Free The One Nighter by Shauna Hart

job.”
    His eyes narrowed. “No one thinks that.”
    Her eyes widened. “Oh, no? According to Jill, there have already been whispers, which makes what she saw all the more damning.”
    He scrubbed a hand over his face before returning her gaze. “Look, if that’s what you’re worried about, you should know that I haven’t made any final decisions on the staff yet. No position is set in stone. If Jill is…”
    Before he could finish, she cut him off. “Jill deserves to be there. She’s always gone above and beyond for the firm.”
    He smiled at her ready defense. “She’s a good friend, I take it?”
    She looked away. “She was. Before this,” she said.
    He reached across the table to cover her hand with his own, and his eyes met hers. “If she was a good friend b e fore, then she’ll be a good friend now. Don’t make any rash decisions on what might happen. Just take some time to think about it before you decide to leave. Don’t let what people say run you away from a career that’s just beginning to flourish.”
    When she hesitated, he continued. “I know how hard you’ve worked, Melanie. I don’t want to see you give that up because of what’s happening between us.”
    Staring down at their intertwined fingers, she had to admit that he had a point. No matter how uncomfortable things got at the office, she didn’t want to walk away.
    “Okay, I’ll think about it,” she conceded.
    He let out a breath of relief. “Thank God, because I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he confessed.
    The look in his eyes let her know that he meant the words in more ways than one. Her heart swelled with em o tion as she felt the warmth of his hand caressing hers.
    Cocking his head to the side, he released her hand. “Now, get dressed, because I still need to run by my place before we go to the office.”
    Later, when she stood under the warm rays of the shower, she thought of how drastically her life had changed in the past few weeks. Connor Mason was a force of nature. He had swept into her life and changed everything. Despite the fact that she was worried about seeing everyone at the office, she had to concede that it was worth it. He was worth it.
    Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if the storm had a l ready begun to brew.
    Had Jill already told everyone what she saw?
    Or was she waiting for the confrontation that would inevitably come before she released the floodgates?
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 13
     
    Melanie hesitantly walked through the office toward her desk. A quick glance around proved that no one was looking at her, especially Jill, who sat at her desk working fervently.
    Her eyes narrowed.
    It wasn’t like Jill to be working so hard this early in the morning. After all, it wasn’t even eight o’ clock.
    She sat down at her desk, leaning over to boot up her computer. All morning, she waited for the ugly confront a tion that she was sure would soon come. When it didn’t happen, she began to ponder why.
    Had all her worrying been for nothing?
    She slipped into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. Jus as she started to fill her mug, Jill came in. After a cursory glance at her, the other woman pursed her lips.
    Before she could say anything, Melanie began.
    “Jill, we should talk.”
    One eyebrow arched. “Oh, I think I already know more than I want to know,” Jill observed.
    She let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not what you think.”
    Jill’s lips curled in a sardonic grin as she tilted her head to the side. “Now how did I know you were going to say that?” she quipped.
    Her mouth formed a grim line. “Do you remember my trip to Austin last year?” she asked.
    Jill rolled her eyes as she let out a heavy sigh. “What does that have to do with anything?”
    “Well, you guessed that I met someone there,” she b e gan.
    Jill nodded. “The mystery man,” she remembered.
    Her eyebrows rose.
    Jill’s eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to say, Mel?”
    She drew in a