Risky Business: (Taboo Romance Series) (Forbidden Fruit Book 3) by Ali Parker

opening it and glancing back at me. "I hate you."
    "Good. That makes two of us."
    The door slammed as tears blurred my vision. I hadn't cried more than three times in my life, and all three were because of her." I stood up and pushed the papers from my desk as a growl left me. Fucking bitch. I was going to have to tell Luke to find some other place for her to work. I couldn't work with her. There was too much between us, and my focus would be solely on her, as it had been in my younger years. How many times had coach chewed my ass for staying up all night with her and playing like shit during practice?
     
    "Boy, you need to dump that girl. She's nothing but trouble. All of them are trouble. They steal dreams and ruin lives. Get out of there before she takes you down."
     
    "No shit," I mumbled and grabbed my keys. I'd meet them at lunch in an hour, but I wasn't sticking around the office for another minute. With my luck, she'd come back in to blast me for being such a dick. No thanks.
    "Where are you going?" Luke stopped outside my office as I pulled the door open a little harder than I should have. "Hey. You all right?"
    "No. I'm not." I turned and walked toward the receptionist’s desk.
    "You wanna talk about it?" he called after me.
    "No. I'll see you at lunch. It's at eleven thirty at Darek's Steak House." I didn't hear his reply. He had nothing to say that I cared to hear. No one did. Well, almost no one.
     
    *
     
    "You two are fucking bumming me out today. What's the deal?" Luke chuckled, but the sound fell flat.
    "I'm sorry. Just trying to think through a few things that aren't working right. The S&P moved-"
    "I know, right?" Luke butted in. "We'll figure it out. Stop being so depressing. Both of you." He reached out and ran his hand down Olivia's leg under the table.
    My stomach clenched at the thought of him touching her. Kissing her. Fucking her.
    "I'm running to the restroom." She got up and walked away without another word.
    "What the fuck?" Luke looked over at me. "Is something going on? Did you upset her?"
    "Yeah, maybe. I'll fix it. Sorry. I'm harsh at work. You know that." I got up and laid my napkin down on my plate.
    "Yeah, but she's my woman. You need to watch yourself. She'll be in the family soon, Caden, and if nothing else, respect her resume. She's done some great shit." His eyes narrowed a little. He was right.
    I nodded. "Yeah, I'm just leery of her taking my place," I lied and walked toward the restroom, waiting for her to come out. What the fuck was I going to say? I meant everything I'd said in my office. The tension between us was thick enough to choke on, and I couldn't live like that, nor could she or Luke. Fuck, none of us deserved to, and this was her first day in the office.
    She walked out and stopped short. "No. Don't talk to me."
    "Yes, I am going to talk to you." I reached out and gripped her wrist to pull her a little closer to me. "I'm angry. I'm hurt. Give me time to get used to whatever the fuck just happened to my world. You were a ghost-"
    "So were you, you bastard." She slapped me. Hard. "You fucked up my life and you expect me to bow down and play second-string fiddle to you just because we got tossed into this dicked-up situation together? Well, you can fuck off."
    I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself. I gripped the back of her neck with my free hand and pulled her in tightly before leaning down and pressing my lips tightly to hers. I had to know if she still tasted faintly of cinnamon and sex.
    A groan left me as I tilted my head a little and pressed my tongue deep into her mouth. Everything inside of me melted and I felt like home was accessible though I'd not moved an inch. She was my serenity, my peace, my heart.
    Though she returned the kiss, she jerked back and slapped me again as tears filled her eyes.
    "I'm going to Texas to take over this account, but hear me clearly." She took a step back and wobbled. I reached out and grabbed her arm to have her pull it from