“I’ve got to go,” she announced abruptly, already making her way through the jumble of chairs other customers hadn’t bothered to push back under the tables.

  “What’s wrong? Are you sick?” he asked.

  She didn’t stop, or turn, hurrying since she could hear him following.

  “I lost track of time,” she called over her shoulder, going faster, yet trying to make it appear as though she wasn’t doing what she was doing—running away. “Jana’s alone at the boutique, she’s a nightmare on the register, and I’m late getting back.”

  None of it was a lie, but she would have stayed with him all day, if only...

  She gave him a vague goodbye wave over her shoulder.

  “Carly, wait.”

  Chairs scraped the floor, and she didn’t have to see to guess why. Rather than going around them as she had, Trent simply shoved them out of his way.

  Moving as quickly as humanly possible in heels and on tile floors, she escaped through the crowd. For once, luck was in her favor, and she caught the elevator as it was closing.

  “Carly!”

  She ignored his call, not daring to make eye contact. Instead, she focused on the lights, willing the doors to shut while she struggled to contain her tears. Once the metal doors slid shut, she heaved a hitching, shuddering sigh.

  As soon as she walked into the shop, Jana called for her. Too focused on getting to a quiet place where she could have her emotional breakdown in peace, she didn’t slow, making a beeline for the back room.

  “I screwed up, Carly, and had to void another credit card sale. Can you—”

  “Later,” she told her in a harsh, raw voice. “Stick it under the drawer and I’ll deal with it later.” She sailed right by the sales counter. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the other girl turn and stare as she passed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she replied, not as snappish; it wasn’t anyone else’s fault the man she’d fallen for didn’t want her.

  “You don’t sound as if it’s nothing, and you look like someone just shot your dog.”

  “I don’t have a dog,” she choked out. If Jana didn’t stop with the questions, she’d lose it right then and there.

  “A cat then, or your effing goldfish. Does the species of pet matter? I know something happened while you were gone, so you might as well tell me what it was.”

  For someone she’d known for only a few weeks, the new girl was intrusive, and demandingly so. She meant well, but Carly wasn’t ready for a heart-to-heart now, maybe never. Her mood called for one thing, a good cry, but it would have to wait until she got home in a few more hours.

  How she’d hold back the flood of disappointment that her dream man thought of her as a kid, and probably always would, she didn’t know.

  “I’ll be in the back. I’ve got invoices to pay. Holler if you get in trouble and I’ll come out. Otherwise, I need quiet to concentrate.”

  “Uh... Carly.” Something in the other woman’s tone made her stop. “I’m not in trouble, but by the look of things, your trouble is coming to you.”

  This odd statement made her stop and turn. Ready to ask what the heck she was talking about, she followed Jana’s worried gaze aimed at the front of the store and saw Trent, his face a mask of fury, headed her way.

  “In the back,” he ordered, his voice clipped. When she didn’t immediately move, it lowered to a growl. “Now, Carly.”

  His demeanor set her teeth on edge, and his anger, directed at her as if they had a relationship or something, made her bristle. Badass or not, he could take his orders and stick ’em.

  “You can’t barge in here, bark orders at me, and expect me to snap to—” Her objections broke off as he came alongside her, caught her hand in his, and without stopping, proceeded to haul her toward the back.

  “Trent, I’m working.” He ignored her protest, his firm grip making it so struggling was useless. Short of calling security—the head of which was a wall of anger in front of her—she was helpless to do anything other than follow.

  Once inside, he slammed the door and stood facing her, his arms crossed over his chest, and practically seething.

  “Correction. What you’re going to do, young lady, is explain what the fuck that was all about back there.”

  She didn’t heed the warning in his tone or body language. She’d have been immune to it anyway. His calling her “young lady” only added fuel to her already simmering fire. Without a scintilla of instinct for self-preservation, she doubled down on her refusal to comply with his demands.

