Mine to Have (Mine #5)(53)

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Heat stained her cheeks. “Like I said, you’re welcome.”

“No one…no one ever made me breakfast before.” He was staring at the tray of soggy eggs like they were some kind of gourmet meal.

“Saxon…” Surely his mom had made him breakfast when he’d been little. But…as she stared at him, she realized the guy was staring at the soggy eggs like they were some kind of precious gift.

He pulled her onto the bed. “You’re going to split it with me, right?” He took a bite of the eggs. Those ridiculous, soggy eggs.

“Yes,” she whispered, “I’ll split it with you.”

He offered her a fork filled with eggs—eggs that were dripping off the utensil. She took it, opening her mouth. And when he smiled at her, he didn’t look like the dangerous man she’d met in Miami.

He looks like the man I love.

She was in so much trouble.

***

Saxon had extra clothes in the trunk of his car, and he changed at Elizabeth’s cottage before they headed out for the winery.

When they arrived, he hurried around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. As he stood there, staring down at her, she remembered what it was like to ride through Miami with him on the back of a motorcycle, holding on as tightly as she could.

She rose from the car and let her body brush against his. “Maybe it doesn’t matter if you’re the fighter or the man in the suit.” Her hand pressed against his chest. “Maybe all that matters…is that it’s you.” Then she rose onto her toes and kissed his lips.

His hands settled around her shoulders as he held her close.

She started to hope then. To think that everything was going to be okay. They’d escaped Miami and the nightmare back there. They were together, and every time that Saxon touched her, she seemed to light up from the inside.

He escorted her to her office. Gave her a wink before walking away.

She stared after him and she wondered—

“It’s that way, huh?”

Sloan’s voice came from the right. Her head jerked toward him, and she found him lounging in the hallway, watching her.

“Figured it,” he added, lips twisting, “when he said that you two had been working together so closely…for years.” Then he advanced toward her, his expression angry. “Is the fact that you’re screwing the boss going to mean that I have to watch my job? Am I going to be hitting the street so that you can take over?”

Once, words like that would have made her cringe. Now she just stared at him and shook her head. “You should really be careful what you say.”

His frown deepened. “Why? You gonna run to the big boss and tell him—”

“You don’t want him to know what you’ve said. Trust me.” She turned away from him. “There are worse things than losing a job.”

He grabbed her shoulder and spun her back around. “I’ve put blood and tears into this job! Your lover didn’t know shit about the wine business until he hired me! Now that we’re operational and ready to make a profit, don’t think that I’m just going to be shut out—”

“Take your hand off me.” Her voice was flat. Lethal. But after being held with a gun to her head, this guy—this pompous ass—wasn’t scaring her. He was pissing her off.

His hand fell away.

“This isn’t your company. It’s his. He can fire you if he wants, and you be assured that if you ever grab me or another employee again,” she bared her teeth in a hard smile, “your ass will be hitting the curb.”

He blinked and actually backed up a step. Damn straight. After facing a hit man, no jerk was going to intimidate her.

“Now I’ve got work to do.” She slammed her door in his face and marched back to her desk. “Dick.”

***

Saxon’s body tensed as he watched Sloan spin on his heel and began to stride angrily away from Elizabeth’s office. The guy had only taken two steps, though, when he staggered to a stop.

He stopped the moment he saw Saxon.

“I’d like a word with you,” Saxon murmured. “In my office.” He was rather impressed by how calm his voice sounded. He turned and headed toward his office, not bothering to glance back and see if the guy was following him.

The fucking jerk.

Saxon strode past the reception area, pausing just long enough to flash a reassuring smile at Vanessa.

But as soon as he entered his office, his smile vanished. He turned on Sloan and the fury within him boiled.

Sloan shut the door. The click seemed incredibly quiet.

“There are a few things that need to be cleared up,” Saxon told him. His fingers clenched into fists.

Sloan glanced down at Saxon’s fisted hands. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then he looked up at Saxon’s face. “Wh-what’s that?” The guy’s voice broke.

“You’re expendable to me. If I want to bring in another wine expert, all I have to do is snap my fingers.”

Sloan paled. “I didn’t mean—”

“To disrespect her? To piss me off? Because you did both, damn well.”

“I’m sorry.” His words tumbled out. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.”