Primal Elements by Christine D'Abo

into a look of pain. “I need to have the respect of my team if I’m going to lead them with this. You’re an outsider to them. An unknown. If they see me with you…” she trailed off and shrugged.
    “They won’t respect you for being with me? Their loyalties are that fickle?”
    “No, your reputation preceded you.”
    Ben dropped her arm. “I wonder how that happened.”
    At least Jenna looked guilty. “I’m sorry. When I heard you were backing the project, I thought it was going to happen all over again. I was angry, I guess. And a bit scared.”
    So much for the perfect relationship.
    “I did what I did for good reason. Your theory at the time had flaws and it wasn’t worth the financial risk to investigate further.”
    He pushed the door open and walked past her into the courtyard. He drove his clenched fists into his pants pockets and kept his stride long and fast. He hadn’t even talked to her and she’d judged the project based on his name being attached to it. It was amazing she’d agreed to their date at all.
    “Ben!”
    He stopped dead and turned to face her. She stumbled to a stop herself a few steps away. Her hair was a wreck, her lips were swollen, looking very well kissed. And as much as he wanted to take her back to his place and forget this insanity he couldn’t. He had no intention of making this easy for her. He refused to break eye contact or give her any prompting. It would drive her nuts.
    “I’m sorry,” she said clearly. Her arms were opened, palms facing him. “But you’re not an easy man. You only give people enough to know your surface, and block any attempt at anything deeper.”
    “I never asked for that,” he struggled to speak in a steady voice.
    She shook her head. “Didn’t you?”
    Never. He never asked for, or wanted, that kind of relationship. A date, the occasional round of great sex and maybe some light conversation. That’s all he looked for. That’s all he needed. It had been all he’d needed for years.
    Jenna laced her fingers behind her back as she walked to him.
    “Ben, I’m the first to admit I’m over my head here. I’m going to need the support of every single member of my team to help me figure this out. It’s my fault that they don’t have a very high opinion of you. It will be my job to fix that.”
    She reached for his arm and pulled it out of his pocket. She poked her fingers into his fist until he relaxed.
    “But I can do all the talking in the world and it won’t change their minds. They need to trust you.”
    59

     
    A trickle of voices came from behind them and Ben looked up when he recognized Matt’s. His head began to pound as the muscles of his neck tensed.
    “That sounds like Roger. Look, we’ll go to headquarters together and get this solved. Then we can talk. Okay?” Jenna gave his hand a squeeze. “Okay?”
    “Why? Why do you need me all of a sudden? You seem to have survived all right without me for the past seven years. I doubt you needed me then either.”
    He needed to know. He couldn’t handle betrayal again. Especially if it was Jenna.
    To her credit, Jenna didn’t jump in with a platitude. She shook her head and smiled.
    How she could smile and look so sad was mind-boggling.
    “I have a feeling there is something bigger going on here. That thing in the crater is more than an alien artifact. I need you and your team to help figure this out before someone else gets hurt.”
    Especially her. Ben realized they had formed some sort of connection tonight. He wasn’t ready to walk away from it yet. To walk away from her.
    “All right. Let’s see what your boy Roger can come up with. And you might want to fix your hair.”
    “Shit.” She raked her fingers through her hair and fixed it into a neat ponytail.
    “Better?”
    He nodded and gave her a wink.
    The smile finally reached her eyes. “Thank you.”
    They walked the rest of the way to the temporary headquarters in silence. When they arrived, the place was