“Close the door,” he said as he walked to his desk and leaned back against it.

She closed the door and then approached him uncertainly.

She didn’t know what she’d done wrong but his somber expression assured her he wasn’t happy with her. Her throat tightened. She knew he was upset about her turning him down the other night, but it wasn’t like Adam to allow their personal lives to affect them at work. They’d never really had an argument before, though, and certainly not one so emotionally charged, so they were definitely in uncharted territory.

“What’s wrong, Adam?”

* * *

Everything inside Adam told him this was a mistake, but he pushed aside the uncertainty.

“I didn’t want to do this in the office, but you wouldn’t return my texts.”

“What?” Startled, she grabbed her phone from her jacket and stared at the display. “Oh, I didn’t have my charger last night and…” She shrugged. “Well, I have to replace my battery. It doesn’t hold a charge much these days.”

His gut clenched. The only reason she wouldn’t have her phone charger was because she hadn’t slept at home.

“You spent last night with him.”

It killed him that she’d gone straight from him to Dare. After their conversation yesterday … Fuck, he’d hoped she’d at least think about the situation before going back and screwing Dare.

Her lips compressed, but she didn’t say anything.

“Doesn’t it bother you at all that he’s older than you? And your best friend’s stepfather?”

She lowered her gaze, wringing her hands together. “I didn’t think so. I mean at first, but … he’s only ten years older—Helen’s mom was kind of a cougar. And we’re adults now. It shouldn’t matter.”

What was going on here? Something had shaken her confidence.

“It shouldn’t, but…?”

She just shook her head, but he wasn’t in the mood for evasion.

“Talk,” he demanded.

She started, her gaze flickering to his. He knew she wasn’t used to him talking to her so sharply.

“I … uh…”

“What happened?” he prompted.

She sighed and wrung her hands even tighter. “You’re right. I spent the night with him, then this morning … when we were having breakfast … Helen showed up.”

Helen. Oh, shit. That meant trouble. For Ashley. For Dare.

And for him.

“I take it she wasn’t happy finding you there.”

Ash shook her head. “Especially not in her stepfather’s robe.”

His lips compressed. “I imagine she wouldn’t like that.” He didn’t, either.

He drew in a breath. She had to be shaken, and part of him wanted to take care of her, but he couldn’t allow that to distract him from his goal.

“Ash, I know you’d probably love for me to offer a shoulder to cry on … to be able to talk this out with me … because we’re friends. But right now I have no interest in helping you patch things up with your lover.” He pushed himself forward and closed the distance between them. “Because I don’t want you to be with him.”