  “I don’t have to do a damn thing, as my daddy says, other than die and pay taxes. So you can get one thing straight, right now, Mr. Badass Security Man, this is my place of work, I’m being paid to do a job, and you’re preventing me from doing it.” She flung her hands in the air. “I don’t believe you. You can’t just storm in here, throw your weight around, and start making demands.”

  His brows arched briefly, then he moved forward a step. “You’re wrong, since that’s exactly what I’ve done. And I’m not leaving until you explain why, one moment, you were laughing and joking with me and refused to meet my eyes the next. Then you ran out of the Courtyard like someone set your sweet little ass on fire, and you ignored me when I asked you to stop—twice.”

  As abruptly as her anger had ignited it diffused. He thought her ass was sweet? If she was a kid in his eyes or a sister, why would he say that, or notice he ass at all? Her head was reeling from the mixed signals he was sending her way.

  She didn’t know what to say, and “I didn’t run,” stubbornly slipped out.

  “Carly,” he growled, taking another step, and another. When three of his long strides brought him halfway across the large combination office/storage/stock room, she decided it prudent to back up. When he kept coming, she skirted the desk putting it in between them.

  “I thought we were friends. You don’t run from a friend, and you don’t give them a bullshit ‘nothing’ answer when they come to check and see if you’re all right.”

  There was a word that made her see red—friends. And, yet another jacked-up mixed message from him. Bah! He could take his friendship, and his own brand of hot and cold, and find someone else to confuse, the maddening, impossible man.

  “Does a friend barge into another friend’s place of work demanding they talk when they don’t want to, Trent? Do they stomp around, slamming doors, and embarrassing said friend in front of their co-worker? I don’t think so. If this is how you treat your friends, Mr. Jacobs, I’ll thank you to scratch me off your fucking list.”

  One moment, the desktop separated her from the very large, enraged man, and the next, it was gone when he gripped the edge with one hand and shoved it out of his way. It was cheap, made of thin metal and pressed wood, Monica’s motto of “only the best” not applying to the office furniture none of the customers ever saw, but it was heavy. She’d tried to move it closer to the overhead light when she’d started doing Monica’s books but had given up when she couldn’t get it to budge.

  At that moment, she identified with the two ten-year-old boys and the frightened looks on their faces when they’d stared down the same six-and-a-half-foot wall of intimidation.

  “Trent, please,” she began, her anger lessening to a simmer as she reconsidered her belligerence. She stiffened when his hand came to her cheek, but his touch was surprisingly gentle.

  “I care about you, Carly, and something is obviously wrong. In the blink of an eye, you went from the sweet, shy girl I’ve come to know, for once open and animated with me, to a stranger, closed off and dismissive for some reason. I was worried when you ran out of there, and I can’t deny I got ticked when you acted as though you didn’t hear me calling your name. And I don’t know who you turned into in here, getting pissed and cursing like a sailor. I can’t read your mind, or this hot and cold act, and much as I’d enjoy turning you over my knee and paddle your butt until you admit whatever it is you’re trying to hide, I’m not the man in your life who has that right. And now, evidently, I’m not even your friend. Which, by the way, cuts me to the quick.” He stroked the line of her jaw, lightly. “Life is too short not to accept a hand offered in friendship, sweetheart. You think about that.”

  She shut her eyes, unable to bear the disappointment shining in his. Damn, how had this gone so wrong so quickly? A heartbeat later, when she was ready to blurt out the truth, his hand fell away.

  When she heard his footsteps, she took a quick peek and saw him at the door. With his hand on the knob, he paused and glanced back. “I’ll be around when you’re ready to talk.”

  After he left, she stared at the spot where he’d stood until Jana replaced him, eyes wide with shock.

  “Holy crap...” was all she said in a whisper.

  It was succinct, but Carly couldn’t have summed it up any better.

  Certain her legs wouldn’t hold her any longer, she staggered to the high-backed desk chair and collapsed into it. “How much did you hear?”

  “All of it,” Jana replied. “The walls must be made of paper.”

  Her head fell back with a plop. “Great.”

