She smiled back, focusing on enjoying the man’s skillful mastery of the dance and how well he led her into each turn before expertly moving them in a circle around the fountain. Gradually all thoughts of Adrian disappeared as the music filled her veins and the novelty of the moment chased away her tension.
Out of the corner of her eye she caught movement behind one of the trees. She turned her head and met Adrian’s furious gaze. She stumbled.
Her dancing partner caught her as the song finished with a flourish. “You are all right?” he asked as the diners burst into applause.
“Yes.” Everleigh forced a smile to her face even as her heart thudded wildly. “Thank you for the dance. I just... I saw someone, and it startled me.”
Before he could ask more questions, she squeezed his hand, thanked him again, and walked back to her table. She kept her pace slow and measured, but inside her stomach was twisted up in knots.
She sat down and forced herself to take a drink of water as Adrian approached, his movements like a predator stalking its prey.
“Have fun?”
The ice in his words froze her blood. “Yes, I did. Did you get your business taken care of?”
“Yes.”
He snapped the word out with such ferocity she leaned back. “Are you all right?”
He stared at her for what felt like forever before he sat down in his chair.
“I stepped away for two minutes—three at the most. I came back and you were cavorting with another man.”
His statement cut deep. “What is wrong with me dancing while you took a business call? You’ve made it clear on more than one occasion that there’s nothing between us but a professional relationship. You stepped away to conduct some business, so I decided to dance with a charming man.”
His eyes narrowed. “He wanted more than just a dance, Everleigh. Don’t be naïve.”
She wanted to punch him in the mouth, but that would certainly ruin any chance she had of securing the director’s position. So she did the next best thing she could as her anger surged into fury.
“This conversation and this dinner are over. Goodnight, Mr. Cabrera.”
She stood, grabbed the silver clutch Isabella had loaned her, and walked away. She’d made a commitment to work on her temper. A good business leader didn’t surrender to her emotions. But,damn, it was hard to walk away without tossing the remnants of her wine in his arrogant, holier-than-thou face.
Everleigh forced herself to take measured steps toward an arch carved into the wall of the courtyard. She stepped into a quaint street, each side lined by rows of orange trees. A terrace of little shops sat on the other side of the cobblestones, with displays of pottery, jewelry and clothing in their windows. Fortunately, the shops appeared to be closed for the night, leaving her alone to contemplate this latest insult.
Defeat settled heavy on her shoulders as she walked over to a wall surrounding one of the groups of orange trees. She sank down onto the cold stone and closed her eyes.
Even if she’d kept a lid on her temper she’d no doubt offended Adrian to the point where he would consider removing her from Fox. Why bother keeping on an employee who seemed to do nothing but set him off? Would working at Fox even be enjoyable if she and Adrian did nothing but spar every time they were in close proximity to each other?
But why had her dancing upset him? Logic told her that he was jealous—a thought that gave her an unwelcome thrill. However, given how far he’d gone to keep at her arm’s length since their interlude in the cellar, him being jealous didn’t make sense. He made decisions without emotion, with only facts and statistics to guide him.
So what the hell had set him off tonight?
Her hair prickled on the back of her neck as awareness skipped across her skin, hot and electric. She looked up to see a man standing in the archway.
Even with his face in shadow, she knew him in an instant.
Adrian.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ADRIANTOOKAcautious step forward, keeping a watchful gaze on Everleigh. She stared back at him, her eyes unreadable, her body tense as if she would flee at any moment.
He’d screwed up. Everleigh’s proposal for the party had impressed him more than anything he’d heard from his own marketing team in a long time. His employees followed his lead; they focused on numbers and statistics. Everleigh had responded in less than a minute with an idea that wasn’t just smart but personalized. She was excellent at her job and, judging by her ready answers to every one of his other questions, she had the background to serve as an excellent director of Fox.
But when he’d come back to see her in the arms of that man, jealousy and rage had burned through him like a wildfire. Even discovering the texts on Nicole’s phone between her and her lover hadn’t inspired an ounce of the possessiveness he’d felt as he’d watched another man’s hands move over Everleigh’s body. It should have beenhishands cradling her hips,hisfingers gliding up and down the curve of her back as she arched against him.
Why was he so drawn to this woman? He’d spent most of his life making informed decisions, using common sense like armor against the unstable emotions that so many of his fellow businessmen fell prey to. He didn’t let feelings get the better of him. He’d been enticed by Nicole, had entertained something more than just a physical attraction, but even then he’d kept a certain distance between them.