Smolder: Trojans MC Read Online Free PDF

she said. “Until then I’ll make do with the scorn of the newsroom.” She smiled at him. “If people are treating you badly in a place like this, it’s a sign that you’re doing something right.”
     
    He cocked an eyebrow at her but walked into the dark room anyway, flicking on the light on the wall. The fluorescent bulbs hummed on the ceiling, bathing the room in a harsh glow. The conference table was a long, glass oval with six matching office chairs arranged around it. It looked good enough from afar, but if you got close you could see the scratches all across the top from over thirty years of use.
     
    “Maybe this story will bring you to the top,” Luke said, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the table top.
     
    Shayla tracked his movements; how his tattooed biceps bulged with the motion, straining against the fabric of his white t-shirt. A thick, jagged crack splintered through her resolve.
     
    Luke caught her looking, but she simply gestured to his arms. “Nice tattoos.”
     
    He smirked. “Thanks.”
     
    She took the opportunity to take a closer look, noticing one in Greek script that circled his arm like a multi-layered arm band. Before she had a chance to ask what it was, Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small book, dropping onto one of the chairs and putting his boots up on the table.
     
    Shayla took that as a pretty firm sign that he wanted to be alone. Had he even been flirting with her in the first place? Maybe she’d misinterpreted his signs entirely. After all, there was a reason Shayla hadn’t been with anyone in nearly a year—she was horrible with men. They came flocking to her because of her pretty face and long legs, but pinged off of her like badly aimed darts when they were faced with her intensity and dedication to her job. Before the news station, it had been university. Before that, high school. The ones that did hit a bullseye never stayed around for long. Either she’d grow bored of them, or they’d grow bored of not being able to change her.
     
    Either way, not a firm base of confidence for dealing with the opposite sex.
     
    Shayla hung around for a moment more, waiting for him to do or say something. He had to, right? Surely he wasn’t just going to zone out and read for the next half hour. But, then again, he looked quite content with his book and his kitten. She ignored the dust that shook off of his shoes onto the table. She’d be the one cleaning it up later, no doubt. But right now her thoughts had swung from wanting to chastise him to wanting to chase him.
     
    “Do you need anything else from me?” Luke asked, his gaze fixed firmly on the text in front of him.
     
    All Shayla heard at first was “need” and “you.” Dammit. She really did need to get laid. Shayla shook her head. “Um. No. I guess not.”
     
    “I’ll see you in a bit then.”
     
    “Yeah, you too.”
     
    Shayla shuffled out of the room and clicked the door closed behind her. She walked a few steps down the empty hall and then turned and pressed her back against the drywall. Everywhere in the station was usually searing hot from the amount of equipment they had and the unwillingness management displayed to pay for air conditioning. Now, especially, Shayla felt the heat flame through her. The cool wall was bringing a little relief. She suppressed the urge to press her face against it.
     
    She knew that once back in the newsroom she’d have to put on her impenetrable mask, and she’d probably be dealing with shit from both Amy and Anthony tonight. But in this moment she allowed herself some time to cool down and arrange her thoughts, away from prying eyes.
     
    Then she took a deep breath, ran her fingers through her hair, and walked into the heart of the storm.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Behind the cover of the closed door, Luke snickered to himself. Shayla’s demeanor had changed in a flash as soon as he’d stopped paying attention to her. Why were people so