  “Carly, he said he wanted to spank you.”

  “I heard.” What else could she say?

  “Is spanking something you’re into?”

  “No!”

  She sensed Jana’s disappointment before she spoke. “Too bad. It’s hot, and so is he.”

  With one eye cracked open, she peered at the other girl. “Not if he thinks he’s my friend, or worse, my father or brother.” She grimaced and shut it again. “Sorry, that’s not my gig.” Then she groaned. “How do I convince him I’m not a kid, but a grown woman.” She covered her face with her hands, and when she spoke again it came out muffled. “Acting nutso the way I did tonight sure as heck isn’t how to go about it.”

  “You’ve got it bad for him, don’t you?”

  Several heartbeats passed before she whispered, “Yeah, I kind of do.”

  “Honey, I’ve got to tell you, I think you’re wrong. I saw his face. He was livid, yes, but I think there was more to it. To get that angry because you wouldn’t talk to him.” Jana’s voice trailed or and she paused, making it clear how telling she thought this was. “I’ve had a few boyfriends, and none of ’em got the least bit irate because I wouldn’t share. As for my dad and brother, neither have ever been anything but overjoyed when I clammed up and wouldn’t talk.” The bell rang, announcing a customer had entered the store. “I think you need to take his advice and think long and hard about what this says about how he feels.”

  She turned to go back to work.

  “I’m confused, Jana. I’ve tried to figure it out for weeks. First, I’m a kid, and then he leans in as if he’s going to kiss me right here in this very room. He calls me sweetheart one minute and the next, I’m kiddo. He says I run hot and cold, but he’s the one making my head spin.”

  “Then do something to clear the air. Maybe he’s as confused as you. And after tonight?” She shook her head and whistled. “Boy-o-boy was he mad. Whatever you do, it’s going to have to be something he can’t misunderstand.”

  “Hello?” a woman’s voice called. “Is anyone here?”

  “I need to get out there.”

  Carly nodded, but when she moved to leave, she stopped her. “Wait, Jana. He was angry and believe me he’s scary when he’s angry. What if I’m way off base?”

  “You nurse your broken heart. But what if you’re spot on? Can you live with not knowing for sure?”

  “What should I do?”

  “Ever hear the expression anger and passion are two sides of the same coin.”

  “Yes, but how does it help me?”

  “Flip him?”

  “What?”

  “Flip the coin.” She grinned slowly. “Better yet, flip his switch.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Trent was on the angry side of the coin tonight, flip him to passion. And trust me, the way he came storming in here with those gorgeous green eyes only seeing you, I don’t think it will be hard to do.”

  “Is anyone back there?” the same woman called. “I hear voices.”

  Jana cracked the door and called, “Coming,”

  “You’re suggesting I seduce him?”

  She shut the door before she answered. “Hell, yeah. He’s hot, but maybe a little slow on the uptake. You need to put yourself out there, Carly. If it’s love on the line, isn’t it worth every effort?” She yanked open the door. “Gotta run. We’ll talk more, later.”

  After Jana left, she thought long and hard about what both she and Trent had said.

  It seemed they were both guilty of mixed messages. She wanted to clear the air, as Jana had suggested, but to do something as bold as seducing him? She breathed in slow and blew out long. Could she do it?

  She raised her hand to her face, remembering his gentle touch. How the other night, he’d brushed back her hair, and he’d moved closer, speaking low with his breath warm on her cheek. He’d been so close she could have gone up on tiptoe and kissed him. And only moments ago, the way he slid his finger down her jaw.

  After raking her hair on top of her head, she let it fall and muttered, “None of that says friendship, Trent Jacobs.”

  Mind made up, she decided she’d go for it, just as Sherry, Jana, and even sixty-year-old Deirdre had recommended. She wasn’t sure of all the details yet, but she’d come up with a way to get him alone and seduce him. She’d admit her feelings, heck, she’d flash her tits if she had too. They weren’t overly large, but with her C-cups in his face, she’d make damn sure he didn’t mistake her for a kid anymore. And wouldn’t Deirdre be proud?

