With his overwhelming heat and power gone, I sucked in oxygen. How had this fight happened? Why were we tearing each other to ribbons?

I spread my hands in surrender, exhaustion crushing me fast. “Look, none of that matters now. You and Justin are friends, and we’re...we’re—” I smiled even though my heart felt like shattering. “We’re friends, too...even if you’d rather not be.”

“You can’t be friends with someone who doesn’t deserve it.” The light went from his eyes, any softness from before deleted from his mouth. He turned to stone as he pointed into the darkness. “I don’t deserve you, O. And you don’t deserve to suffer. You need to leave. You need to obey because it’s the only way I can keep you safe. Leave and never come back.” His gaze danced around the open, empty night. “Promise me.”

“You don’t need to be afraid of him.”

I expected him to growl. Instead, his response sent glaciers oozing down my spine.

“I do, and...I am.” He nodded with conviction, causing my tummy to flip. His voice echoed with uncurable disaster. “Deathly fucking afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Of everything.”

I reached for him. “Gil—”

He stepped away. “Go.” Gritting his teeth, he gave the industrial area a searching, scathing look as if warning goblins and night terrors to leave me the hell alone before stepping through the pedestrian access to his warehouse. “Goodbye, O. For the last time.”

With a final splintering look, he slammed the door and locked it.

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter Eighteen

______________________________

Olin

-The Present-

FOR TWO DAYS, life tried to convince me things were normal.

I ate, showered, went to work, and travelled home each night. All the mundane tasks of living alone and fending for yourself in a large city dragged me along in some resemblance of normalcy.

Only, it wasn’t normal.

My body knew that. My heart knew that. Even my mind knew it, because it struggled to stop thinking about Gil for a moment, let alone switch off to sleep.

Starting a new job and falling into bed with the boy I never stopped loving weren’t a good combination.

I caught Shannon’s eye as she smiled at me from across the floor. Even though my thoughts were far from work, I did my best to perform well. The phone was always answered politely, my emails replied to promptly. I’d learned my role fast, so no one had to breathe down my neck.

Yesterday, when I’d messaged Justin that Gil was back at his warehouse, I’d bit my lip in case he went over there and figured out that we’d slept together. My cheeks heated as Justin replied, asking if I knew where Gil had been and what state I’d found him in.

Luckily, I’d had to duck into a team meeting, so I brushed him off and told him to go see Gil if he had any more questions.

That was over twenty-four hours ago, and I was tired. The clock showed just past four, and I begged for the rest of the time to disappear so I could go home, drink some cheap supermarket wine in a futile attempt to stop reliving the delicious, emotionally-dangerous sex we’d indulged in, and plead for sleep.

“Hi, Olin.” The guy from the coffee room who’d flirted with me on my first day smiled over my cubicle wall. His dark skin and darker eyes were highlighted by a white shirt and silver tie. He held a bunch of papers under his arm and his gaze travelled over my similar attire of cream blouse with navy pinstripe skirt. “You up to much this weekend?”

I stopped typing an email about a laptop that needed a factory reset and shook my head. “Not really. You?”

He grinned. “Not much.”

“Cool.” I smiled awkwardly. “Well, I hope you find—”

“I was gonna see if you wanted to do something, actually.” He interrupted me in a rush. “I mean...if you’re not doing anything.”

I stilled. My roller chair creaked as I sucked in a harsh breath. “Oh. Um...”

“We could do lunch? Or a movie? Even just a walk. I’m easy.” He hoisted the papers higher. “Say, Saturday?”

My heart bumped into ribs in its haste to refuse. It’d been a while since I’d been on a date. I didn’t think I’d even remember the rules and etiquette required.

You had sex two days ago.

I scowled. Yes, I did. But that couldn’t be classified as a date.

Sex with Gil was the opposite of a date. Unplanned, ill-advised, and stupidly spontaneous.

The guy inhaled, waiting for me to puncture his hope.

I fiddled with my pen on the desk. “I don’t even know your name.”

He slouched in relief that I hadn’t shot him down straight away. “It’s Hamish.”

“Hamish.” I nodded with a small smile. “Nice name.”

“Olin is nice too.”

I tilted my head. “It’s strange.”

“Strange is always better than normal.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” I sighed, mainly to myself but smiled brighter as Hamish cocked an eyebrow. “Look, Hamish, I—”

His entire body deflated. “You’re busy, after all?”

I couldn’t exactly lie after I’d told him I had no plans, but I didn’t know what else to say. Lying had never come easy to me, and I’d used up what little talent I had lying to the cops on Gil’s behalf. And besides, I didn’t want to fib to a new colleague who I might end up working with for a long time. “I can’t go out with you because...”

I don’t want to date work friends.

I don’t mix business and pleasure.

I’m...eh...a lesbian.

Good one, O.

“She’s in a relationship with me. That’s why.”

My head shot up at the chilly, commanding voice as Hamish spun around.

I blinked, not believing who stood in my cubicle.

My heart instantly sat up and glowed. Gratefulness that he’d sought me out after our fight. Insane relief that it wasn’t truly over, no matter the fierce words we’d thrown at each other two nights ago.

I’d done my best not to contact him. I’d forced myself to give him space.

It worked.

Hamish scowled, looking Gil up and down. “You’re her boyfriend?”

Gil stood tall and impenetrable, hands balled by his sides, hair cascading over his forehead. His black T-shirt and tan jacket held no paint, mud, or blood for once, and his jeans were semi-presentable. His boots, on the other hand, were a colourful, dirty mess.

Gil looked at me, then back at Hamish, his jaw working hard as if chewing his lies, doing his best to make them sound believable. “Yes. Since high-school. She’s the love of my life.”

My chest ached at the way his voice gruffed with honesty, even while masquerading as falsehoods.

Hamish looked at me. “You didn’t say you were with someone.”

To be fair, I’d only worked here a few days. And I wasn’t the type of person to share such personal details with strangers. I smoothed my minor annoyance away, saying kindly, “I’m rather private about stuff outside of work.”

“Which is why she kept me a secret.” Gil strode forward, broaching the smallness of my cubicle and placing a possessive hand on my shoulder.

My skin instantly conducted electricity, sprouting goosebumps as if lightning forked from Gil’s touch. I hadn’t slept in days, yet all my sleepiness vanished just having his hand on me.

My legs bunched to haul me upright. I didn’t want to be sitting while Gil towered over me, but his fingers latched into muscle, pressing me firmly down.

I shot him a dirty look as I smiled as normally as I could at Hamish. “Anyway, thanks so much for the offer. I hope you have a great weekend.”

Hoping Hamish got the clue that he was dismissed, I kept my smile pasted on my face, waiting for him to go.

He licked his lips, then looked one last time at Gil holding me prisoner before sighing and heading back to his desk. The second he was gone, I swatted Gil’s hand from me and swooped to my feet. “What on earth are you doing here?”