Sleeping With My Boss: A Standalone Novel (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Love Story) (A Dirty Office Romance) (66 page)

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

Ryan

The
cab ride back to
Echo's felt like it took hours even though the driver was kind of a maniac. I
spent the ride texting Echo trying to find out what was so urgent.

Ryan_SEAL: what's
going on?

Echo_Frost: can't
tell you. hurry back.

Ryan_SEAL: just
tell me

Echo_Frost: listen
SEAL, no intel, got it?

Ryan_SEAL: sarcasm
not appreciated

Echo_Frost: duly
noted. hurry. @Nemo's

Ryan_SEAL: gotcha
be there soon

When I walked
through the door and saw her, I felt my jeans get a little tighter. She sat in
the corner furiously typing on her laptop with a serious expression on her face
while her long blond hair fell in waves around her face. She looked like a tech
version of a DaVinci painting, and I couldn't help but stop and admire her.

"Ryan, what
are you doing?" she called as she waved me over to the table. "Get
over here!"

I walked over and
sat down on the opposite side of the table and watched as she pounded on the
keyboard for a few seconds then looked up.

"What's
up?" I asked.

"I got fired,
and then I got an email from your father," she said.

"Come
again?" I said as I looked at her then looked around at the restaurant
trying to decide if I was having another nightmare.

"Baines fired
me this morning," she said. "He told me my services were no longer
needed and that I was being relieved of my duties. He then told me to clean out
my office and warned me not to take anything before he had me escorted off the
premises."

"Baines fired
you this morning? As soon as you went into work?" I asked. Suddenly the
meeting with Jack Waller became even more suspicious than it had been an hour
before.

"Yeah, but
here's the weird part," she continued as she tapped a few keys and then
turned the laptop around to face me. "I went to check my email one more
time and I found a message from your father."

I took a minute to
read the message and then looked up at Echo before saying, "He knew."

"Knew
what?" she asked as she turned the computer back around and then tapping
at the keys again.

"He knew that
Julian was up to something," I said. "He knew he might not be able to
prevent it from happening, but he knew that he could trust you with the
information in case his worst fears came true."

"I think they
did, Ryan," she said as she turned the computer back around and showed me
a web page that looked like a bunch of military training videos. There was no
sound but the men who were men running around were obviously exerting a lot of
energy as they completed tasks and trained. The video cut off after
twenty-seconds, and Echo pulled the screen back.

"Ryan, these
are live training videos of the Russian troops near the border," she said.

"How do you
know they're live?" I asked as she turned the computer back around and
showed me a whole new batch of footage.

"Because
there is a camera there recording everything they do and it refreshes ever
thirty- seconds," she said. "Your father knew that they were prepping
for something big."

"That's just
training footage of one area," I said as I waved her off. "If you
took footage of any military base in the States you'd find the same thing,
don't read too much into it."

"Ryan, there
are thousands of links to training areas all over the country and they are all
doing the same thing," she said as she pointed to the list running down
the right hand side of the screen. "They are preparing for war."

"How did you
find this?" I asked as I watched another group of soldiers complete
twenty-seconds of training exercises.
 

"Your father
left a link to the cameras embedded in his message, see here?" she said as
she pointed to the tiny white link that would have gone unnoticed had it not
been for Echo's eagle eye. "He left me the link and the files for the
project he'd been working on. He asked me not to open them, but don't you think
we should given that he's dead?"

"Echo, I'm
having a hard time processing this," I said running my hand over my
three-day old beard. "I just had a meeting with my father's attorney and
found out that Julian is the executor of my father's estate, and that I've been
disinherited from the will."

"Wait,
what?" she said as her mouth hung open in surprise. There was something so
sensual about the look on her face, and at that moment all I wanted to do was
pull her against me and run my tongue across her soft red lips. "Ryan,
what did you just say?"

"You heard
me, Julian is in control," I said as I shook my head to try and clear the
image of me kissing Echo from my brain.

"Then we
definitely need to take a look at your father's research files," she said
as she closed the computer and began packing up.

"You don't
want to look at them?" I asked.

