Read Online Her Sworn Enemy (Men of the Zodiac) by Theresa Meyers - Free Book Online Page B

chair and braced her hands on the top of the conference table. “None of you, not a single one of you on this ship, has as much vested interest in this operation as I do. If I seem nosy or bossy, I have a right to be.”
    “You may want to be in charge of this, Bella. You may think it means more to you than to any of us, but the truth is we’re all in, every one of us. We don’t give less than our best as a team. And if you want our best, you need to give those men room to do their job without feeling like there’s someone breathing down their necks. I know them, and you don’t. Trust me.”
    Trust me.
    There were two words that never should be put together in the same sentence. Why didn’t he ask for the sun, the moon, and the stars while he was at it? Every man she had ever trusted, her own father included, had let her down in some fashion. She pushed away from the conference table and turned to walk out of the conference room.
    “Bella?”
    She stopped for a moment and glanced back.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m going to change for dinner.”
    “No, you know what I mean. I don’t want you harassing the crew.”
    “Fine,” she said, her flip-flops squeaking against the floor as she spun around again to leave.
    “You do realize this walking out when you don’t get your way is a habit, don’t you?”
    She froze in mid-step, then looked over her shoulder at him. “What did you say?”
    “Since the day I literally ran into you, you’ve been walking away. Which, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind, since you’ve got an amazing ass, but I can’t help but wonder why. What makes running away a better option than working things out, especially since you’ve got plenty of spirit to back you up?”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s easier to walk away than say something I’ll regret.” Or worse, do something I’ll regret , she added silently.
    “But haven’t you ever regretted not taking a stand?”
    She thought about it for a moment. Yes. There were regrets. Didn’t everyone have those? It didn’t make her special or any different. She looked up to find he’d gotten to his feet and crossed the room so quietly she hadn’t noticed. He stood close enough that she could reach out and touch him.
    “Stay. You don’t need to change a thing.” His voice was warm and enticing, his eyes a blue she could easily drown in if she let go. “Have dinner with me.”
    “But the wreck—”
    “Isn’t going anywhere,” he finished for her. “Besides, we can’t do anything about it until we get the surveys and photos we need completed, and the crew is already working on that.”
    “Aren’t you eating with the crew like you usually do?”
    “Not if you agree to have dinner with me.”
    She glanced down at herself, the neon pink shorts and flip-flops and black T-shirt didn’t exactly scream dinner date. But if he didn’t care, why should she? This wasn’t really a date anyway. Just two crew members eating a meal together. Bella nibbled at her bottom lip as she considered her options and the potential consequences.
    “You are still hungry, aren’t you?”
    “Well, yes—”
    “And there aren’t a lot of other dining options out this far in the ocean.”
    She couldn’t help but smile. “True.”
    He picked up the phone and called down to the galley. “I’d like dinner for two and a bottle of wine sent up to the top observation deck lounge area, please.” He set the phone back in the cradle. “See, wasn’t that easy?”
    “For some people, everything seems effortless.”
    He raised a brow. “You can’t be referring to me. I’ve got the scars and stubby, shredded fingernails to prove I clawed my way to where I am.” Tuck stroked his chin, dark with a five o’clock shadow that made him look even more disreputable, more alluring—almost pirate material. “And I’m sure you weren’t talking about yourself.”
    She shook her head and laughed softly.
    “No, life hasn’t ever