It's Been You Read online

  It’s Been You

  Crush on You #2

  Rina Gray

  Avon, Massachusetts

  Copyright © 2016 by Rina Gray.

  All rights reserved.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

  Published by

  Crimson Romance™

  an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.

  10151 Carver Road, Suite 200

  Blue Ash, OH 45242. U.S.A.

  www.crimsonromance.com

  ISBN 10: 1-5072-0217-2

  ISBN 13: 978-1-5072-0217-3

  eISBN 10: 1-5072-0218-0

  eISBN 13: 978-1-5072-0218-0

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art © wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.

  Thank you for purchasing a Crimson Romance novel. Please sign up for our weekly newsletter for information on new releases, contests, discounts and more.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  More from This Author

  Also Available

  To my family and friends—all of whom have been just as excited about my writing journey as I have. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

  Chapter One

  The doors of the elevator slid open, and Tiana Holliday stepped into her office. Her four-and-a-half-inch red leather pumps clicked sharply against the distressed oak flooring as she navigated the marketing agency’s cubicle land, nodding at the pot-bellied IT guy that saved her laptop last week and the timid analytics whiz who hid behind an army of collectible action figures.

  Her coworkers nodded back, and some even waved. But what made the small smile form and tug the corners of her mouth was the silence. No whispers, no gossip, no lies—just the productive sounds of mouse clicking and fingers typing.

  Her grin grew wide. The muscles around her jaw were stiff, but the smile was genuine. Like the Tin Man before an oil change.

  Rounding the corner toward her shared office, she opened the door and found her intern perched atop her desk with her mug in hand.

  “Julia, you’re not here to fetch coffee. You’re here to learn,” Tiana admonished gently, although she appreciated the young woman’s thoughtfulness.

  “Oh, it’s no bother at all, Ms. Holliday.” Julia’s blush highlighted the splatter of freckles on her face. “Besides, the sooner you have your thinking juice, the sooner we can go over my project.”

  Tiana placed her purse in the bottom drawer and twisted the lock. “You’re done already?” She lifted an eyebrow.

  “Not quite, but I made a lot of headway over the weekend and—”

  “The weekend? You’re barely twenty years old! You shouldn’t be working during your free time.”

  Julia’s adorable face morphed into a mutinous expression. “B-but you work over weekends. And I thought since you’re my boss and mentor, I should try to be like you.”

  Tiana tucked her hair behind her ears. When did I get old enough for a college student to follow in my footsteps?

  Geez, if Julia only knew. All weekend Tiana had worked on a project that was six weeks ahead of schedule and a marketing proposal for a new client. After finishing, she scared the bejeezus out of herself by watching B-rated horror flicks alone in her apartment while her best friend, no doubt, burned copious amounts of calories with her fiancé. The most exciting part of Tiana’s weekend was finding her favorite shade of lipstick on sale.

  “Julia … ” Tiana smiled as she settled into her chair. “Don’t be like me. Be yourself. Besides, you don’t even want to know what I ended up doing this weekend.”

  “Let me guess. You organized your spice rack?”

  Tiana immediately recognized the annoyingly pleasing voice that sounded from the doorway. The husky sound that haunted her dreams too often to count. Her body tightened. “Nathaniel,” she said in the dullest tone she could possibly muster and managed a tight smile that was as wooden as Pinocchio’s.

  Julia hopped from the edge of Tiana’s desk. “Ha! You’re wrong. Ms. Holliday organized her spices last week!”

  “Julia … ” Tiana crossed her arms. “How do you know what I did last weekend?”

  “I follow you on Twitter.” The intern smiled brightly, having no idea she’d embarrassed her boss and given Nathaniel ammunition for future torture.

  “Right.” Tiana made a mental note to never again post her lame chores on social media. This weekend she had plans to organize her roommate’s closet, color-coding blouses and skirts. Then she’d straighten Melanie’s shoes by heel height and color. A thankless job as Mel would probably roll her eyes and suggest she get a life when she discovered the results of Tiana’s obsessive tidiness.

  Tiana turned to face Nathaniel. “No spice racks. I actually went out with friends.” It was an outright lie, but she didn’t care.

  Julia now looked confused. “Really? Because I saw you logged into the system on Friday and Saturday until—”

  “Why don’t you finish your assignments, and we’ll do a working lunch to discuss what you’ve completed.” Tiana ducked her head behind her computer.

  Straightening her lanky frame, the intern nodded and quietly left the room.

  Nathaniel, however, remained by Tiana’s workspace, legs spread and arms folded. Not that it mattered that he stood uncomfortably close—his own desk sat only eight feet away. She sighed and drummed her fingers on the desk, remembering her mother’s favorite saying. When the woman wasn’t drunk or drugged, she’d say, “God works in mysterious ways.”

