Page 16 of Loving Her Enemy

She sighed and pushed away from the door, her bare feet silent on the marbled floor. “No, I’m fine. Just hot, tired, and debating on whether to change clothes or go to the kitchen for something to eat.”

He nodded and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his pants, causing the garment to stretch and bring attention to the large package between his legs. There was no doubt the man was well endowed.

And oh damn. She shouldn’t be noticing.

Halayna diverted her gaze and struggled to hold back a groan. Her thoughts were out of control. Clearly, she was not only tired and hungry, but also horny. The heat outside must’ve scrambled her brain cells.

“I was hoping to talk to you,” Sloane said, and Halayna’s attention snapped to him. “How about you go and change clothes, and I’ll get Ms. Mae to prepare a tray for us?”

Halayna narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to talk to me?” She hoped he wasn’t planning to kick her out. She needed a few more months to find a good job, save some money, and then get her own place. Hopefully, he’d give her that time.

“I’ve been thinking about something, and I’d like to get your opinion.”

They stared at each other for several beats before Halayna said, “Okayyyy.” Dragging the word out, wondering what they could possibly have to discuss. Only one way to find out. “I’ll be back down once I change clothes.”

“Great. I’ll meet you in my office.” He strolled toward the kitchen but stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. “By the way, you look really nice. Can’t wait to hear about the interview.”

He didn’t stick around for a response, and as Halayna climbed the stairs on the left side of the dual, spiral staircase, she couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since a man paid her a compliment, but as soon as the thought formed, her smile fell. What the heck could she and Sloane have to talk about? He had a team of people to bounce ideas off of. Why her?

Halayna reached her suite, her stomach growling again reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Her life might still be a mess, but her appetite had returned with a vengeance.

She changed into a sleeveless floral shirt and white shorts, her mind racing with anxious thoughts. She wasn’t afraid to be around Sloane, on the contrary. When they weren’t arguing, they got along great, which was frustrating. She wanted to be pissed at him, blame him for some of her troubles, but she couldn’t. Her issues were hers, and her poor decisions got her into the mess she was in.

She took a quick look in the full-length mirror. Satisfied with her outfit, she released the bun from the top of her head and let her hair fall past her shoulders. She ran her fingers through the long strands, gathered her hair, then pulled it in a messy ponytail at her nape.

Now she was ready to face the man who’d taken up too much time in her thoughts.

Once she made it to Sloane’s office, she stopped in the doorway. She hadn’t been in his personal space before, and the room was as huge as others in the house. But it was also cozier and more inviting than she expected. On the right side of the room was a sitting area that could rival a living room with its comfortable-looking sofa. A coffee table was in front of it, and there were two captain chairs facing it, rounding off the look.

But what really caught her attention was the wall of bookshelves loaded with books. She never thought of Sloane as a reader, but he wasn’t the type of person to have books just for show. If he hadn’t read them all, there was no doubt he’d read most of them.

Her gaze landed on the man of the manor, standing behind his huge oak desk talking on the phone. His attention was on an open file folder on his desk.

“I told you. Whatever you have to do, get it done. I don’t want the woman showing up at my office this week,” he said with force to the person on the other end of the phone. “As for the other project, it’s already over budget, and it should’ve been completed a week ago. Where the hell is Walter?”

Seeing him handling business, looking like a badass boss, was a serious turn on. There was nothing sexier than a fine brother taking charge and making things happen. Goodness, he was beautiful and...

Whoa. Wait. Why the heck was she suddenly seeing Sloane as a man and not just Bristol’s big brother? Sure, he was a good-looking man, but now each time she saw him, her body tingled all over. The sight of him turned her on without him even saying or doing anything.

This wasn’t right. This shouldn’t be happening. Surely, she wasn’t that starved for a man. Maybe it was hormones.

Halayna hadn’t been with a guy since Owen, and those last few months with him hadn’t been great. She probably just needed a sexual tune-up, which was something she could take care of with the help of her battery-operated boyfriend.

Yeah, that was it. Her attraction to Sloane meant nothing, and the way he always looked at her, like he had x-ray vision and could see beneath her clothes, didn’t mean anything either. Besides, the man could have any woman he wanted. No way would he be interested in her.

And why the hell am I still thinking about him like this?

Halayna wasn’t sure if she had made a noise, but Sloane glanced in her direction. She was still standing in the doorway, and his gorgeous, whisky colored eyes met hers. Then he took in the length of her body and lingered on her bare legs and flip-flops. When his heated gaze returned to hers, a slow, sexy smile crept over his lips, and damn if he didn’t have her squeezing her thighs together.

Oh boy. This is not good. He shouldn’t be able to make her body come alive with just a look and a smile.

“Hold on a second,” he said to whoever was on the phone and then muted the call.

“I can leave if you need privacy,” Halayna hurried to say. She’d gladly take her meal to go and would probably enjoy it more away from Sloane.

“No, sweetheart, you’re fine. Go ahead and eat,” he said, pointing to a round table to her left, loaded with food. “I’ll be done with this call in a second.”

Sweetheart.