She backtracked and took the turn toward the hall that led to Hayes’s and Ren’s offices. That part of FoxRen was much quieter, the clicking of keyboards and ringing of phones dimming in the distance. Hayes’s door was closed tight when she passed and Collin, Ren’s assistant, looked to be out to lunch. She eyed the door at the far end of the hall that led to the stairs and heard the telltale hum of a vending machine. You have arrived at your destination. She pulled a wrinkled dollar out of her pocket and headed that way.
But right as she was passing Ren’s office, she heard a strange noise—a gasping, pained sound. She halted her step and looked at Ren’s door, wondering if she’d imagined it. But the noise came again. Almost a choking sound. What the hell? Instinct kicked in and she reached for the door, pushing it open a crack to check on him. She was about to call out and ask if everything was okay, but she froze solid when she got a view of what was inside the office.
Ren was there, but he was far from hurt. He was backed up against his desk with Hayes’s big hand wrapped around his neck. And they were . . . kissing.
And touching.
Cora couldn’t move and couldn’t look away. The two men were clinging to each other, soft groans and gripping hands. And she had no idea how to feel. The rush of warmth through her body said one thing, but her brain was screaming another. The guy who’d said he wanted her in his bed was with someone else. And by the looks of it, their relationship was far more than casual.
Ren’s hand slid between their bodies and gripped Hayes’s erection. Hayes hissed out a breath and clamped his hand over Ren’s, rubbing along with him.
It was sexy as fuck—the raw, primal need between them. Heat gathered between Cora’s thighs despite the snap of shock and jealousy. She’d never seen the stoic Hayes look quite so undone and had never seen Ren look more intense. And she absolutely should not be watching this private moment. She reached for the door handle, intending to slip out and shut it, but the movement caught Ren’s eye. His attention jerked her way and his eyes went wide. “Cora.”
“What?” Hayes’s head turned, his gaze colliding with hers. “Shit.”
“I— Sorry. I was—” She made some lame motion with her hand that was meant to be code for I was getting a drink.
Hayes took a big step backward and turned away from Cora.
“I’m going to . . . Yeah.” She moved to grab the door handle again.
Ren pushed himself off the desk, not even bothering to conceal the obvious state of his erection. “Cora, wait.”
But she was already turning and cruising back the way she came, her body tense and her thoughts too scattered to concentrate on any one. All she knew was she needed to get back to the safety of her office. Pretend this hadn’t happened.
A hand landed on her shoulder. “Hey, hold up. Please.”
She halted her step, more out of habit than anything else, but her entire body was trembling. She kept her eyes forward and fought to find her voice, her defenses. “We’ve got to stop
meeting like this.”
He sniffed and the grip on her shoulder eased. “You think?”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I— Just let me go back to my desk. Please.”
“Hey,” he said gently and stepped in front of her, his eyes searching hers. “Just take a breath and slow down. We should talk about this.”
Her brows shot up. “Oh, no, we shouldn’t. We should label this none of my fucking business and par for the course.”
He frowned. “Par for the course?”
She hadn’t meant to let that part slip out. “Yeah, par. Of course this happened. Of course you’ve got something that intense going with someone else.”
“It’s not—”
She put her arms out at her sides, the frustration boiling up and over. “Whatever. It’s fine. I just— Just tell me one thing, all right? Why in the hell did we have that night at the taco place? Why would you tell me all those things and make it sound like maybe we’d do that again, like maybe we’d do more than that when you already have that with someone?”
Ren’s shoulders sagged and he ran a hand through his hair. “We had that night because I like you. I still do. And that night . . . I didn’t have this. Hayes and I, it’s complicated. But I can promise you what you just saw is new. We’ve been together a long time but not in that way.”
She smirked, defensiveness rising to push past the hurt, the disappointment. She’d lost Dmitry over this guy. She’d thought . . . Well, she shouldn’t have thought. She should’ve known better. “Well, yay for you two. Nothing like a date with me to make a guy realize how much he wants someone else.”
She turned to go and he grabbed her hand. “Cora, don’t. Please.”
Her teeth clamped together. She wouldn’t cry. Wouldn’t let him see how this burned. This wasn’t about him. He didn’t owe her anything. It was just another inevitable outcome.
“I was going to talk to you about all of this. I needed time to process things. Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“Well, I saved you the trouble.”