  Does he ever. Tiana had been delivered from the hands of her ex-fiancé/coworker Greg into the hands of her ex-grad school nemesis Nathaniel. She’d been surprised seven months ago when she saw him on the interview panel for the vacant position at the agency. She nearly marched out of the interview when she saw him again, but she really wanted the position at the much-revered agency. And to get the hell out of Atlanta and away from Greg. But damn, it had been hard to digest that she would be working with her old classmate again.

  The man who’d stolen the highlighters she’d used to color-code her lecture notes, leaving silly ransom notes that declared “the most handsome man in the class” was holding them hostage.

  She’d never asked him for the highlighters back. That would only, in his egomaniac mind, confirm that she found him attractive.

  And she did. He was gorgeous, and he knew it. Smooth, brown skin with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee that didn’t connect. Dark, fathomless eyes, and a voice ma
de for late-night radio.

  But she’d never tell him that. She’d never give in to her baser needs. He was too unpredictable, too loud, and too dangerous. Nathan was the classmate who’d always poked holes in her well-researched answers. The know-it-all teammate who sidetracked their cohort by yapping away about politics, sports, and women, and yet still managed to deliver outstanding work for his piece of the project. The man who accused her of stealing the highly coveted internship by seducing their professor. As if I would stoop so low.

  Not only were they coworkers, but God had seen fit to have them share an office. Even six months after leaving her home in Atlanta and starting the job in New York, Tiana still hadn’t gotten over the irony of sharing an office with her enemy. The best course of action was to ignore him. No more office romance gone wrong like with Greg. No more poor Tiana when the guy took credit for her ideas that led to his promotion. Or when he cheated with another co-worker. Or worst of all, when he’d embarrassed her by unknowingly making it seem like she was the other woman. Side piece. God, what an awful thing to say about someone, but that’s what she’d overheard one of her coworkers say when Stephanie, Greg’s other fiancée, had told the others that Tiana had seduced Greg.

  “Let’s keep our relationship a secret, sweetling. You don’t want people to accuse you of sleeping with your trainer.” Tiana and Greg had never publicized their relationship, so it was her word against the company’s golden girl. Bitterness and pain stung her chest at the thought of Greg’s many betrayals. Oh hell, no. Never again would she put herself in that situation. Ignoring Nathaniel was the best solution.

  Ignore his scent. Ignore his nearness. Ignore his sexiness.

  No time like the present. Pulling a pair of hot-pink headphones from her desktop organizer, she opened her playlist and turned up the volume. She clicked on the speaker icon again, confused that her soothing neo-soul music wasn’t playing. She looked at Nathaniel, whose lips fought a smile. The delinquent had sabotaged her ear buds.

  She almost cursed, but then remembered the little surprise she had in store for him during lunch. He’d be praying to the porcelain gods if her plan worked. God, she hated that he brought out the childish side of her. But he started it! The crazy man had somehow pulled her into a prank war. He’d stolen her food, attached an air horn to her seat, but the final straw had been when he pulled up a stupid clown fetish forum on her screen right before the boss came around her desk.

  Praying for patience for the sure to be annoying encounter, she pasted on a fake smile and through thin lips hissed, “Yes, Nathaniel?”

  His tongue slid across that luscious lower lip. “Mornin’, Peaches,” he said in a deep, succulent voice like a man eager to take a bite of her forbidden fruit.

  Tiana crossed her legs. Silky smooth fabric crept up her thigh. Tugging at the hem of the rising skirt to keep it in place, she needed her hands to stay busy. Nathaniel didn’t need to know how restless she became around him. He didn’t need to know how he always made her insides quiver.

  “Stop calling me Peaches.”

  He moved closer and leaned across her desk. “I see my little Georgia peach is feeling feisty this morning.”

  “Move away from my desk. You’re crowding me.”

  Lord knows she didn’t want to be a part of the office’s gossip mill again. She’d once walked in on a whispered conversation among coworkers, debating whether or not she had finally given it up to Nathaniel. Like it was inevitable. Their co-workers thought their prank war was foreplay, but she’d never date him. Not even if he was the last man on Earth.

  “Fine.” He leaned back with an unapologetic look on his face. “I’ll leave you alone if you answer my question.”

  Reclining in her chair, she waved her hand. “Ask.”

  “In between painting the town red with your friends this weekend,” he said in a you-gotta-be-kidding-me voice, “you didn’t happen to find time to work on a counterproposal for the sports car account, right? Because you know Isaac has practically given the account to me.”

  “Perhaps.” She lifted her shoulders. She certainly had worked on a bid, not that it was any of his business. Marketing a sexy car, one that was endorsed by a professional athlete to boot, would give her a much-needed boost in snagging a director’s position. She planned on wowing their bosses Isaac and Richard tomorrow afternoon, a few days before presenting the final pitch to Fiete.

  As Nathaniel stood, his full lips thinned into a frown. “That account is mine, Tiana. I’ve worked with similar clients and led campaigns that were wildly successful and under budget while you sold doggy biscuits.”

