these parties are simply a way for him to meet new women, right?” His gaze narrowed on the bottle she held. “So, what’s that?”
“A bottle.”
“I figured that part out all by myself. Was it a gift from the octogenarian Casanova?”
“Not a gift. I’m taking it back to PARA with me. Don’t try to steal it or I might be forced to stab you in the eyeball.”
He raised a dark brow. “With what?”
Emma frowned. “I have a very pointy pencil in my purse and I know how to use it.”
He studied her for a moment. “I see. So if you’re here on behalf of my old employer, where’s your new partner?”
“I don’t have a partner at the moment. I’m currently working independently.”
“For six long months?” His lips stretched over his straight white teeth. “So nobody lived up to me, did they?”
She shook her head. “I see you haven’t misplaced your inflated ego anywhere.”
“Thought I did for a while, but I found it in my sock drawer.”
Speaking with the gorgeous but disappointing man in front of her was wearying, especially when being close to him made it difficult to separate the anger she felt from the desire that pooled inside her. It was well past the time when Emma wanted to leave. “Well, it’s been great walking down memory lane with you, Ryan, but time is a-fleeting.” She grabbed her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and then eyed the tote bag. She’d have to catch a cab to the bus station. Any more walking was out of the question tonight with this load. All she knew was she had to escape. And soon.
His smile faded. “So you’re going to leave, just like that.”
She shrugged. “My work here is done. I have what I came for and now it’s time for me to go.”
He’d drawn close enough that she could feel his body heat. She forced herself not to back up a step or show any weakness toward him.
“Take off your mask, Em. I want to see your face,” he said.
“No.”
“Is that the only word you know?”
“Tonight it is.”
She wanted to stay professional, but it was difficult when Ryan Shephard was so close to her. She’d tried very hard to forget about him, to put everything that happened between them well behind her. Logically, she knew she wasn’t supposed to like him anymore, but it was as if her body had a mind of its own.
A whole year of wanting him when they worked together, side by side. Never having him. Fantasies of bare skin, his body pressed to hers, his lips and tongue moving over her naked body, lower, lower…
She had to get out of here.
“Can I tell you a secret, Em?” he asked after a moment.
“I’d prefer than you don’t. And stop calling me Em.” Her grip tightened on the bottle of potion. It was an abbreviation of her name that he’d used in the past, but now it felt much too intimate.
His jaw tightened. “Fine, Emma. Then let me ask you a question first.”
She reached up to adjust her mask. Flimsy though it was, it felt like it offered her a bit of protection against the man facing her. “Go ahead. But I can’t guarantee I’m going to answer it.”
“When you heard that I’d stolen all that stuff from the vaults, did it ever occur to you that I didn’t do it?”
“No,” she said, hating that her throat now felt thick. She didn’t want him to affect her like this. She thought she’d steeled herself against him a long time ago.
His blue eyes grew serious beneath his red mask. “Why not?”
“Because there was a witness to your actions, someone I trust more than anyone in the world.”
His eyes narrowed. “Who?”
“Like I’m going to tell you.” A flare of anger ignited inside her, which helped her see things clearly again. “Look, Ryan, I don’t care if you’re only now starting to feel guilt about what happened. I don’t care if you’re looking to make amends. It’s too late for that.”
“So you still hate me.”
She blew out a breath. “Actually, I feel nothing for you.”
His face tightened. “That’s even worse.”
“Just because you’re having a moment of guilt doesn’t mean I need to feel sorry for you. It’s not going to happen. You made your choices and I made mine.”
“Did you ever feel anything for me?” He searched her face.
Dangerous question. “You’re the empath. You tell me.”
His lips curved at the edges. “Humor me.”
Humor him. She wasn’t sure why she would want to do something like that.
“Okay, you really want to know?” She exhaled shakily and her grip on the glass bottle tightened until the sharp edges bit into her skin. “Whatever I might have felt for you in the past was swept away the moment you decided that being my partner at PARA was not as good as making some easy cash on the side. You had a good life and some great friends—especially me—and you threw it all away. We knew each other a year, Ryan. You were my partner. I trusted you with—” Her voice caught and she cleared her throat. “Quite honestly, at this very moment I just want you to go away and stay gone. I really never wanted to see you again.”
The words poured out of her mouth in a gush and he stood there letting her have her say. The look on his face, although partially hidden, stiffened with every word she uttered. His reaction bothered her, she couldn’t help it.
Because, bottom line, six months ago—even after he started dating Charlotte—she’d been well on her way to falling in love with him. And he’d broken her heart. So she’d stuffed those feelings down deep and tried not to pay any attention to them. But seeing him tonight—the realization that she was far from over him was not a comfort in any way, shape, or form. Actually, it made her want to cry.
Finally, a glimmer of a smile, although now lacking any humor, touched Ryan’s lips. “I guess it can’t get much more clear than that, can it?”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “You said you had a secret you wanted to tell me?”
“Forget it. Suddenly I’m not in much of a mood for sharing.”
“Then I’m going to go. Goodbye, Ryan.”
“Goodbye, Emma.”
She took a deep breath and began to walk past him. She had a feeling that after tonight, she’d never see him again. It would be for the best—for both of them.
“Wait…before
