Free Private Dancer by Nevea Lane Page A

caused. The truth of the matter was, now, he knew he would want Marise more than he ever had. He’d tasted a bit of her vulnerability, he’d seen her at her worse, and it didn’t make him run.
    57 | P a g e

    Nevea Lane
    Private Dancer
    The knowledge of what could’ve been if he would’ve lost control that night would nag at him on top of his feelings for her. Kasen raked his fingers through his hair and sat down at his desk.
    “DAMN!” he growled. He didn’t know what else to say. He sat with his elbows on his desk and sighed. What more could he do but move on?
    Just as Kasen had made up his resolve to get on with his life, he heard a soft knock at his door.
    Marise’s head peeked in around the corner. And she looked at him wide eyed and with that questioning gaze. Marise didn’t know she’d just stuck her head into back into the lion’s den.

    * * *
“I didn’t say come in.” Kasen growled at her. Taken aback, Marise snapped her head back out of the door and closed it with a soft click.
    In any other circumstances, Marise would’ve put on a cold façade and pretended like she didn’t care what that other person was going through. Life had taught her that caring about what other people are going through would drain her strength. Right now, she wasn’t willing to be drained of the new strength she’d.
    But, this wasn’t any other circumstance. This was a man that had saved her from sure insanity in what was proving to be the most difficult year of her life. He was also a man that she’d come to care for in the most primal way. He needed her, and she would not back down out of his life.
    She knocked again, this time firmer than before.
    “What!” Came the response from the other side of the door. Marise’s lip hitched up a little in the corner. If he wanted to be the big mean and bad boss, she would give him what he wanted.
    Marise waited patiently, and knocked again. By the time Marise took a breath, the door whipped open and Marise stood staring at Kasen’s loosened tie. She looked up at him and saw that his blue eyes were stormier that she’d ever seen them. She was scared, but at the same time, she knew she’d a mission in this man’s life.
    58 | P a g e

    Nevea Lane
    Private Dancer
    “I said what?” Kasen snarled between pursed lips and clenched teeth. Marise winced a little at his demeanor, but she would not back down. She looked up at him defiantly and met his gaze.
    “I was waiting for you to say ‘Come in’, not what. So, I knocked twice. May I come in?” Kasen’s jaw ticked and Marise knew he was holding back a lot of anger. He stepped to the side, and motioned with his arm for her to take a seat. Marise knew this was not going to be an easy conversation. Kasen looked pissed when he left the café so abruptly. She was trying to look at it from his perspective, but she could not bite back the news of her divorce for too much longer.
    “What can I help you with Ms. James?”
    Ms. James? What was wrong with him? He’d always called her Marise before.
    “Well, Mr. Montgomery, as you will be leaving again in a few days I thought we could catch up on things.” Marise said with her head cocked to one side. If that was the way that he wanted to play it, she could be cool and detached too. Perhaps she misunderstood his compassion when he left two weeks ago. Or perhaps he didn’t want to have anything to do with damaged goods such as her. She watched him wearily as he rounded his desk and flopped into his chair. He ran his fingers through his hair and then fixed his gaze at her.
    “Yes, we should. Set up a briefing for tomorrow morning. Anything else?” Kasen stated as he began flipping through papers. He wasn’t looking at anything he’d not looked at before. He just couldn’t let her know that he was a mess.
    Marise was taken aback by his abrupt and short tone. But, Marise had also spent years running from these types of situations. For years, when Darryl got agitated, she would