Page 7 of Takeover

“I guess your date didn’t go as planned the other night.” It takes me a minute for his words to make sense. He quickly snatches my left hand, sending an electrical charge through my entire body. “I don’t see a ring.”

I pull my hand from his and try to wipe his touch away by rubbing my hands on my jeans.

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s getting sized. Did you ever think of that?” I ask, turning my back to him. I hold my breath as he comes to stand as close to me without touching as possible.

“Is it, Tara?” His husky voice awakens every single one of my senses. I make the mistake of taking a deep breath only to inhale his expensive cologne. “Did somebody put a ring on it?”

I take a step away and turn to face him, refusing to cower any longer.

“If it’s all the same to you, Mr. Bradford, I’d rather not discuss my personal life. Let’s get this over with. The last thing I want is for you to cause any more trouble with my father.”

The fact is, I don’t want to talk about Michael anymore. It was embarrassing enough to tell my father and stepmother that not only did he not propose, he told me he was taking a job in Denver. There was no mention of me moving with him, not that it’s even a possibility. Now our relationship is in some sort of limbo.

“Is that how you see it? I caused trouble between you and your father, Tara?”

“That’s how it is, Mr. Bradford, not how I see it. You couldn’t wait to go tell my father on me as soon as I ended the call. I guess no one’s ever told you no before.”

“You mean as soon as you hung up on me?” For one so big, he moves fast. He takes another step, and to get away from him, I take a step back and bump into a shelf of board games.

“Semantics, Mr. Bradford.”

“Ethan,” he says softly, his warm breath tickling my cheek.

“What?”

“I want you to call me Ethan.”

“Mr. Bradford, please, move.” I mistakenly put a hand on his hard chest and try to push him away. He places his much larger hand on mine, holding it in place.

“You know what I think?” I don’t answer him. I stand still as I feel the steady beat of his heart. “I don’t think whoever this idiot was, gave you a ring at all.”

“And you know this how? Because I would have called my good friend Ethan with the news?” I let out a loud, unladylike snort. “Oh, please.”

“I’m not under the impression that we’re friends, Tara. I’ve spoken to your father three times in the past two weeks. He would have told me. And you don’t look like a woman who just got engaged.”

“How do you know what that looks like? You’ve met me once.”

“So?” He shrugs his massive shoulders.

“So, don’t pretend you know me.” I take a deep breath, not willing to give Michael any power over me or my emotions. “No, I’m not engaged to be married. He took a job in Denver. Didn’t even bother to ask me to move with him. Happy now?” I manage to push him away, putting distance between us. “Now my relationship is in some sort of limbo, and I have no idea where we stand or where we’ll be three months or even three weeks from now. Lucky for me, I don’t have my identity wrapped up in being with a man. And stop acting like you and my dad are friends. You’re not.”

I square my shoulders and start to walk away, but stop when he says, “Well, that’s a mouthful. And I happen to have a great deal of respect for your dad.”

I let out a loud laugh, followed by a smirk. Unable to let his comment go, I turn to face him again.

“If you say so, but let’s be real. You saw an opportunity and you took it.”

I try to turn away from him, but he grabs my wrist and holds me in place.

“It was a good business decision for both of us. He’s a shrewd negotiator. No one took advantage of your father, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I have a lot in common with him.”

This time, I roll my eyes at the absurdity of his words. “Oh, yeah? Like what? Do tell, Mr. Bradford.”

“Well, for a while he was a single father. I’m a single father. He’s a businessman, as am I. We’re both family men. He gives back to the community, and I do the same. I’m not the villain you think I am, Tara.”

Deep down, I know he’s right. My family’s company had an expiration date, and I know it. I look into his eyes as he waits for me to respond. I look away and pull my wrist out of his grasp. “Well, we all see things differently.”

Deciding I’ve had enough of this conversation, I turn my back to him and reach for a game of Scrabble. As I’m getting on my toes to reach for it, he comes up behind me and grabs it, handing it to me.

---