Page 101 of Love In Hiding

Maybe it was.

Maybe it absolutely was.

She wasn’t used to having tofightfor a man. Or dealing with the jealous, possessive storm crowding her brain right now.

And she hated that a woman like Noelle had the power to spark it.

“I need to talk to him,” she said, standing up.

“You think going up there like that is a good thing?” Paris asked. “He’s going to know the minute you walk in the office what happened. Not to mention it might get back to Noelle.”

“Then I’ll have him come here,” she said.

“Don’t you think you should cool down first?”

“No. If I cool down then I’m not going to get out everything I need to say.”

“So you’re going to throw Nelson under the bus? Think about what you’re doing.”

“I can’t think. That’s the problem.” She picked her phone up and sent the text before she could stop herself. “You’ve got a warning to get out of the office. Maybe take Molly with you.”

“You don’t even know if he’s around.”

“We were going to have lunch at one. I just told him to come here so we could talk first.”

“Are you at least giving him a heads up of what he’s walking into?”

“Why, so he can prepare? No,” she said, shaking her head. “I need the next thirty minutes to calm down.”

“I’m taking Molly out for lunch then. You don’t need witnesses.”

“I thought for sure you’d want to know all the deets.”

“You’ll tell me I’m sure,” Paris said, then walked down the hall where she heard her sister telling Molly their lunch plans.

She shut her door and paced. It’d calm her down. It always did in the past.

But it didn’t this time when Spencer popped around her doorway.

“Did you order something for lunch?” he asked.

“Nope. We’re going to talk first.”

His shoulders dropped. “Now what happened?”

“What do you think happened?”

He shut the door behind him and lowered himself into the chair across from her, his posture steady, his eyes lockedon hers like he was bracing for impact. Not that he would let anyone know he was, but she knew him well enough by now.

“I’m not guessing,” he said. “And I’m not playing whatever game you think this is. If you’re pissed about something, you’ll tell me. If you just need me to sit here so you can vent and maybe let me help, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Damn him.

Why did he have the ability to cut straight through her defenses like that?

To reach right under her armor and touch nerves she’d rather pretend didn’t exist?

Especially when all she wanted to do was snap at him.