I heard the door open behind me but didn’t allow myself to turn and look. I felt her approach in the sudden acceleration of my breathing, the way my pulse picked up speed and just went the fuck off.
She stood off to the side behind me for the longest time before speaking. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t have to say anything more for me to know that she’d overheard. I closed the Mac so she wouldn’t see what I was looking at. “Not your fault.”
She came closer and stood just behind my shoulder and I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. “So she isn’t your girlfriend?” I wondered how much courage it took for the usually reticent girl to ask such a bold question.
We’d opened up to each other some in the last few days sure, but nothing on this level. I knew if I went down this path, followed the tread of this conversation, we’d head into very murky waters. “No, not really. It was easier to say yes than to try to explain what we were.”
Fine, looks like I wasn’t using my head this go around, my dick had decided to take point on this one. She inched closer and I all but jumped up from the chair and hauled ass out of the line of fire. But I couldn’t shake that look from my head, and what it could mean.
Had she seen it? She hadn’t said anything to me about it, but then again why would she? I’m sure she hadn’t meant for anyone to see it, least of all me. Like me she probably had no idea her feelings were so plainly written on her face.
“So, did she break up with you? I hope I’m not to blame.”
“Nothing to break, it was time anyway.” I shouldn’t have said that shit, what the hell are you doing? I knew what the fuck I was doing when she finally got up the nerve to take the seat across from me.
She didn’t say anything else, didn’t even look at me, just sat there running her finger along the edge of the table. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out there was something on her mind. Then she hit me with a whammy, looks like it was my day for getting sideswiped by females. “Did she see the picture?”
“Come again?” Her face was red as a damn campfire and she looked about ten. She forced herself to look up at me and hold my stare. “I asked if she was mad about the picture.” For someone who spent her days in front of the camera with such poise and confidence, she wasn’t looking so sure of herself now.
“Which picture would that be?” Her shoulders hunched in on herself and she pulled at her lip with her teeth. “The one…the one…” She got up and left the room and I sighed in relief thinking that was the end of it, but she was back in less than a minute.
She held her phone out to me and I was surprised to see not me, but her. It was the shot of her looking up at me. Our body language was telling a story that hadn’t yet been written. I was standing close because that’s my job, but there was no mistaking the protective, almost possessive way I towered over her.
Anyone of my team seeing this would know the signs. I hope like fuck they don’t. After years of me riding their ass about being professional on the job, it wouldn’t do for the boss to break his own rules. But I couldn’t leave her hanging out there like that. It was obvious she was embarrassed.
“No, she saw this one.” I flipped open the Mac and logged back in to show her the picture of me staring at her like she was the beginning of a four course meal. She swallowed hard and her eyes flew to mine. I didn’t look away even though I knew I should.
“I didn’t see that one, now I’m not so embarrassed at being caught.”
“Caught doing what exactly Tara?” Oh you’re really fucking playing with fire aren’t you Hunter? I’d put her on the spot and half expected her to turn tail and run, but she didn’t.
Instead I saw some of the woman she kept hidden from the rest of the world. That strong stock farm girl who knew a thing or two about facing down wild animals.
“It’s pretty obvious what I was doing. I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, or whatever you have. It… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make trouble for you.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong no need to beat yourself up. If anything you forced me to take care of something I should’ve a long time ago.”
I thought that that was it when she started to walk away but then I actually saw her gear herself up. She took a deep breath and folded her fists; more like dug her nails into her palms, before turning back to me again. “So, what does it mean? You were looking at me and I was looking at you…”