Read Online In the Den by Sierra Cartwright - Free Book Online Page B

more, that she’d wonder what she was missing. And she was terrified to the tips of her toes that he might be right.
    It was better to keep distance between them. Lots of it. Lots and lots of it.
    * * * *
    Confounding, frustrating, annoying-as-hell woman.
    Damien shoved away from his computer at the Den. Damn it. He’d looked half a dozen times but he hadn’t seen Catrina’s name on the weekend’s reservation list.
    With a sigh, he strode to the window and stared at the expanse of pine trees and snow-covered ground.
    It had been almost two weeks since she’d been to his house. As he’d requested, she had sent him a text that night, letting him know she’d made it home safe. Since then, he’d heard nothing from her.
    He’d known the mini-scene had challenged her emotionally. Fuck. Who was he kidding? It had challenged him.
    Her body language had indicated that she’d enjoyed what they’d done.
    Perhaps a bit too sure of himself, he’d told her she’d want to explore further. But more, he’d hoped that they’d connected in a way she’d never imagined possible.
    Their time together might have been short, but he’d held her. She’d told him about her fears and offered him a glimpse inside her carefully constructed defenses. There’d been no doubt she’d taken tentative steps toward trusting him.
    She’d captivated him. He wanted the feeling to be mutual.
    Because she’d let him in, he’d anticipated she might panic. He’d have been delighted, but surprised, if she had contacted him right away. He had expected her to take a couple of days to think things through, maybe as long as a week.
    But this…? He was beginning to wonder if he’d misjudged the situation, and her.
    “Boss?”
    Damien looked over his shoulder. Gregorio stood in the doorway, scowling.
    “I knocked twice,” Gregorio said.
    Turning, Damien waved the other man in. “Is the reservations system working correctly?”
    “As far as I’m aware,” Gregorio replied. “Are you having problems?”
    Damien shook his head.
    “Aha.”
    “Aha, what?” Damien asked. He spread his legs and folded his arms across his chest, matching Gregorio’s stance.
    “Things become clear.”
    “What the hell does that mean?”
    “You drove up two weekends in a row. You’re hoping to see someone specific.”
    “Don’t you have work to do?”
    “No. Really. Everything’s set. I can listen to your woes for at least an hour.”
    “Out.”
    “You’ve got it bad.”
    “Are you hoping to get fired?”
    “This is serious,” Gregorio said. “If you’re talking about sacking me and taking care of all of this yourself, you’re not thinking straight. We need the good stuff.”
    “I might beat your ass.”
    “Would that help?”
    Damien took a seat behind his desk. The two had been friends for years, and the question was sincere. Gregorio knew Damien’s moods as well as Damien did. And if Damien needed the release, no doubt Gregorio would expose his back.
    Without an invitation or permission, Gregorio crossed to a sideboard and opened a door. He slid aside a supposed-to-be secret panel and removed a crystal decanter of brandy. Of course, in typical fashion, the man had gone straight for Damien’s private stash.
    Gregorio removed the stopper then slowly poured a small amount into two separate snifters. He returned to slide one across the scarred desktop toward Damien.
    “We’ve been through a lot,” Gregorio said, taking a seat. “Relationship breakups…”
    Including Gregorio’s shocking divorce.
    “Several new business ventures and one spectacular failure.”
    He didn’t need reminding of that. Making the cover of a respected Wall Street newspaper because of a bankruptcy still gave him nightmares. No matter how many successes he’d had since, his portfolio had been tarnished.
    “But I haven’t seen you like this before.”
    “Like what?”
    “Smitten,” he clarified.
    “Men don’t get smitten .”
    “Fair enough. Obsessed.