"No, silly
SEAL, not here I don't," she laughed. "Let's take this upstairs and
figure out what's going on."

At that moment, a
man emerged from the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel and smiling at Echo as
he said, "Chiquita bonita, where are you going?"

"Up to my
apartment," she said and then stopped as if remembering something she'd
forgotten. "Mando, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Mando."

"Nice to meet
you, Ryan," Mando said as he reached out and shook my hand. He had an
exceptionally strong grip and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was
telling me more than what he was saying.

"Nice to meet
you, too, Mando," I replied as I matched his grip. We stood there staring
at each other until it dawned on me that this man was asserting ownership. It
hadn't occurred to me to ask Echo if she had a boyfriend, but now I wondered.

"See Mando,
Navy SEAL, he's safe," she said as she picked up her box and then kissed
his cheek before looking at me. "He's worried because I'm letting a
stranger like you stay in my apartment, but I told him not to worry, you are
totally safe."

And there it was,
the kiss of death. I'd just been relegated to the friend zone and Mando knew
it, she was his girl and I was going to have to be very careful how I tread.

"Yep, totally
safe," I nodded as I reached out and offered to take the box from her.

"No, you get
the door, you've got the keys, remember?" she said as she turned and
headed toward the front door. "Thanks, Mando! Tell Cece to come up and see
me later, okay?"

"Will do,
baby," he called after her. I waved at him as I followed her and he added,
"Take good care of our girl, SEAL."

Echo Frost was now
officially off limits.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Echo

Between
the time we left
Nemo's and made it up the stairs to my apartment, something had shifted and
Ryan became quiet. I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to pry knowing what he'd
gone through in the past week and how much he was having to shoulder on his
own. What I really wanted to do was curl up on the couch and feel his strong
hard body pressing against mine, but I didn't see any real interest coming from
him. And I definitely didn't want to have to share such a small living space
with a man who'd rejected my advances.

"You
hungry?" I asked as I set the box down on the coffee table and went back
to the kitchen. "I can make something, if you are."

"Nah, I'm
good," he said as he pulled my keys out of his pocket and handed them
over. "Here, I got the keys made. I've got a set now."

"Great,
thanks for doing that," I said as I watched him moved toward the balcony
and slide open the door. "How much do I owe you?"

"It's on
me," he said staring out at the buildings across the street.

"Ryan, are
you okay?" I asked. "I know it's a lot to have to deal with on your
own, so if I can help..."

"I'm
good," he said before turning around and gesturing toward my bag.
"Want to check out the files my father sent you?"

"Yeah,
sure," I said giving him a confused look before digging into my bag and
pulling out the laptop. I opened it up and clicked on the attachment. It opened
into a file of numbers that stretched out over fifteen hundred pages. I stared
at it for a long time knowing that there was something familiar about it, but
not quite knowing what that was.

"It's all
Greek to me," Ryan said with a half-hearted laugh. "You have any idea
what it is?"

"I feel like
I should know what it is," I said as I furrowed my brow trying to pull the
information out of my brain. "But I have no idea what it all means."

"Well, maybe
we have to wait for the next file to be sent before we can start to piece it
together," he shrugged sinking down on the couch. "How much longer
until that happens?"

"He said
every twenty-four hours," I replied as I scrolled through page after page
of numbers trying to understand them. "So the next file should come in
around nine or ten tomorrow morning."

"Great, we've
got a while to wait," he said as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Ryan, are
you sure you're okay?" I asked I set the computer down and sat next to
him. I reached out to take his hand, and he bolted up off the couch.

"Dammit,
woman, I told you I'm fine!" he yelled. I shrank back for a moment and
then anger quickly took the place of fear.

"You don't
get to yell at me like that for wanting to help!" I shouted. "This is
my apartment and you're a guest here!"

"Well, don't
badger me about whether I'm okay or not when I told you I am!" he spat
back. "Just leave me alone and let me think! I've got a lot on my mind and
a lot of things I need to do, you know."

"Oh, right,
because you're a special snowflake," I muttered. "I'm sorry I forgot
that you're the only one with problems."

"I didn't
mean it like that..." he began.