  Grinning, she went out to check on Jana at the register. She also intended to pick her brain for ideas. The girl might be hopeless when it came to voiding tickets or making change correctly, but she knew people. Carly thought she might have room in her life for more friends, after all.

  Chapter Five

  TRENT WAS PREPARING for one last sweep of the mall before calling it a night. It was the third Saturday in a row he’d covered, and he was beat. He was going to have to hire more men; the two new guys weren’t enough. Still working long days, nights, and weekends, trying to keep the books himself—which wasn’t going well at all, invoices were behind, and payroll with all the recent overtime was a nightmare—and servicing over thirty accounts was taking its toll.

  As for a social life, his was non-existent. So, when Curt and Austin requested Valentine’s Day off, he’d given them both the time off. He didn't have a date and had no prospects for a woman in his bed—he could have called someone, but meaningless sex was only that to him nowadays, meaningless, and so overrated.

  Who was he kidding? He had a prospect, but like a wuss, he hadn’t gotten around to asking the one he truly wanted to be with to be both his date and the one to warm his bed. And after the other night, hell, he didn’t know where they stood.

  Fuck.

  Big Mike Benson walked in the door just then and asked as he always did, “Anything?”.

  Trent came close to rolling his eyes in disgust, but said instead, “We’ve got some paint drying on the walls in the renovation area on level three, if it gets your juices going. Otherwise, the mall is closed, so it’s the same shit, different night.”

  His overnight surveillance guy shook his head. “Challenging stuff. I haven’t seen this much action since Jalalabad.”

  Trent eyed the ex-Marine. “I’ve got a friend hiring private security contractors in the theater. You interested?”

  “Fuck no,” he shot back. “I hung up my camo for good a decade ago.”

  “So quit complaining.”

  He held up his hands in surrender at Trent’s touchiness. “Just making conversation, boss.”

  “Mmhmm,” he grunted as he picked up his empty Yeti and slung his leather jacket under his arm.

  “You’re covering me next Saturday for my daughter’s wedding rehearsal, right?”

  Yeah, this was getting old. But he nodded and said as he turned to leave, “Absolutely.”

  “Great. I got one job, walking down the aisle with my girl while wearing a damn monkey suit, but the wife would bitch until my ears bled if we didn’t—” Stopping mid-rant, his eyes shifted, and his brows slammed together. “Hey, what’s the silent alarm about?”

  Trent spun back, his eyes homing in on the alert as Benson took his seat at the console. “It must have just gone off. Where is it? I’ll check it on my way out.”

  “Second-floor mezzanine, the lingerie shop.”

  Shit. Carly was working tonight.

  On the move, he barked his orders. “Put it on screen. If you see anything that seems the least bit off, send Reeves to back me up, pronto, then call 911. It’s probably the alarm system; I worked on it the other day. I’ll give an all-clear when I know for sure.”

  “Roger, boss.”

  He took the rear stairs two at a time. A quick check of the time marked it at three minutes past when Carly was due out the door. Fucking hell, he hoped she was out. She’d probably only screwed up the code again.

  Think, Trent. If that’s all this is, alarms would be blaring.

  Only slowing on the second landing, he threw open the door and was through it, moving double-time toward Carly’s shop. The alarm had tripped silent, which meant she either forget to set it or wasn’t able to. The prospect of the latter sent cold chills shooting down his spine at the same time his skin beaded with sweat. By the time he could hear the fountain, he was running flat out.

  “GOOD LUCK WITH OPERATION Sweet Nothings,” Jana called to her through the metal gate.

  Carly froze in the middle of locking it down and hopped to her feet, glaring at the new girl.

  “I swear, Jana, if you utter a word to Sherry or anyone else, you’ll be responsible for your own death.”

  She wasn’t offended by her idle threat and laughed from her safe location on the mall side of the heavy metal barrier. “I won’t say a word, but I do expect to be a member of the wedding party when the special day comes.”

 

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