Free Crossing Hathaway by Jocelyn Adams Page B

posed against the wall, feet crossed at the ankle, hands in his pockets, shoving his suit jacket aside to accommodate them. “What’s the matter, kitten? Either you’re a prude, or you’re fucking my brother.” He laughed and shook his head, clearly amused by his own words. “No, scratch that last one. Benjamin wouldn’t know what to do with you if you fell on his dick, so you must be a prude.”
    “Screw you.” I jammed a finger at him. “My boss wouldn’t appreciate you talking about him like that. I don’t care who the fuck you are, buddy.”
    What was wrong with his family? If someone had told me I’d meet a bigger ass than Mr. Hathaway before I met his brother, I’d have told them they were nuts.
    Richard’s mouth formed a little O before it spread into a wicked grin. “A feisty one. Maybe I was wrong about you, defending him with such passion. Are you fucking him?”
    The lights dimmed, stealing away my retort.
    “What are you doing here, Richard?” Mr. Hathaway blew into the office like an angry wind, stopping in the shadow beyond the pot lights in the ceiling. His voice fell into a low growl. “I told you never to come here unannounced.”
    Richard swaggered away from the wall, his gaze sliding over me in a way that made me want to peel off my skin. “Oh, Benjamin, you’ve always been such a drama queen.”
    “I told you never to call me that. What are you doing here now? The board isn’t meeting until this afternoon.”
    Richard shrugged and circled me like a predator. “I wanted to see how my brother was doing, to see if you’re still the boring, awkward workaholic you’ve always been.”
    I jumped when Richard spoke against my ear. “Our Ben here doesn’t know the meaning of spontaneity. If you check his bathroom, I’m certain you’ll find a schedule posted on the wall so he remembers when to take a shit. He certainly doesn’t know how to pleasure a strong woman like you, not the way I can.” His finger slid inside the collar of my shirt.
    I elbowed him and rubbed my throat to get rid of the crawling sensation lingering from his touch. Fury bubbled up my throat. “God, are you always an ass or just on Tuesdays?”
    Richard sniggered and jutted his chin toward Ben. “You have your pussy fighting your battles now, brother?”
    Ben shifted closer to me, a subtle movement, but I caught it all the same. His jaw flexed. “Has he harmed you, Evangeline?” My respect for him grew a little. If Richard had been my brother and he said that to me, I’d probably have decked him. His self-control was downright saintly.
    I nodded. “I’m fine. He’s just being a prick.”
    “Get out, Richard. Stay away from me and my staff.”
    Richard let out a barking chuckle. He came around to face me, offering a business card pinched between two fingers. “Call me if you want to relieve your boredom … Evangeline.” My name stretched across his lips like a lover’s caress.
    I wrapped my arms around myself and edged closer to Ben.
    He snatched the card from his brother’s hand and stood between us. “She doesn’t date, and even if she did, she has more sense than to put herself at the mercy of someone like you. Now get out.”
    Wearing a smirk more full of menace than humor, Richard strode to the door and left. A few moments later, the outer door slammed downstairs.
    Mr. Hathaway leaned on the table and expelled a giant breath. His whole body shook, his teeth clenched and bared, eyes closed. At first, I took it for rage, but as I looked closer, at his wilting posture, at his presence that seemed to shrink, I recognized fear rooted so deep it clung to him like a shadow.
    “Do you act like a high and mighty king because you think you’re that much better than everyone else? Or do you hide in the darkness, locked away in your office because you’re worried someone will eventually figure out there’s a real man who feels and bleeds beneath the bully?”
    “Get out.”
    The sharpness of the words