Gerald: Did you do something?
I scoffed at the notion that he would think I would do anything to him. I was moving on and would never sacrifice my integrity for him.
“Something wrong?” Cade asked as he poured a helping into each bowl.
“It’s nothing. Gerald just being ridiculous.” I mumbled as I texted him back that he needed to leave me alone. When Cade pushed the cereal my way, I shook my head. “I’m not hungry. I don’t eat past eight, anyway. My metabo–”
“Eat the food, Izzy.” He placed a spoon next to the bowl and carried his back to the table where his laptop was.
“If you think we’re going to live in this place for two weeks with you bossing me around, you’re sorely mistaken.”
He sighed as he sat down in that three-piece suit to continue working. “I’m sustaining your life because I know you didn’t eat outside.”
“How would you know that?”
“Aside from the fact I could look out the window? You never eat when you’re working or socializing. You didn’t eat all last week in the office. Except for candy canes.”
“Well, I like candy canes.”
“Why? It’s not Christmastime.”
I guess he wanted to keep talking while he worked. It was an interesting change, even if talking to him while his head was in a laptop sort of felt detached.
I sat down in front of him and took a bite of the cereal because I couldn’t ignore my stomach growling. “I started that habit with Lucas. It helps keep our minds from wandering to other habits we used to indulge in.”
He did that humming thing again and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he ate. His brow furrowed, and his earthy brown eyes scanned the screen. When he mumbled out a curse, I couldn’t help but ask, “Anything I can help with?”
“No,” he answered immediately, but I left my bowl of cereal to round the table, wanting a look at what he was working on.
Just a week ago, Cade would have shifted to block the view of his screen, but now he didn’t. He may have said there was nothing I could help with, but he didn’t mind me being there. It spoke volumes about the sort of business partnership we were building. I wouldn’t venture so far as to say we were friends, or even friendly, but I liked to think his trust in my work skills might have grown slightly.
“Let me see if I can break in. I’m here to test it, right?”
He was eyeing up the Chicago PD security infrastructure, comparing it with codes that had hacked systems in the past. I’d done the research, though, and knew JUNIPER was up to par. Still, I wanted a crack from the other side.
He sighed and didn’t move. “You won’t be able to do it if I can’t, Izzy.”
I let him have another scoop of cereal and studied his full head of hair. The back of his profile was almost as good as the front. Full, thick strands just long enough to grab and dig fingers into.
My mind started to wander to other things... like had other girls grabbed that hair since me? Did he want me to go to bed so he could call someone else? Did he think of me sometimes like I thought of him?
“Maybe I deserve at least a chance.”
“You think you can do this when I can’t?” He shoved away from the table, leaving enough space for me to walk between him and where the laptop was located. “Come over here, then.” He pointed to his lap. “Sit right here and do it.”
He wanted me to cower, to bend to his intimidation. I didn’t hesitate, though I knew having him this close would ruin my concentration. I started to think I wasn’t ever going to be able to back down from this man, and I also believed he enjoyed challenging me.
This was about to create chaos that I might not be able to overcome. Cade always wanted the upper hand, and instead of allowing me to work while he stared over my shoulder, the man pulled himself back toward the table, sandwiching me between.
My skirt bunched high on my thighs as I gasped. “Cade, what are you doing?”
His breath was at my neck as he murmured into my ear, “Watching how fast you’re able to work while distracted.”
He didn’t waste a second, pulling up a timer on the computer screen and setting it to five minutes.
I tried to protest by grumbling, “This is stupid—”
But I was cut off by him hitting start on the screen, and my drive for wanting to do it faster and better than him kicked in. I couldn’t bear to be worse than he was or to prove him right.