  She slowly clapped her hands. A sarcastic clap was better than a swift slap to his handsome face. “Good for you. Now, I’m going to get back to work.” Pulling a key from the desk, she opened a drawer to retrieve her spare headphones. “Then I’m going to polish my proposal that’s going to, if I may boast, kick your testosterone-filled, high-five-bro, greasy-bikini-clad-women marketing plan’s ass.”

  His nostrils flared, and she couldn’t gauge if he was pissed off or turned on.

  “Game on.” He leaned over her desk. “But be warned, I play to win.”

  She tilted closer, her lips nearly touching his ear. “Come and get me.”

  She didn’t know what possessed her to whisper something so suggestive, but she did know she wasn’t backing down. His head jerked back, and those sinful eyes seared her with a silent promise. Her heart stalled like a faulty engine.

  He would most definitely be up for the challenge.

  Chapter Two

  A soft rap on the glass door caught Tiana’s attention. She glanced away from her screen, briefly irritated by the interruption until realizing Isaac Goldberg, agency president and CEO, was at the door.

  “There are my two rising stars,” he greeted in a faint New England accent.

  “Mr. Goldberg.” Tiana waved from her desk while Nathaniel stood and gave the boss a firm handshake and friendly smile.

  “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Isaac?” Nathaniel asked.

  He always addressed the older man—whose Christmas-white hair was so thin on top it showed a peek of his shiny pink head—by his first name. Tiana wasn’t quite ready to call the nearly seventy-year-old man Isaac. It wasn’t a matter of inferiority, but rather her southern upbringing.

  “I know you both are working on the proposal for the new sports car by Fiete. But … I just spoke with the owners, and it looks like there is a change of plans for the celebrity endorsement.”

  Tiana grabbed her desk with a tight grip, the only outward display of her alarm. She’d put in hours of work researching the football player Devlin Howard. The proposal was customized around his exuberant personality. Changing endorsements would drastically alter the plan.

  Her gaze gravitated toward Nathaniel, whose stiff shoulders and slip in smile showed he, too, was not pleased by this news.

  Mr. Goldberg, hands stuffed in the pockets of his charcoal gray slacks, shook his head, seeming to commiserate with their silent anxiety. “I know. Not the best news to hear on a Monday morning, but not to worry. They have someone else lined up. And luckily, he lives right in our neck of the woods. Jacob Ross, the pitcher for the Yankees, has agreed to endorse their new sports car. He’ll do commercials, print and online advertisements, the works.” He waved his arm.

  Loosening her grip, she relaxed all over.

  Jake Ross. They couldn’t have found a better replacement. She’d been around the star pitcher numerous times. Jake and Mel had pretended they were in a relationship a few months ago to make her roommate’s now-fiancé Damien—Jake’s former publicist—jealous. Thankfully, everything had worked out, and Damien, Mel, and Jake had remained friends. Tiana’s hands itched to pick up the phone to call her bestie or her friend Charlotte, Damien’s media coordinator, to get the scoop on Jake’s background. Tiana might know the pitcher, but she needed to research him to figure out what made him tick.

  �
��That’s fantastic, Mr. Goldberg,” she gushed, unable to hide her enthusiasm, and then turned her attention to her office mate. His baffled expression, she assumed, was from her sudden burst of optimism. Her smile grew wider. He didn’t have a chance in hell of beating her now.

  “That’s a fantastic way to view this opportunity, Tiana. But I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Jake is a handsome devil.”

  Tiana nodded. “And very talented.”

  “Which is why he is a better choice for Fiete.” Mr. Goldberg sighed. “I hate to do this to the both of you, but they still want our ideas next week. You’ll have to send a draft to Richard and me by Thursday and, after our comments, be ready to present to our internal teams by the following Monday. Our meeting with Fiete is still scheduled for next Tuesday.”

  “I’m looking forward to the challenge, Isaac.” Nathaniel finally broke his silence.

  Of course you are, you freaking brown-noser.

  Mr. Goldberg raised his fisted hand to cover his mouth as if he were thinking through what to say next. “I’m sure you both know a director position is still up for grabs. We haven’t posted the job online as of yet, but we’d like to promote from within.” He cleared his throat, straightening his thin and slightly hunched shoulders. “I want you both to know that Richard and I feel you’re great candidates for the position. We expect your applications.”

  Tiana’s spine tingled as she gave him a small smile. She’d heard what he said, but what he hadn’t said resonated louder.

  He wanted them to know this proposal and, most importantly, impressing the billions of dollars in revenue-generating company Fiete would be a feather … no … a goose-down comforter filled with feathers in their caps. If they won this business, the Goldberg Group could probably afford to promote both of them to director. That’s just how huge Fiete would be for their business. But the penny-pinching agency wouldn’t do that.

  When Mr. Goldberg left, Nathaniel and Tiana stared at each other.

  “You applying for the job, Peaches?”