Every Breath You Take (Oasis Book 1)

Every Breath You Take

Oasis Book One

Kenna Avery Wood

Copyright © 2015 by Kenna Avery Wood

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

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Previously published as Every Breath You Take

Copyright © 2015 by Ivy Simone

Books by Kenna Avery Wood

KEEPER OF THE FLAME

Burned

Bound

Betrayed

Fated: Myra and Ryan’s Story

Broken

OASIS

Every Breath You Take

Chapter One

I’d seen the pictures, but Oasis was much grander than they could ever convey. It wasn’t all straight, clean lines and boxy shapes. No, this building was exactly how I would have designed it. Curvy, sleek, welcoming.

Romantic.

I unclenched my hands and stepped into the building. Romance was the last thing I needed on my mind right now. Especially after the news I’d had last week.

Inside the northwest building, which I’d learned was considered the Business Community, people in suits and pencil skirts checked in at the main desk or waited for an elevator to their office in one of the three buildings that made up this quarter of Oasis.

I stopped at the desk and smiled at the man behind a computer, trying to appear calmer on the outside than I was on the inside. “Do I need to sign in? I’m here for an interview with–”

“Name please,” he said, meeting my eyes.

“Charlotte Evans.”

He stood, face relaxing into a smile. “Of course, Ms. Evans. They’re already waiting for you.”

I resisted the urge to check my watch. I knew I wasn’t late. I was early–always early. It paid to be prepared.

He gestured to the grouping of elevators to the far left, with a number one over the top. “You’ll want to take the elevator to the top floor. It leads right into your office. You can’t miss it.”

My
office. It sounded good. Right. I’d been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. And until a few weeks ago, I’d thought I had it.

I gave the desk guard another smile. “Thank you.”

Inside the elevator, I stepped to the back, watching as floors of people got off before me. Trying not to wring my hands. The offer for the job at Oasis had felt like a dream. An answer to my prayers, really, because I needed somewhere to start over more than anything.

And what better than a place they were calling real-world living? Oasis was the first all-inclusive community. It was a series of buildings interconnected to form a haven–everything you’d need all in one location. A place to work, eat, sleep, and play.

It had seemed so perfect, I’d said yes to the interview before even researching the players. And then I’d fallen in love with the idea. After all, it wasn’t too long ago I’d talked about a community similar to Oasis with someone I’d cared a lot about. I’d fallen in love with him, too.

But that, along with everything I was trying to forget from recent years, was in the past.

So I’d said yes to the job. Until they told me I was overqualified. My moment of disappointment morphed into excitement when they offered me a better position, and then suspicion when I learned it was with the head of the company. The mastermind behind Oasis.

Finnigan Moore. The love of my life.

And the only man who’d ever broken my heart.

When the elevator dinged at the top floor, my stomach dropped. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. I stepped out and repeated the words to myself again. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

I didn’t want to see Finn, and forget about working with him. The only way this could happen was if I didn’t have to work with him.

Maybe he didn’t even work in the building. After all, he never was a hands-on kind of guy. He probably worked in another office. Somewhere far, far away. He probably–

I swallowed when I saw his name outside a row of glass panels to a large office. Shit. This couldn’t be happening.

“Can I help you?” a woman at the desk asked. Her smile was friendly, but I couldn’t seem to return it.

Still frozen outside the elevator, I licked my lips and made a swift decision. I’d take the other job–the one they’d offered me first. As long as it was in another building. Away from Finnigan Moore and away from my past.

“I’m Charlotte Evans.” When it came out as a whisper, I tried again. “I’m here for–”

“Ms. Evans. Of course.” The secretary stood and walked around the desk to offer her hand. “I’m Leslie. Mr. Moore’s assistant. He’s on a call at the moment, but it shouldn’t be long. Can I offer you anything while you wait?”

While my stomach churned, I spotted Finn pacing on the other side of the windows. He lifted his head and his eyes met mine.

I changed my mind. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t work here, with him, in the same building–one he’d had a hand in creating because of one of our many late-night talks. I couldn’t be anywhere near him. Not when anger still simmered inside of me, and my hands shook just thinking about what had happened between us.

“No.” I forced a smile at Leslie. Calm. I had to be calm. “Nothing for me, thanks.”

Then I strode past her and walked right into Finn’s office. His gaze snapped to mine, the phone still pressed to his ear.

He mumbled a quick apology and ended the call. “Ms. Evans, the lobby–”

“Is for people who haven’t been lied to.”

Leslie rushed in after me. “Mr. Moore, I’m so sorry–”

“It’s fine.” He nodded to the door, dismissing her before she could say anything else. “We’ll have our meeting now.”

Her gaze flicked to mine. I couldn’t tell if it was admiration in her look or something else. Admonishment? Funny, since she looked at least a few years younger than me.

Then I flushed when Finn’s gaze skimmed the length of me. I hadn’t seen him since that night in the bar. When he’d been flirting with another girl and my heart had broken.

After Leslie left, I clutched the handle of my briefcase hard and fought to keep my voice even. “You should have told me this was your project. I don’t need a job out of pity.”

Though I did need a job. I needed something. Twenty-eight years old, months past a terrible break-up with my ex-fiancé and an even more terrible relationship with him for years prior. I needed a life and a new home, and working at Oasis was supposed to be the answer.

“Pity?” Finn’s jaw hardened, muscles working in a familiar way that made my stomach clench. He was always so good at reining in his anger. In fact, he was good at a lot of things. Which was why I didn’t think for an instant me being here was a coincidence.

“Is that what you think this is?” Finn asked. “Pity?”

He strode from the bank of windows, his physique bringing me straight back to college. To slow kisses and demanding hands. To a time in my life I was carefree and reckless. When I acted before I thought.

