“Don’t.”

I froze. “Okay.”

Settling my head back on his chest, I suddenly felt really awkward.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just thinking of something my grandmother used to say. ‘Scars are the maps to the story of where we’ve been.’”

He stayed quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “Not every scar leads to a story with a happy ending, Annalise.”

“Okay,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”

For the next hour or so, neither of us said a word. I wondered if he regretted asking me to stay. Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t fall asleep. I thought it might be better if I just went home. But if he’d fallen asleep, I didn’t want to wake him.

“Bennett?” I whispered.

He didn’t respond, so I carefully pulled back the covers and tried my best not to make the bed jiggle around so he wouldn’t wake. I’d gotten as far as sitting up when his voice startled me.

“Where are you going?”

“Shit. You scared me. I thought you were asleep.”

“You were going to try to sneak out?”

“No. Ummm… Yeah. I thought maybe it would be better if I went home.”

He pulled me back down to his chest, hugging my shoulder tight to him. “It wouldn’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re a nice girl. A nice woman. I like you here. But if I tell you that some of my scars aren’t healable on the inside, you’re going to try to heal me.”

“And something is wrong with that?”

“Some scars don’t deserve to be healed. But that doesn’t mean I want you to go home. Get some sleep, babe.”

Chapter 31

* * *

Bennett

“The board has selected the last of the accounts that the two of you will be reviewed on,” Jonas said. “It’s a new account to both of you, so I think you’ll be as happy as you could be under the circumstances.”

“That’s great. What kind of an account is it?” Annalise asked.

At the same time, she also uncrossed and recrossed her legs, so I lost track of the conversation. It didn’t help that I knew she had no underwear on under that skirt. After an hour-long fuckfest in the shower this morning, I’d gone for a run while she went home to get dressed. We happened to pull up for work at the exact same time, and both of us had to park in the lot down the street rather than the usual spots we snagged near the building when we were early.

She’d texted me from her car, asking me to walk ahead so people wouldn’t suspect anything when we walked in at the same time. I’d thought it was overkill, but I’d soon realized she was full of shit and why she really needed the minute alone.

The doors to the elevator I’d entered had started to slide closed when Annalise strolled into the building lobby. Instead of letting it go and taking the next car, she waved and yelled from the door. “Hold the elevator, please!”

There were a few other people in the car already, and a woman from accounting pressed the open button.

“Thanks.” Annalise rushed in and stood next to me. Trying to follow her request that no one at work find out about us, I acknowledged her with a simple nod and faced forward. She, on the other hand, went out of her way to address me in front of people.

“Bennett.” She held out a brown paper bag. “I think you might’ve dropped something getting out of your car in the parking lot.” Her face didn’t give anything away, but I caught the twinkle in her eye.

What the hell was she up to? I took the bag, even though I hadn’t dropped it. “Yeah, I did. Thanks.”

At our floor, she exited the elevator first, giving me a fine view of her swaying ass as I followed her down the hall. Curious, I walked into my office and ripped open the brown paper bag. A note sat on top of balled-up red, lacy fabric. The thong was still warm.

Don’t let these distract you today. Or the fact that I took them off in the car.

I’d laughed, thinking she was being cute. But now I realized I truly was fucking distracted. Was it me, or did she look even more fuckable today than usual? How far was the closest motel from the office? I wondered if she’d be up for a quickie at lunch.

That thought had been still rolling through my head when Jonas had given the name of the new account—Pet something or other. But the change in Annalise’s tone brought me back from fantasyland. She sounded apprehensive.

“Pet Supplies & More? The online company based in San Jose?”

“That’s the one,” Jonas said. “Are you familiar with them?”

She side-glanced over at me and then back to Jonas. “Yes, I am.”

I squinted. “You’ve pitched them before?”

Annalise shook her head and spoke to Jonas. “Trent and Lauren Becker, right?”

Jonas nodded. “Yes, that’s them. Have you worked with them before?”

Something about Annalise’s reaction was off. She didn’t seem excited that she knew them, when that could be a clear advantage.

“No, I haven’t. How did the RFP come in?”

“Our CEO got a call from their CEO.”

“Oh. Okay. Lauren may not even know I work here with the merger and all. But I can give her a call.”

“Why you?” What kind of a game is she playing?

“Because I know her.”

I straightened my tie. “Obviously not that well if she didn’t call you for the RFP and doesn’t even know you work here.”

“I’ll make the call, Bennett. Don’t worry your pretty little head. I won’t try to exclude you from getting information. But we both know it’s better for someone with a relationship to take the lead than someone without one.”

“I guess that depends on who is more competent.”

Annalise gave me the evil eye, then spoke to Jonas. “I’ve been to quite a few functions with Lauren and Trent.”

“If you know them so well, why haven’t you pitched them before?”

“Because it was one of those things that, at the time, I thought it was best not to mix business with them.”

What the hell was she being so shady about? “At the time? And now it’s okay to mix business with them? What’s the deal, Annalise?”

She sighed and caught my eye before turning to Jonas. “Lauren is my ex’s sister. The company was actually started by Lauren’s grandparents sixty years ago. But she and her husband mostly run it now. I know them pretty well. Andrew and I were together for eight years.”

“Great. So we’re being judged on three accounts. One, the new creative director wants to get inside her pants, and another, the brother of the owner has already been there.”

“Bennett!” Jonas scolded. “You’re walking a fine line. I know this job is important to you, and in a perfect world, the only advantage in landing an account would be that someone’s pitch is better. So I’ll cut you some slack for being upset. But I will not sit here and listen to you speak about Annalise in that way.”

I stood abruptly. “Fine. Then I’ll leave. It sounds like Annalise will be heading this pitch with the Beckers anyway.”

***

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The door shook as it slammed shut behind Annalise.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and growled. “Go back to your office. I’m not in the mood to argue, and I have work to do.”

She marched toward my desk. “You’re acting like a child. I clearly had no idea this account pitch was coming in. I don’t know what you’re so angry about. I’ve proven that I play fair when it comes to clients I have a relationship with.”

“A relationship, huh?” I scoffed. “Thought you didn’t have that relationship anymore.”

Annalise’s brows drew down, and then a look of understanding crossed her face. She moved closer to me. “Is that what this is about? Andrew? I thought you were mad I had an advantage at work.”

Unfamiliar feelings rattled my cage, making me feel like a locked-up lion. My first instinct was to strike out of the hold.

“Who you fuck isn’t any of my business, unless you’re fucking me over at the same time.”

She looked hurt. “Who I fuck isn’t any of your business? I thought we’d decided neither of us would be fucking anyone else.”

I didn’t want to feel bad. I was pissed. Fucking Andrew. If she wasn’t in on it, that douche was playing some sort of a game. This wasn’t a coincidence.

“He might not be good at going down on you, but I found out this morning you’re a little pro at giving head. I’m sure you can take one for the team and drop to your knees to help land the account.”

She reared back and went in for a slap across my face. Only I caught her wrist before it landed.

“Screw you,” she seethed.

I flaunted a smug smile. “Been there, done that.”

Her other hand came up, and she attempted a lefty smack. That one was even easier to catch.

“You’re an asshole.” She glared at me, her chest heaving.

Looking down, I noticed her nipples pointing through her shirt. I let my eyes linger so she would notice what had snagged my attention, and then raised them to meet hers.

“You must like assholes, then.”

“Go to hell,” she hissed.