Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 21185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
“Has he signed it over to this guy yet?”
“He refused to. I told him that’s not the way the world works, that he needs to grow up and face his consequences. His answer was to call Michael, someone we’ve known personally and professionally for a few years. Vance begged him for a bailout. Michael agreed if I would marry him. Not that anyone asked me.” She shakes her head. “I’ve had cold feet from day one. I’ve wracked my brain to figure out how I can help my brother without sacrificing my future. Then the courier knocked on my door with your note.”
“And you met me in the bar.”
Her face softens as she nods. “Not for the money. I couldn’t not see you. I had to know…”
“If there was anything left between us? I needed to know, too.” And it’s time to come clean. “That’s why I created a fail-safe plan…or so I thought.”
She props her chin on my chest with a frown. “What plan?”
“I’m the, um…asshole who got Vance drunk in Vegas and encouraged him to bet the value of his business. I knew he’d lose. For me, it was a win-win. Either I’d get back the company I lost or—more importantly—I could use the debt as leverage to see you again. So I’d finally know if I was still as much in love with you as I suspected. If so, I planned to forgive Vance’s debt if you’d marry me.”
Whitney gapes. “Why go to all that trouble? Why not just reach out and talk to me?”
“And risk rejection? My fragile male ego…” I roll my eyes at my foolishness. I’m usually so fearless, especially in business, but knowing Whitney would likely rebuff me terrified me. “I thought you’d tell me to go fuck myself. My negotiations with Vance seemed to be going great—until he suddenly stopped responding to my calls. Then I heard whispers that he’d arranged your marriage to someone else for money. So I came straight to you.”
“And you sent me the note?”
I nod. “One way or another, I was going to get my hands on you, princess.”
She giggles. “I’d say you got a lot more on me than your hands.”
“Thank god. My sanity couldn’t stand not touching you anymore.” I tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I think I’ve always known you were it for me.”
“You always have been for me.” She caresses my chest. “I’m sorry I took my brother’s side after that summer. He told me you gave him a few pointers on the app but that he’d actually written it. According to him, you only said you’d created it to impress me. I didn’t believe him, but my dad pressured me to support Vance. If I didn’t, he threatened to have you arrested for touching me. I had no reason to doubt him.”
As she should have. Vance no doubt spilled my “transgression” to their father to use as leverage. The old man never liked me much and probably saw my lust as leverage to use against me.
“I get it. You were so young, and they didn’t leave you much choice.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time hoping I didn’t hurt you too much.” She bit her lip. “But I did.”
There’s no point in lying. Whitney crushed me. “You didn’t mean to.”
I see that now.
“I didn’t,” she rushes to agree. “Even the thought of it killed me. I suspected you hated me for my decision.”
“I’ll be honest. I tried.”
“I know. After that summer, you flaunted all your hookups like you were trying to throw them in my face.”
When I think back on the way I acted out after the rift between Vance and me, I’m ashamed. “I kept hoping like hell you would say or do something because I mattered to you.”
“You did, and I was hurt.”
Her quiet admission makes me feel like an ass. “I’m sorry. I wish I could take all that back. The whole rift seems stupid in hindsight. But I was young and dumb, too.”
“What happens next, Jett?”
“What do you want?”
Whitney stretches up and plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I think you know. I want you. I want everything we should have had all along.”
“I do, too.” My heart starts pounding again for a totally different reason as I reach across the mattress and manage to fumble my way into the top drawer of the nightstand. I pull out an oblong box. “This is yours, no matter what happens between us.”
She scrambles to sit up as she takes the box in hand. I’d protest the loss of her warm skin against mine, but the view of her breasts is spectacular. And I want to see her face.
She lifts the lid and plucks up the letter inside. As she scans it, her lips slowly part until she’s gaping. “You’re giving me forty-nine percent of Vance’s company? I don’t understand.”