that smile on another man made his fists clench in mingled fury and frustration.
Dwayne Conroy was every bit as goofy and somewhat nerdy as his photo had hinted at, but from initial appearances he also seemed like a genuinely nice guy. There was nothing the least bit pretentious about his appearance, dressed as he was in jeans, a red polo shirt, and athletic shoes, the latter two items both emblazoned with the signature Nike logo. He was exceptionally tall, perhaps even an inch or so taller than Nick, who certainly wasn’t used to having to literally look up to other men. But Dwayne was as lean as a greyhound, as opposed to Nick’s heavily muscled form, and Nick guessed the younger man had been skinny as a beanpole until just a few years ago.
But, he acknowledged reluctantly, Angela didn’t seem to give two figs about how Dwayne looked, or that her current boyfriend wasn’t exactly stud material. And somehow or other, the tall, awkward looking guy had managed to work at least one miracle – getting the so-called ice queen to thaw out enough to actually smile.
Angela glanced up first at the sound of Nick’s footsteps on the tiled floor of the elevator lobby, and the smile froze on her face, her dark eyes suddenly furious. Dwayne followed the direction of her gaze, but his own reaction at seeing Nick was vastly different. His eyes practically bugged out of their sockets, and his jaw dropped open in disbelief.
“Oh, my, God,” Dwayne murmured in awe. “Are you really Nick Manning?
The
Nick Manning from the 49ers?”
Nick gave his so-called rival his best “gotta keep the fans happy” smile. “Guilty as charged. Angela – introduce me to your, ah, friend.”
Angela gave him a look that said she’d much rather introduce his crotch to the pointed toe of her shoe. Dwayne beat her to the punch by eagerly extending his hand in greeting.
“Dwayne Conroy. Wow, this is unbelievable, such an honor to meet you, Nick. Uh, that is, can I call you Nick?” he babbled excitedly.
Nick couldn’t help returning Dwayne’s grin. “Yeah, it’s all good. And – wait. Dwayne Conroy. Why does that name sound familiar?” He pretended to think for a few seconds before snapping his fingers in recollection. “I know. I watched you compete at the indoor track and field championships. You won the high jump, didn’t you?”
By now Dwayne was almost leaping out of his size fourteen shoes in excitement. “Come on! No way does
the
Nick Manning watch indoor track. Or remember the name of the high jump guys. I’m being punked, right? Angie, did you put him up to this?”
Angela crossed her arms over her chest, giving Nick the most evil glare he’d ever seen. He could almost feel the ice pouring off of her, and he half-expected to feel sharp little icicles stabbing into his skin any moment now.
“No,” she replied flatly. “I most certainly did not.”
But Dwayne was too excited about meeting Nick to notice his girlfriend’s own unenthusiastic attitude towards the famed football star.
“And why didn’t you tell me a big star like Nick Manning worked here?” Dwayne asked her. “Especially since you know what a huge 49ers fan I’ve always been.”
Angela gave a careless little lift of her shoulder. “I guess I didn’t give it a second thought.”
Nick dared to give her a cheeky grin and a flirty wink, letting her know that he wasn’t fooled by her apparent indifference. And then he ignored the evil eye she kept focusing his way while he chatted casually with Dwayne for several minutes about football, track, basketball. It was only when he was sure he saw steam rising from the top of Angela’s sleek raven head that he backed off his very intentional antagonizing.