Page 84 of Ty

Oh my God.

She loved him.

“It’s over, Kelsie. Stop wasting everyone’s time. You can save Mr. Daxon and his gang a whole lot of pain if you see reason and come home.”

She scoffed. “So, I can marry a man who’s a known abuser? Who has somehow skirted charges of sexual misconduct from multiple women?”

“Sexual misconduct,” her father said, shaking his head as he chuckled. “Women who were mad they couldn’t get their hands on his fortune trying to make trouble for him.”

“Oh, my God.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You did not just say that.”

She moved her hand, and movement in her peripheral vision distracted her from blasting her father for his dangerous statement. The security guard keeping tabs on Ty held a hand to his ear, spoke rapidly, and then ran from the room.

Her heart pounded.

Ty was alone in the office.

He wasted no time springing up from the couch and darting to the computer. If her father turned around now, it’d be game over. The security guard could return at any time.

Game over.

A bead of sweat rolled down the center of her back, making her want to squirm, but her head remained still, and she was not even breathing.

“Kelsie!” her father barked. “Are you listening to me?”

“Wha… I, um…” She forced her attention off Ty and back onto her father. What had he said? Oh, right. He’d been excusing Andrew Tinsley’s predatory behavior.

“It seems as though you made your decision.” Shaking his head, he began to turn toward the French doors.

“Wait!” She had to keep him talking and looking at her for a few more minutes. “Do…” Shit, she hadn’t wanted to go here, but it was the only thing she could think of to prolong the conversation. “Do you know what happened to me a few months ago?”

Relief hit so hard when he fully faced her that she nearly doubled over.

“I do,” he said in a bored tone.

“And you think, after what I survived, after what the Hell’s Handlers rescued me from, it’s a wise idea to force me to marry a man with a history of violence against women.”

His face transformed into a mask of fury, but not on her behalf. He stormed over, finger-pointing in her face. “Alleged violence, my dear,” he said, waving away her concern as though she’d said he didn’t prefer the man’s cologne. “Alleged. And you’re acting like a child. One thing has nothing to do with the other. The marriage is a business arrangement. You’re afraid he’ll get a little rough. Fine, we’ll write it into the goddamned contract. Hundred thousand dollars every time he crosses the line. There’s always a way around a problem.”

Blinking, Kelsie took a step back. Being this close to him made her skin crawl. “You’re a monster,” she whispered.

He chuckled. “I’m a businessman… a very good one. After the next election, I will be the governor of Alabama, thanks to you and your marriage to Andrew Tinsley. With Congressman Tinsley’s backing, I’ll be virtually unbeatable.”

It was virtually unbeatable. Right. Her father was at the helm of an entire state—just what the people of Alabama needed. Ty still sat at her father’s computer. His knee bounced under the desk, the only indication he was anywhere near as stressed as she felt. She chewed her lower lip.

How long was this going to take? She fought a battle between conversing with her father and watching Ty. All her strength went to not tapping her foot or fidgeting to release the nervous energy coursing through her.

“I’m sorry, it’s just not going to happen.” Feeling sorry was a straight-up lie. She didn’t have an ounce of remorse in her. “I’ll say this one time and one time only. I refuse to marry Andrew Tinsley. I’ve built a good life in Florida.”

He snorted.

“I have friends, I have a man, I have a life, and to be able to enjoy all of that after what happened to me a few months ago is nothing short of amazing. I will not trade that for your political career. I won’t trade it for anything.”

Ty’s back straightened, and he shot out of the chair as though he’d been ejected. Kelsie’s heart leaped into her throat. He dashed over to the bookshelf and pulled a random book down, flipping halfway through in a matter of seconds.

She held her breath.

What’s happening?

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