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for the best,” he said.
    She snorted, looked at him skeptically.
    “When I take you, I won’t be rushed. Besides, we should probably get to the office,” he said.
    At the mention of work, her expression changed, some of the light leaving her eyes. She tried to step back, but Lucian kept her in his grip.
    “Don’t worry, Cassandra,” he said.
    She smiled tentatively, though it wasn’t as brilliant as the others this morning. “What are you talking about, Silver?”
    “You’re transparent, Cass, but I understand where you’re coming from, and I don’t want you to worry. We’re still figuring out what this is between us, but that won’t change anything at work. We’ll keep it easy, okay?”
    She looked at him skeptically but then finally nodded. “Okay.” Her expression turned serious. “Thank you for being there last night.”
    “Anytime. Now give me a kiss,” he said.

9
    “ C assandra ?”
    Cassandra glanced at Sloan, who again stood in her doorway.
    “Don’t start, Sloan,” Cassandra said, looking back at the document on her desk.
    “Don’t start what?” she said as she entered the office and sat down.
    In the week since the flat tire, Sloan had been circling Cassandra but hadn’t yet raised the topic. One look at Sloan told Cassandra her time was up.
    “So…” Sloan said.
    “You’re going to drag this out?” Cassandra said.
    “There’s something worthy of being dragged out?” Sloan said, tilting her head quizzically.
    “Sloan, you’re terrible at psyops. Spit it out!” Cassandra said roughly, though she was sure the grin she couldn’t bite back took the intended sting out of the words.
    “I just…have it on good authority that you and Lucian left together last week. I simply want to put the rumors to rest,” she said.
    “More like Seth told you a story and sent you in here to confirm it,” Cassandra replied, knowing Seth was her main partner in crime.
    “Even if that were true—and I cannot confirm that it is—I can’t reveal my sources. So what happened?”
    “I had a flat tire. Lucian was kind enough to assist me with that,” Cassandra said.
    Sloan arched a brow. “This is a new spirit of cooperation?”
    “As far as you’re concerned, yes,” Cassandra said, flashing Sloan a quick smile.
    Sloan studied her, and Cassandra saw the moment she relented. “Vanishingly light on details, Cass,” she said.
    Cassandra started to ask if she wanted a drawing, but knowing Sloan, she’d say yes. “Is there some business issue I can help you with?”
    “You’re no fun,” Sloan said. “But, as a matter of fact, there is. Can you remind Lucian to sign that document? Maybe when you see him later tonight?”
    Cassandra chuckled at both Sloan’s brazenness and her ham-fistedness.
    “I’ll talk to him,” Cassandra said.
    Sloan nodded but made no move to leave. Cassandra sat still as well. After a few seconds, her friend relented.
    “I’ll be back later,” Sloan said.
    “I’m sure you will,” Cassandra replied.
    Sloan laughed and then exited, leaving Cassandra alone with her thoughts. She hadn’t really expected to keep the new connection between her and Lucian a secret. Between Sloan and the guys, that was an impossibility.
    But what she had expected was something . What, she couldn’t say, but, as Lucian promised there had been no change at all. She hadn’t even seen him since that night. He’d been on a trip for several days and she’d been in the midst of preparing the report for the shareholders, so there hadn’t really been time for them to connect again.
    All perfectly reasonable, but disappointment still nagged at her. She hated that, but couldn’t deny it nonetheless.
    She flipped through the file Sloan had brought, and a flash of anger, hot and unexpected, hit her. That hadn’t changed either. Lucian was still blowing her off, ignoring the simplest request.
    Cassandra was on her feet and stomping down the hallway in seconds.
    ••••
    “You