âI should have fired you a long time ago,â Aaron Trueno said to Talia Gibson. Heâd loved her. Heâd hated her. And deep inside, he knew that heâd screwed her over. But sheâd screwed him over, too.
She gave him a confused look. âWhy are you going off about the past? Here? Now?â She made a grand gesture at the office they were seated in. âWhile weâre working?â
âBecause I felt like it.â
She huffed out a breath. âYou have no right to blame me.â
âOh, yeah?â He shifted in his chair and glared at her from across his desk. âYouâre the one who ended it.â
âAnd youâre the one who hooked up with Jeannie.â
âYeah, after you called it quits.â
âDonât twist the facts.â Talia was attired in a designer suit and gold jewelry, with her stiletto-heeled legs crossed, looking as dangerously beautiful as sheâd always been. âI gave you your chance, and you married her instead of me.â
âMy chance?â he snapped, his office closing in on him, even with its floor-to-ceiling windows and spectacular view of Los Angeles. Although heâd made a vow to Jeannie, heâd never really loved her, at least not the way he should have. Theyâd been divorced for a little over a year, but their marriage had disintegrated soon after their son was born. âIt was more like an ultimatum.â
âI wanted a commitment.â
âBy nagging me every time I turned around? By trying to force me to propose?â
âI didnât do that.â
âThe hell you didnât.â
âSo thatâs why you married Jeannie? Because I pressured you and she didnât? Get real, Aaron.â
Frustrated, he thought about his ex-wife. âAt least Jeannie is remarried now.â
âYes, and to a non-Native man. Imagine that? She found a way to be happy with someone from outside her culture.â
âHer husband isnât like you, Talia. He respects her heritage.â
Her blue eyes bore into his. âYou didnât give me a chance to respect yours.â
He stared right back at her. âYou and I were together for five years. How much more time did you need?â
âIt wasnât a matter of time.â When she angled her head, a shimmer of sunlight caught her hair, enhancing the golden color. âIt was a matter of principle. You never introduced me to your family.â
âYouâre well acquainted with Thunder,â he shot back, referring to his cousin and business partner. âYou work for both of us.â
âThunder doesnât count. He isnât a traditional Indian. And neither is Dylan,â she added, bringing up Thunderâs younger brother.
Aaron didnât respond. What was he supposed to say? That when he was a boy, heâd promised his dying father that he would marry someone from his motherâs tribe? Talia knew all of that. She knew what had been expected of him.
Of course that was water under the bridge. Or it should be, he thought. Only Talia still drove him crazy.
He glanced at the file on his desk. They were supposed to be discussing a case. Aaron co-owned SPEC, a company that offered a variety of personal protection and investigative services, and Talia had been his top P.I. for eleven years. During that time, they hadnât allowed their emotions to get in the way. Or so they told themselves. But it was lie, a burden they both had to bear. Every so often, they battled their feelings.
Like today.
Aaron knew he shouldnât have gotten involved with her in the first place. But eleven years ago, when sheâd walked into SPEC with her resume, heâd wanted her.
Instantly.
So heâd hired her, intent on seducing her, even though Thunder had warned him that he was treading on perilous ground. Talia wasnât the sort of woman a man could seduce, at least not without repercussions. But Aaron had done it anyway, ignoring his cousinâs foreboding advice.
âIt was just supposed to be an affair,â he said, narrowing his gaze at Talia.
âAnd it was,â she quipped. âUntil we were stupid enough to fall in love.â
âYeah, stupid.â Aaron frowned. Sometimes he wished he had married her. And other times he cursed himself for giving a damn.
âHowâs Danny?â she asked, tossing him an emotional curveball by mentioning his son.
âHeâs fine. Heâs turning five on Saturday.â Aaron paused, throwing her a curveball, too. âDo you want to go to his party?â
She flinched. âI know when his birthday is.â
âOf course you do.â But that didnât stop her from avoiding the invitation. âDanny still has that fluffy lamb you sent to the hospital.â
âHe does?â Her expression softened. âI remember how scared you were. Worried about how premature he was.â
Aaron nodded, knowing that Talia had prayed for his child. But he didnât want to think about her kindness, not while heâd been married to someone else. Instead he wanted to grab Talia, to bruise her lips with his, to punish her with his passion.