"No, no,
please don't let me interfere with your precious thinking time!" I shot
back. "You know what? If you want to be a jerk to me, then maybe you
should look for somewhere else to crash because this apartment is way too small
for you to act like an ass in it."

I turned and ran
up the stairs, threw myself on my bed and buried my face in my pillow to keep
from making any noise as I cried. I cried because my wonderful boss was dead,
because I'd lost my job, and because the man downstairs who'd I'd promised to
help and who I was quickly falling for, was rejecting me. It was too much for
one day.

"Echo?"
he called softly from the bottom of the stairs. I held my breath and hoped he'd
just go away and leave me alone. "Echo? I'm sorry."

"It's
okay," I called back in a choked voice. "I get it."

"No, I'm
sorry," he said. "That was rude of me and you didn't deserve that.
Are you okay?"

"I'm
fine," I sniffled.

"You don't
sound fine," he said quietly. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"It's been a
long week already, I lost my boss and my job," I said. "It's kind of
a lot to take in."

"Yeah, and
you've got a grumpy stranger who almost killed you during a nightmare sleeping
on your couch," he said. "It's a lot for one person."

I didn't say
anything. He was right, and the tears starting flowing hot and fast again as I
thought about how I was going to cope with the massive changes. My severance
pay package had been incredibly generous, but something about it made me feel
dirty taking it. It felt like blood money.

"Echo, can
you come downstairs so we can talk?" he asked.

"I'd rather
not, if you don't mind," I said as I sniffled.

"Okay,"
he said in a deflated voice. "I need to ask a favor, though. And I know I
have no right to ask, but I'm going to anyway. I need to go to visit the
parents of a friend of mine who was killed in action. Would you mind going with
me?"

"Tomorrow?"
I asked.

"Yeah, in the
morning," he said.

"Sure, I'll
go with you," I said. "I mean it's not like I have a job or
anything."

I heard him
chuckle as he walked out on to the balcony. Soon after, I fell into a deep
sleep and didn't wake up until Ryan called up for dinner.

I descended the
stairs still sleepy and feeling a little confused, but I smiled when I saw that
Ryan had set up dinner on the balcony. He'd gone out to the Moroccan place down
the block and picked up schwarma, hummus, and a fresh salad, and had made us
both heaping plates of food topped with still-warm pita bread. I stepped on to
the balcony and he followed with a crisp cold beer for each of us.

"I hope
you're hungry," he said as he pulled out the folding chair and held it for
me while I sat down.

"I'm not sure
I've ever been this hungry," I laughed as I looked at my plate and back up
at him. "But I love leftovers, so it's not a problem in the least."

He sat down across
from me and studied me with a serious expression. His eyes were dark, unlike
earlier when the amber color of them lit up and almost glowed. I wasn't sure
what he was thinking, so I looked down at my plate and grabbed a pita.

"I'm sorry,
Echo," he said so quietly I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. "I'm
sorry about earlier. I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I didn't think
about what you were going through."

"It's okay,"
I shrugged. "I was feeling sorry for myself and I forgot that you've lost
not one, but two people. I was tired."

"And that was
my fault, too," he said looking out across 14
th
 
Street.

"Look, let's
just accept each other's apologies and let it go, okay?" I suggested.
"Otherwise, we're going to spend a lot of time agonizing over things that
we don't need to and forget about what's really important."

"Sure,"
he shrugged.

"Ryan, what's
going on?" I asked. He looked like a man who had a lot more than just an
apology on his mind.

"I'm trying
to figure out what the hell is going on with my father's estate," he
began. "I don't understand any of it. And then there's tomorrow..."

He trailed off as
he grabbed his beer and drank deeply before setting it down and loading this
pita with hummus and meat. He shoved it in his mouth and chewed silently.

"What about
tomorrow?" I asked as I followed his lead and filled my mouth with the
delicious food. We ate in silence, but I could see his gears turning as he
tried to figure out how to answer my question.

"We were out
in the mountains, on a rescue mission," he began as he looked over my
shoulder at the wall behind me. "Opie was on the headset, he wasn't
supposed to engage unless it was absolutely necessary. He was my responsibility."