Like taking this job. It was the first time I’d acted like that since college and look where it had gotten me.

“You should have told me this was your project.”

I tugged at the collar of my shirt. Finn’s eyes dropped to my neck and then returned to my face. I lowered my hand, pretending–not for the first time today–I wasn’t about lose my composure.

“Well, it’s not like we keep in touch,” Finn said, lips curving just slightly. Damn him. He was always so good at getting me riled.

“Thank God for that,” I snapped. It was a cheap shot, but I appreciated the flicker of surprise on his face. I stood a little taller. “I don’t need you to give me a job. I can get one all on my own.”

He pocketed his hands into dark slacks, ones that fit him to a tee. His entire suit spoke of money. Confidence. His cold blue eyes, which had once warmed to mine, locked me in a stare. “Are you finished?”

I shifted from one foot to the other. Okay, yeah, so I’d been a little rude bursting in here. But it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it. And looking at me like I’d been rude wasn’t making it better. What an ass! I didn’t have to take this.

Lifting my chin, I said, “Yes, I am. I clearly got the wrong idea about this job. I’ll be going now.”

I turned for the door, but Finn was faster. He was in front of me in the blink of an eye, palm flat on the door. “Five minutes.”

His cologne swirled around me, bringing my gaze up to his. I hated the sizzle between us. I hated that he stood only a few feet away, but I could still feel the heat from his body.

I almost said no. Until his face softened.

“Please,” he said. “Hear me out.”

It was the please that did it. I knew from experience Finn wasn’t likely to ask nicely for anything. He was used to getting what he wanted. He made his path, he made things come to him, and he made things happen. Rarely did politeness get him anywhere that confidence could get him faster.

It was probably even more so now.

I released a quiet breath and shrugged, unwilling to let him get to me. “Five minutes.”

He gestured to the wide desk. “Have a seat.”

I turned and took in the entire office for the first time. It wasn’t just the imposing desk or the impressive bank of windows aimed toward the city. There was a glass table that seated eight off to my right and another seating area to my left. All leather and dark and sleek. Finn had probably picked it himself.

But there were softer touches, too. A picture frame on the desk. A few books on an end-table. Mostly architecture related, but I spotted a travel book, too, and didn’t have to step closer to see it was most likely one of Alaska.

We had a lot of conversations about that, too, our young minds full of possibilities for the future. For travel, for love, for work, for…each other.

I took a seat more hastily than I intended, and didn’t miss the slight curve to his lips.

“It’s good to see you,” Finn said.

“You have four minutes now.”

Which only made his smile widen. “Better get to it, then.” He folded his hands on top of his desk. “I didn’t know you’d applied for the job. In fact, the level you applied for is handled by someone else, as evident by your interview. Your qualifications impressed my staff and they brought your application to me to consider the other position we had open. You can’t blame me if you were perfect for the job.”

“But–”

“Or if the rest of my staff agreed.”

Heat crawled up my neck. No, I couldn’t blame him for that. And it felt good that he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

I frowned. Maybe I was qualified for the job. And truth be told, I thought I was perfect for it. But working with Finn? After all that had happened? It wouldn’t be smart for either of us.

“There’s too much history,” I said finally, the words leaving my mouth in a whisper.

He chuckled. “Really, Charlie? You’re saying you can’t be professional enough to work around that?”

“It’s Charlotte,” I snapped, then frowned again. “I mean, Ms. Evans. Of course I can be professional. You still should have told me you were behind all this. It is–was–an idea. Our idea.”

This sobered him. He leaned back in his chair, lifting one hand to his jaw. “Which is exactly why I called you. First. First when the idea came to me to follow through. First when we broke ground. First when I did the initial walk-through. First when we needed a team to get this place going. But you wouldn’t take my calls. Then I found out you were engaged, and you had a job, and…” He swallowed. “It felt like interfering.”

He was right. That’s how I would have taken it. I would have cursed him for messing up my perfect life and dragging up the past. And he was also right about the calls I wouldn’t take. But I couldn’t go there at the time. His betrayal was too fresh in my mind.

“Besides,” he continued, “I didn’t want to risk you turning down the job before you even got here.” He rubbed his thumb absently on his jaw, and it took every ounce of will power I had to pull my eyes away. “You’re perfect for the position.”

Damn it, he hadn’t had to say the last part with such confidence. Especially because I agreed wholeheartedly, and I trusted his opinion when it came to business. I was perfect for the job. More, I wanted it. I needed it.

And from the sound of it, the job needed me.

Finn stood abruptly, his eyes traveling to the glass panels separating his office and the lobby. I glanced behind me to find another woman and two men standing at the front desk.

“Listen,” Finn said. “You’re supposed to meet with the team. Get acquainted, get situated. All that. But you look like you need more persuading.”

I stood as well. I wasn’t sure what I needed, but I was dangerously close to accepting the job even if I had to work near Finn. It was too perfect. It had come at the time I needed it most, and even being in the presence of Finnigan Moore wasn’t dissuading me. Not after all that had happened the last few years.

“Let me show you around Oasis,” he said. “It’ll do a better job convincing you than I will.”

I hesitated.

He smiled. “We’re in the testing stage. I want this place to be over the top when we open fully. You can help make it that way.”

I swallowed. “I could do a tour.”

“A tour,” he echoed, nodding his head. “Let’s do it.”

() () ()

Leaving my briefcase behind, I rode the elevator to the main floor with Finn. He leaned casually against the wall as we plunged twenty-two floors down. His gaze fixed on my hand and I clasped my fingers together self-consciously.

Sometimes I could still feel the engagement ring on my finger. More like a handcuff than a blessing. More than once I’d hid my hands just like I was doing now to deter people from asking questions.