Breathless by Emily Snow, Heidi McLaughlin, Aleatha Romig, Tijan, Jessica Wood, Ilsa Madden-Mills, Skyla Madi, J.S. Cooper, Crystal Spears, K.A. Robinson, Kahlen Aymes, Sarah Dosher

exaggerate.” His mouth twisted in annoyance, dragging my attention back to his lips. Damn, those lips. He backed up to his Viper. “There really wasn’t a need for theatrics.” He slid behind the wheel of his sporty car. If I expected him to simply drive off and forget I was standing there, I was sadly mistaken. The passenger window slid down, and his gaze trailed slowly down my body. I couldn’t remember the last time I let a man’s stare get beneath my skin, but Oliver’s did.
    That fact alone made my jaw tighten.
    “Believe it or not,” I said, tilting my head to the side, “Dora didn’t even mention you.”
    The corner of his lip tugged up. “I’ll have your replacement phone on your desk by tomorrow morning.”
    “That’s really not necessary,” I argued, but he lifted his shoulders. The pretentious asshole had just brushed me off. For a second, as I stared into his penetrating blue eyes, I wondered if he was the man who’d called me four months ago. But then I let the thought drift away as quickly as it came. Calling me like that wouldn’t have benefited him, and besides, the voice didn’t fit. Neither did the secrecy. Oliver Manning would have announced himself at the very beginning of that call if it had been him.
    “I’m serious, Oliver,” I said through gritted teeth. Besides, I wouldn’t even be at the office until Thursday—not that he needed to know that.
    “I fix what I break.”
    I stiffened, remembering his words from fourteen years ago. I’d give anything to fix this for you. Drawing in a few quick breaths, I pinched my mouth. “It’s a phone, Mr. Manning; I promise it’s not the end of the world.”
    He started to pull off, but then he slammed on his brakes. I narrowed my eyes, but before I could ask him if he actually planned on leaving sometime today, he said, “I’m not sleeping with Dora.”
    “What?” I blurted.
    “I’m. Not. Fucking. Dora. We’ve never had that kind of interest in each other.”
    Wow … really? I looked down at a crack in the garage floor. “It’s none of my business, and I really, really don’t want to know. You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
    “No, I don’t. I just didn’t want you getting the wrong idea about me.” His vivid blue eyes examined me one final time, and then he put his car in gear. “Soon, Lizzie.”
    ***
    Once I was sure he was gone, I rushed to my Mini Cooper. With my phone broken, I was even more anxious to get home. I ignored the speed limit, shunning the radio in favor of silence. By the time I closed my apartment door behind me, my body trembled.
    Exhaling deeply, I dropped my purse by my feet and closed my eyes. I opened them just in time to see Pen coming out of the kitchen, holding a plate with a bagel slathered in strawberry cream cheese. She paused the moment her slate blue eyes landed on me.
    “Oh shit.” Her dark brows drew together in concern. “You didn’t freak out and tell them everything, did you?”
    I shook my head. “I don’t go back until Thursday. Margaret’s out of town, and she wants to be there when I start.” Pen let out a sigh of relief that echoed through her body. Dropping her plate a few inches from the red floral centerpiece on the dining room table, she sat down and motioned for me to take the spot right across from her. As I joined her, she studied me carefully.
    “Alright, why are you shaking?” she demanded. “Being in that building didn’t get to you, did it?”
    “I can handle the building,” I promised. “I’m shaking because of Oliver Manning.”
    She repeated his name and then fanned herself, laughing at the dark look I shot at her. “That man gives me the shivers. Is he gorgeous in person? Or is he one of those guys who just photographs well?” Observing my silence, she leaned forward and whispered, “His mom was married to your dad for all of two years. It’s not wrong to—”
    “He’s arrogant.” I left it at that because I absolutely could not