I nodded not
completely understanding what he was telling me, but knowing that it was
important in light of the trip tomorrow.

"I have to go
tell his parents that he died a hero," he said as he lifted his hand and
rubbed his eyes. "I have to tell them that I failed to protect their
son."

I knew that
nothing I could say would help at this moment, so I got up out of my chair and
walked around the small table to where Ryan sat. I put my hand on his head and
pulled him to me and then just held on. At first, he was stiff and resisted my
touch, but after a few moments he relaxed a little and hesitantly rested his
hands on my hips as he pressed his face into my abdomen. I could feel him
holding back, but it quietly leaked out. I could feel him breathing deeply, but
he didn't make a sound. Instead, he put his forehead against my stomach and
breathed slowly and deeply. Ryan shook slightly as he gripped me tightly, and I
winced knowing that in the morning, I'd have bruise marks the size of his
fingers marking my hips.

"It's
okay," I whispered as I stroked his head. He let go of my hips and wrapped
his arms around me. I stood solid and still stroking his back and head
wondering if I was doing the right thing. Everything about him felt strong and
solid as I fought to keep my own breathing under control. I wanted to pull his
face up so I could look into his eyes and know whether I would ever get to kiss
him. I couldn't stop thinking about his hands in my hair and how his lips would
feel pressed against mine. I felt guilty for wanting to turn this private
moment of grief into something more physical than it already was, but I
couldn't help it. Ryan Powell did something to me that I couldn't explain, but
that I knew was unlike anything anyone else had made me feel.

"Are you
okay, Ryan?" I asked when I felt his breathing return to normal.

"I'm okay,
thanks," he said not looking up. My heart broke looking at him and I had
the urge to drop to my knees and make him look at me, but I decided it would be
too invasive, so I walked back around the table and sat down.

"So, in other
words, tomorrow is going to be rough," I said as I picked up my beer and
sipped from the bottle.

"A
little," he said with a wry grin. "In many ways it's going to be
rougher than dealing with my father. At least he said he didn't want the public
display of mourning."

"Your father
didn't want a funeral?" I asked shocked to learn this.

"Nope, he
hated that stuff," Ryan said shaking his head. "He was a military man
who felt that funerals were a waste of money and emotional energy. He always
said he wanted to be taken out to sea and tipped overboard."

"But he was a
Marine, wasn't he?" I asked.

"Yeah, he
wasn't that big on military pomp and circumstance," Ryan said. He stood
up, grabbed his beer and walked to the edge of the balcony. "I don't know
what happened to him in Vietnam, but whatever it was, it had to have been
pretty awful. My mother always said the military had sent home a different man
than had gone to war. I guess that's true of any of us, though."

"I can't
imagine how challenging it must be to maintain your sense of self in the middle
of fighting for your life," I said quietly. "My father never talked
about his time in the service. Ever."

"It's like
you're trapped," he sighed. "You want to share, but how do you live
with the guilt of sharing things that are beyond even your own understanding
with the people you love?"

"It's like
trying to explain color to someone who is blind, I imagine," I said.

"Only it's
also knowing that telling them about colors will be painful for them because
they won't be able to understand," he said. "I know I should talk
about this stuff, but who do I talk about it with?"

"You can tell
me," I said.

"Yeah,
sure," he scoffed. "That would be incredibly appropriate and not at
all weird."

"Well, you
can," I shrugged as I ate a little more off of my plate. "I'm not
some delicate flower who is going to break because you tell me about something
awful or horrifying."

"Uh
huh," he nodded and I could tell his mind was off somewhere else.

"Well, the
offer stands," I said as I stood and started gathering dishes. Ryan moved
to help, but I shooed him away saying, "The one who cooks doesn't have to
do dishes. House rule."

"But I didn't
cook, I just walked down the block and picked it up," he replied.

"Same
intent," I assured him and took everything back into the kitchen. I wasn't
going to try and force him to tell me what was going on, but I wondered if he
were to open up would it make it more likely that we'd...I shook my head at the
thought and laughed. I had offered him a shoulder to cry on, thinking about how
to seduce him as a result was totally inappropriate.