Chapter 15

She couldn't breathe.

Jared was somehow at Sabine's. And he was angry. At her. Why else would he act as if they were just acquaintances? Was he upset because she'd left? Because of the note? Surely that wasn't it. He had to understand why she'd left, why she hadn't said goodbye. But she looked at his face, and he was glowering and raking one hand through his dark hair.

Maybe he didn't understand why she'd left after all.

Sabine looked up from her pattern books and sketches, winged brows raised in concern.

"I'll just put some more coffee on," Felicity muttered, then spun out of the conference room.

She took refuge in the small part of the gallery just off the hallway where several paintings hung and a nice couch offered a place for her to collapse. Which she did, immediately sinking into its pillowy depths. Leaning forward, she braced her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. A tiny tremor worked its way through her.

She hadn't expected to see him so soon after last night. She'd had to leave while he was in the shower and had felt guilty for slipping away like that and now here they were stuck together with clearly unresolved issues, since he was angry with her. Was he mad she'd left? Or was he mad she was here, in the middle of his work life? Neither of them had time to commit to each other, and that was assuming he was interested. One mind-blowing orgasm on the couch did not mean he was seriously into her or that he wanted more to happen between them.

She wished she had dated more in high school. She might understand men more if she had. Of course, she'd been too busy trying to survive school and working nights at the only restaurant they'd had in town. Jared was so worldly, and she felt so out of sync with his world that it scared her. He was a lawyer with a high-pressure job and demanding hours, and she was just a girl still in grad school, playing at being an artist.

Maybe he was used to taking a girl out on the weekends and having a good time, and then going back to work. She didn't know. That was the problem. There was so much she didn't know about Jared, except that when he kissed her it made her feel like she was the only person in the universe who mattered, and when he looked at her with those soft bedroom eyes, it unraveled her entire being.

We're still worlds apart, though. He's the kind of guy who vacations in Italy and has silk sheets on his bed. I'm the girl who can't even afford an apartment with a working hot water heater. The only place they made sense together was in the tiny world of his apartment when they were inches from kissing. That was the only thing that made sense about this.

God, I'm an idiot, thinking for a second he and I could work long term.

She couldn't explain it, but everything about this moment made her feel wildly out of control, like being on a train headed for a broken bridge. Her job was supposed to be a place of tranquility where she could bury her other worries. But now Jared was here, and all she could think about was him and how much she wanted to be back in his bed and in his arms, not thinking about what tomorrow would bring. If she was too focused on him, she could screw up and Sabine might not give her the recommendation for the LACMA job she so desperately wanted in California. Tears sparked in the corners of her eyes.

"Felicity?" Sabine's soft, husky voice made her look up and drop her hands from her face. The air cooled the wet path that tears had taken on her face. Using the backs of her hands, she rubbed her cheeks and tried to smile.

"Sorry, Sabine."

The woman swept a hand through her hair, pushing it over her shoulder as she plopped down next to Felicity on the couch.

"Sweetie, what's going on with you?" She held up a hand when Felicity started to shake her head. "Huh-uh, you tell me the truth. Come on now." Sabine patted her knee and leaned closer, her bright eyes pinned Felicity in place.

"I­" She hesitated only a second before telling Sabine the truth. The woman was like an older sister to her and wouldn't judge her. "I spent the last two nights in Jared's bed. Mr. Redmond, I mean," she confessed in a barely audible whisper.

Sabine's almond-shaped eyes widened. "You and that gorgeous man in there? Now why would that make you cry? You're young, he's young, love is a beautiful thing at your age. As long as it doesn't interfere with your work here or his, you shouldn't let it worry you."

Easier said than done. I'm already freaking out about him being here. Felicity sniffed. "He's mad at me. He looks mad anyway." She sat up a little straighter, feeling honestly quite stupid for crying. She had no reason to cry. It wasn't like he had any right to be mad at her, and it wasn't like they'd been dating and broken up.

It's time for me to grow up.

Her boss waved a hand in apparent unconcern. "Oh, he's probably mad because the Worthingtons called him in to work on the weekend. Most lawyers I know hate working weekends. Having met some of their clients, I don't blame them." Sabine winked at her.

Felicity laughed, but her heart wasn't in it. "He's a workaholic. Trust me, this is normal for him. That's why I know that if he's mad, it has to do with me."

Sabine pursed her lips and tapped a finger on her lips thoughtfully. "Okay, so why do you think he's mad at you? What happened when you were together?"

"Well, we weren't actually together, if you know what I mean. We just shared his bed twice to sleep­" She blushed again. "Though there was a pretty heavy make-out session on the couch." She couldn't believe she was confiding to her boss, but Sabine had a way of making Felicity feel like she was talking to an older sister who wouldn't judge her. As an only child, she'd always felt lonely, but Sabine had taken her under her wing ever since she'd arrived and had applied for the job at the gallery.

"And you think he's mad at you for that? Trust me, he isn't. Getting a girl hot and bothered would be something to be proud of. I know a thing or two about men. He'd relish the effect he had on you. What else happened?"

Felicity quickly relayed the note she'd left and its contents when Sabine questioned her further.

