Page 23 of Yearner

They drove to the company and went inside to discuss the purchase. Less than an hour later, however, Allison stormed out of the building, her face tight with anger and her steps sharp against the pavement.

Silas followed her without a word.

Despite the speed at which Allison marched toward the car, he had no trouble keeping up with her. His long legs allowed him to match her pace effortlessly, and while she practically stomped her way across the parking area, he walked beside her as casually as though they were taking a leisurely stroll.

The sight only irritated her further.

She stopped abruptly and turned to face him, her eyes flashing with anger.

“You shouldn't have done that, Silas. You know this is my business. It's my work!”

Silas looked at her without the slightest sign of regret. If anything, he seemed more irritated by what had happened inside the company than by her anger.

“He was rude to you,” he said firmly. “He acted as though that device were the most important invention in the history of the industry. He even snatched your hand away when you tried to examine one of the products.”

As he spoke, his expression darkened. He clearly remembered every detail of the encounter, and recalling the way the manufacturer had treated Allison only made him angrier.

Allison stared at him, growing even more frustrated. She knew Silas was upset on her behalf, but that didn't make his behavior acceptable to her.

“You need to let me handle things myself,” she said, raising her voice. “You can't keep interfering whenever I'm trying to do my job. It's not your place to take control when I'm dealing with something.”

Although she had been upset with the manufacturer's behavior herself, she hadn't wanted to be rude to the dealer. At the end of the day, this was business. If the man had been unreasonable, she could simply have walked away from the negotiations and looked for another manufacturer.

But Silas had lost his temper, snapped at the dealer, and dragged her out of the meeting without giving her a chance to settle anything. He had done it right in front of the dealer's employees, making it clear that the deal was over.

Still arguing with Silas, Allison failed to notice the car racing toward them. It was moving so fast that she barely had time to react when she realized it was heading straight for him.

“Silas!”

Without thinking, she grabbed him and pulled him close, turning him to the side just as the car sped past them and continued toward the company building before disappearing from view.

Allison's heart pounded as she looked up at him, her anger instantly replaced by concern. “Are you all right? Did the car hit you?”

She hurriedly checked his arms, looking for any sign of injury. When she found none, she finally lifted her eyes to his face.

Silas was already watching her. The worry written all over her face made a smile touch his lips.

“Are you worried about me, Allison? Do you care about me?”

Allison immediately let go of him, suddenly aware of how closely she had been holding him.

“It was just instinct,” she replied, trying to sound casual and hide the concern she had felt.

Silas didn't argue with her. He simply smiled, looking far too pleased with her answer.

“All right,” he said. “But your anger hurts me.”

Allison rolled her eyes and pushed him away before taking a step back to put some distance between them.

“Don't interfere in my business again. You don't have to take care of everything for me, Silas.”

“I don't like seeing anyone insult you,” Silas replied without hesitation. “I'll give you whatever you want, and I'll make things easier for you whenever I can. If you need a device, I'll get it from a better manufacturer. I have better connections in the business world, so there's no reason for you to put up with anyone's insults or bullshit when I can help you.”

He held her gaze with icy determination, making it clear that he wasn't going to change his mind. To him, helping her wasn't an inconvenience. It was something he wanted to do, and he saw no reason to apologize for it.

Allison crossed her arms over her chest, adopting a defensive stance even though his words had touched her. She hadn't expected him to care so much about how other people treated her, let alone be willing to use his own connections to make things easier for her.

Still, she couldn't understand why he was going to such lengths for her.