A Matter of Trust: London Calling Book One by Kat Faitour Page B

They sat close, huddled so they could better see each other’s screens.
    Instantly, his mood soured further. He felt excluded. Isolated.
    “Devon,” he barked, impatient with her lack of attention to him.
    “Yes?” She patiently answered, not rising to his provocation.
    “Update me on steel hedges. Concisely.” He deliberately asked for something she hadn’t worked on. The devil rode him, wanting her to feel a fraction of his discomfort, the unrelenting uncertainty that plagued him when she was near.  
    She looked helplessly at Aidan, lost. “I apologi—”
    Aidan fielded the question, only adding to Bennett’s frustration. They worked fluidly as a team now, aided by weeks of seamless integration when Bennett had tossed them together while he flew off to the sites with Natalie.  
    He clenched his fist before smoothing it back out on the table before him. “That’s very good, Aidan.” He trained his gaze on Devon. “Devon, you’re relying on Aidan to answer your questions. That’s not nearly good enough, especially for me.” Her gasp of outrage caused one side of his mouth to lift in triumph. “A little less time sightseeing and a little more time working, hmm?”
    He made sure he was out the door before she could think of a reply. Or worse.
    ***
    Devon fumed, rapidly laying the final touches on reports she and Aidan had worked on for weeks. Taking a final look before approving it, she printed out a copy and marched down the hallway to Bennett’s door. With a token raise of her brows to Natalie, she walked right in, crossing the room’s wide expanse to arrive at his desk. He was swiveled away, apparently deep in thought as he stared out the window to his impressive view.  
    She smacked the report down on his desk and took a seat, waiting.
    Bennett pushed a foot to swing his chair around to face her.  
    She flicked a casual hand toward the report. “It’s the hedge fund project. Global top twenty with Euro, Asian, and North American region subsets. Top ten funds outlined with projected earnings along with potential vulnerabilities.” She rose to full height, staring him down. “This is what I was assigned, not just commodities or steel. And it’s a full week early. I worked hard on this.”
    She was heading for the door before he spoke. “Devon.”  
    She stopped, freezing in place.
    “Get back here.”
    She went back to the chair she’d vacated and took a seat. He never looked at her, just continued to read the report she’d given him. After a few minutes, he looked up, running his hand over the faint stubble on his jaw.  
    “It’s good. I have to take a longer look, but you did a good job.” He continued to eye her levelly. “And way before schedule.”
    She moved to rise, feeling validated but still angry with him. “May I go?”
    She thought she heard him sigh.
    “Yes.” He hesitated before adding, “I’m sorry. You probably haven’t had a chance to see much of London or the UK.” He ran two fingers inside the collar of his shirt, as if loosening it. “Perhaps I could serve as tour guide sometime. I did grow up here, after all.”
    She stopped in the act of getting up to gape at him. Pressing a hand to the fluttery feeling in her stomach, she involuntarily glanced over her shoulder to the exit. Bennett cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him.
    “Forget it. Obviously, it’s such a big decision for you,” he said gruffly. “Christ, it’s not like I proposed.”
    Once again, the man could fling her from one mood to the next with lightning speed. As spots of color reddened her cheeks, she pursed her lips, trying to hold herself back.
    It was no use. He was maddening .
    “We both know that’s never happening, as you’ve made it so clear in the past,” she said loudly. His eyes widened on hers. “It’s best I stay away from you, though, for my own good. I don’t want to get any ideas above my station .”
    She thought she heard him curse as she slammed out