"So you just ran out on him while he was in the shower?" Sabine's tone was thick with disapproval.

Felicity gasped. "I couldn't just walk in on him while he was in there, and I couldn't wait till he was out because I would have been late getting here."

Her boss grimaced. "Since when do I care about what time you show up? Half the time you beat me here, which is why I had the extra key made for you. Being a little late one day wouldn't kill you, or me." She hugged Felicity's shoulders in a gentle squeeze. "You work too hard. Take a break now and then. You're young. Take advantage of the nights you could be spending in bed with a gorgeous man who looks like he walked out of a Burberry ad, okay?"

Felicity sniffled and then laughed. "He does, doesn't he?"

Both women dissolved into a fit of barely stifled giggles. When they quieted, Sabine grew serious again.

"You should tell him the real reason why you left this morning. He might be fine with it if you tell him the truth. If you care about him, even as a friend, he deserves honesty. Besides, I need you to be on your game. This could help influence my recommendation for the LACMA job you want."

"You're right." Felicity wiped her eyes again, removing the last evidence of her tears.

Sabine brushed a hand over her hair, a sisterly touch that was comforting. "Good. Now, tell me you can work with him and it won't be a problem. I need your help on this project. It's going to be huge, and you'll make a lot of money helping me out."

A lot of money. She could sure use the commission this would give her and Sabine. She might be able to afford renting another apartment for half a year, or maybe even split the cost of Layla's place. No more late nights spent worrying about the robberies that kept happening in her building, or the drunks who wandered into the lobby in the evenings, or the police busting up domestic violence fights. Yeah, this was huge. She had to get herself together.

She stiffened her spine and met Sabine's gaze. "I can do this."

Her boss patted her shoulder again. "That's what I want to hear. Now let's go talk contracts with the men."

Felicity squared her shoulders, wiped at her eyes, and nodded. "Right." She followed Sabine back into the conference room, and when she met Jared's intense gaze, she didn't flinch. It was time to focus on work, and she had to put thoughts of him aside until the job was done.

Four hours later, with a lunch break in between, the design scheme was settled, the contracts adjusted, and hands were shaken all around. It had been easier than Felicity had expected to put aside worries about Jared and dive into the project with Sabine. Halfway through the meeting, she'd abandoned her "observe and assist" attitude and found herself engaging Mr. Worthington and Thad equally with her ideas on the nouveau art deco themes she came up with.

Her boss had eased back in her chair and let Felicity take charge of the rest of the negotiations and strategizing. By the end of the meeting, she was full to bursting with confidence. Even Jared had stopped looking mad and had been participating fully.

"It seems like Ms. Hart has quite an eye for Roaring Twenties art deco themes," Mr. Worthington announced with some pleasure, directing a fatherly gaze of approval Felicity's way.

"She does," Sabine agreed with pride.

"I agree, Felicity has quite an eye for beauty." Thad was staring at her, his chin resting in one hand, the perfect picture of masculine ease. Jared went rigid next to him, and suddenly Thad winced and looked at something beneath the table before he shot Jared a dirty look.

Mr. Worthington cleared his throat and stood. "Right. Well, Thad, we ought to get back to the office and hammer out some of the details. Thank you, ladies, for an enjoyable morning. I believe this redecoration will be quite an adventure for us all." A hint of a smile played upon the older man's lips.

Both Thad and his father were ready to leave for their office, and Sabine went with them to the door to show them out.

Jared remained behind in the conference room with Felicity as he gathered up the contracts he had revised during negotiations.

"Your boss drives a stiff bargain for her design fees," Jared mused softly as he ruffled the papers before slipping them into his briefcase.

Felicity raised a brow, feeling her temperature rise as she sensed he was challenging her somehow. Not in a bad way, but he was­testing her.

"Sabine is one of the best interior designers in the country, and with her master's in the arts, she is unparalleled in her profession."

His lips twitched. "I'm not disputing that, sweetheart, but she's expensive, and a good lawyer always tries to trim costs for his clients." He sidled a step closer to her, and her entire body tensed with anticipation. They weren't arguing, not quite, but the way he said "sweetheart" in that dark, soft, seductive voice while disagreeing with her­ Felicity had the sudden desire to drag him into the nearest coat closet and shred his clothes to get to him. But this was work; she couldn't be caught with Jared. She'd promised Sabine she would keep things professional.

"You could hire someone else, but you'd sacrifice quality," Felicity replied.

"We could, but the Worthingtons want the best, and I believe Sabine is it."

She tried not to look his way, but it was impossible to resist. When she peeped at him from beneath her lashes, he was watching her, a narrow-eyed expression hardening his features. For a long second Felicity feared neither of them would speak. A thousand things to say came to her lips, but never left them as she struggled to find the right words. Would they talk about last night? Did he feel the tension of working together like this, too? The tightness in her chest eased as he opened his mouth.

"What was with the note this morning?" He gripped the back of one of the conference chairs, knuckles white as he leaned on it.

Damn, Layla should have warned her that Jared had a scary lawyer-style scowl. Was this how he was at all business meetings when he wanted answers? His intensity was sucking up in all the air in the room.