Page 227 of Bound By Her

Black tea with cream and a pinch of sugar.

“Talk to Eric this morning?” she asked.

He frowned. “No, why?”

She pointed to the tea.

“You’re not as hard to figure out as you think,” Bryson replied.

He wanted to punch himself.

Couldn’t he be nice for once?

She straightened, saying, “Black, flat white and?—”

She thought for a moment, finally snapping her finger. “Red bull.”

She had just named their respective morning drinks.

Bryson said, “It doesn’t have to be a competition.”

“Doesn’t it?” she said, sipping her tea.

It was obvious they both kept tabs on one another. Their reasons may have changed, but they watched each other.

They had done so since day one. But, in their quest to end up on top, they just continued to hurt each other.

“I need something,” he said.

Her face shuttered. And Bryson tried to ignore the feelings that stirred in him, when she pulled away. Tried to tamper the growing desire to pull her into his lap.

“I umm,” he cleared his throat, “Ineedto apologize for my behavior yesterday, and for leaving.”

He watched as she set down her cup.

“Control isn’t something people like us give up. I knew exactly what I was doing,” she said, eyes softening.

So did I.

“I was the one who brought the land idea to my father,” Bryson said.

He intended to ease into it, but the words just slipped out of his mouth. It felt like a burden had been lifted. Even if she ended up hating him for it, he felt it was important for her to know the truth.

“I found the slip and the survey papers, convinced him of its value,” he continued. “If I hadn’t found them, hadn’t shown him, we wouldn’t be here.”

There, he had said it. Now she knew the truth. This entire thing was his fault. She could tell him to go to hell, and Kaydon and Seth could stop bothering him about talking to her.

She stirred her tea. Her face half shadowed by the early-morning darkness.

When she spoke, he barely heard her.

“I know.”

“You know?”

She smiled. It was a tired sort of smile.

“You always think so little of me. How is it possible that I would not figure it out?” she said, pointing at him. “Your father is a world-class idiot. And as soon as I realized you weren’t, it was obvious who was the mastermind.”

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