“Sure, no problem.” She disposed of the dirty plates and then put a plate in front of Nathan and the cake in the middle of the table. “Help yourselves. I have things to do and I’m pretty exhausted. See you all in the morning.”
With that, Libby left the kitchen and walked calmly down to the office where she shut the door and sank into the chair.
What the bloody hell made me do that? Now he’d be thinking he had scared her off. She wasn’t going to give him the upper hand this time, but he had a way of getting under her skin and rattling her. Now she had to wait for them all to leave before cleaning the kitchen and heading to bed.
There was a soft tap on the door, and Tom put his head in the office.
“You okay?” A frown marring his forehead.
“Sure, Tom.” She quickly sought to reassure him. “I just have to try and get my head around these figures and the business plan I’m trying to put together for Aaron. I want to get it right, and you don’t need me any more tonight, do you?”
“Not letting Nathan get the better of you, are you?” A knowing glimmer shone in his eyes.
“No, not at all.” She looked away from him, hoping her face didn’t give her away. “You might want to discuss those bulls with him while he’s here, though. You know what you’re talking about. You can give me a rundown later before I put it to Aaron.”
Tom nodded his head and left her alone once again. She breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn’t long before the door flew open, and Nathan stood in the doorway, a scowl on his face.
“You’re capable of talking to me, aren’t you?” He stared down at her. “Or are you too scared to make a decision for yourself? So much for knowing what you’re doing. After mouthing off to me the other day, you still can’t take control, can you? I told you no amount of Internet access would fix it for you. It’s a hands-on job you can’t handle. If you want to run this station, Libby, run it like someone who cares and don’t leave someone else to get your information for you. Tom’s been holding this place together for years. Cut him some slack and get off your ass and do your own dirty work. I promise not to bite if you want to ask me about those bulls. But that’s all I promise.”
Libby found her feet and her voice at the same time.
“You ignorant jerk. You rock up here and invite yourself in to my home. I was polite, was I not? I gave you cake. What I do not have to give you is my time, just so you can run me down like you did last time you just popped in for coffee. If you want to look good in front of those guys out there, don’t use me to do it.”
“What the hell are you talking about, woman?” He threw his hands in the air, apparently not comprehending what she was on about.
“You told me to tell Tom about the bulls, remember? On your last visit? The one where you thought I wasn’t clever enough to run this place. So I did what you suggested. I told Tom and decided to leave it up to him. I value his opinion and will do what he suggests without question, but when I get him to talk to you, you go off in a tangent I should be the one to talk to you about them.” She was frustrated beyond belief. “I can’t keep up with you. Make up your mind. What do you want, Nathan?”
“This.” He gripped her arms and pulled her close.
The moment his lips touched hers, Libby was lost, the last argument forgotten as the male smell of him filled her nostrils, sending her emotions out of control. Groaning with a want that burned through her body, she molded herself to his lean, hard frame while he feasted on her mouth. He wound his fingers through her hair, pulled it loose to fall over her face as she pushed her body into his. The hard bulge in his jeans made her forget reason as she pulled his shirt free and ran her hands up his back. She dipped her head to one side as he nipped around her earlobes. Shivers perked up her already budded nipples before Nathan pulled at the buttons on her shirt. Her mind was telling her to push him away as he had done to her, but her body was taking charge, and she was powerless to stop herself.
Libby pushed her hands between them to roam up and explore his chest, tweaking at his erect nipples, teasing them with her fingertips as he continued to send shudders through her body with his mouth locked on hers.
She was struggling with his belt buckle when the door was thrown open.
“Mum, Holly’s freaking out again. Hey, you get your hands off my mother!” Josh yelled as he came into the office and hit out at Nathan.
Libby stood rooted to the spot as Nathan let go of her and stepped back with a stunned look on his face. He turned and stared at Josh. Muttering under his breath, he spun on his heel and stormed out of the office.
“Mum, what’s going on?” Josh, looked at her, his face twisted in anguish.
“I’m sorry.” She pulled her shirt straight, jammed it back into her jeans before she brushed past him to find Holly in the hallway, leaning against the wall, shaking uncontrollably.
She dropped to her knees on the floor and grabbed her daughter into her arms.
“Shush, baby.” She crooned, cradling her daughter tight while rocking her. “It’s okay now, shhh.”
Once again, she’d let Nathan upset her baby, and this time, he wasn’t going to get away
