Page 18 of Saving the CEO

“The least you can do is admit to it.” Her cheeks pinkened. “People like you have no idea what it’s like to be in my shoes.”

“People like me?” Why did this feel like a personal attack? “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re tall. I bet you’ve never had to ask for help to get something that was out of reach.”

“I haven’t, but only because I prefer not to ask. Why ask for help when you can figure things out on your own? Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” He gestured to his left where a folding stepstool leaned against the wall. “There’s a stepstool over there for this very purpose. If you’d taken the time to look, you wouldn’t need my help.”

Her hands moved down to her hips as she widened her stance. “I was just about to look for one when you showed up. But since you offered to help, I’ll take you up on it.” She paused and furrowed her brows. “Why are you so against asking for help? Are you too proud?”

He sneered at the twinkle lighting up her green eyes. If she was trying to provoke him for laughing at her, she’d need to try harder. He wasn’t so easily shaken. He’d been called worse things by his own father. His skin had grown far too thick for him to be affected by anyone’s words, much less Scarlett’s. “What if I am?” he touted boldly. “That’s how I got to where I am. You don’t become a CEO by being weak.”

“But you do by being lonely.” Her voice softened. “I understand now why you haven’t met anyone yet. You won’t let people get close to you. You have this wall built up to keep them out. It might protect you from getting hurt, but it keeps you from experiencing good things like love and companionship.”

Devin flinched. Her words hit a little too close to home. The fact that he could no longer control his body’s visceral reactions attested to this. How was she able to pinpoint his struggles so quickly and easily? She also had no qualms about telling the truth to his face.

She wasn’t like other women who tried to impress him and get on his good side with flowery compliments. Scarlett had guts—he’d give her that. Even though she might appear naive on the outside, she possessed an inner strength and confidence that warranted respect. Devin hated to say it, but she wasn’t wrong about him. He’d never had a meaningful, long-term relationship built on trust and transparency. But was he going to admit this to her? Not a chance.

He took two long strides over to where she waited with her back against the shelves. Reaching up, he plucked the container off the top shelf and brought it down. That’s when his gaze fell to hers and he realized how close they were standing. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin as her lips parted. A hint of cinnamon lingered in the air between them, along with the light floral scent of her shampoo. But it was her wide-eyed stare that grabbed his attention and made his mouth go dry.

Those bright green eyes mesmerized him. The openness and trust they held unlocked something deep within. In Scarlett’s eyes, he found a reflection of happier days. Back when life had been carefree, and contentment had been within reach. A time when his belief in God had been simple and pure. In her eyes, he saw hope. For a moment, he felt it, too, and almost longed for it … until reality literally yanked him back to the present.

Scarlett took the container of cocoa from his hand. “I’ve got it. Thanks.”

He shook his head free from his wayward thoughts and immediately stepped aside to put some distance between them. “I have work to do.” Then he shoved his hands into his pockets again and walked away.

It wasn’t until he reached his office on the other side of the house that he breathed freely. What had happened? He’d never been so caught off guard before by a woman. If she hadn’t taken the cocoa from him, who knows how long he would have stood there staring? He didn’t like this feeling coursing through him, this sense of confusion. Why had he been drawn to Scarlett like that? He couldn’t possibly be attracted— No, that was out of the question.

She was a beautiful woman, but they were like oil and water. They couldn’t even have a conversation without offending each other. She’d rubbed him the wrong way more times than he could count. Scarlett was a ball of fire in a pretty little package. She infuriated him like no other … yet she also intrigued him beyond reason.

Why did You bring this woman into my life, God?!

Annoyance rushed through his veins, sending his blood pressure soaring. How was he supposed to get any work done now?

It’d been years since he’d felt this out of control, and he hated it. Hated it so much that he almost felt the desire to ask God for help. But he hadn’t done so in a long, long time. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in a higher power, he just wasn’t used to relying on someone other than himself. The fact that he was even entertaining the idea irked him. How was it that one woman could mess with his head like this? This was further proof that he needed to watch himself around Scarlett.

Once seated at his desk, Devin threw his head back and shut his eyes. He massaged his temples to ward off the migraine threatening to take over. That’s when his cell phone rang.

His brother’s name flashed across the screen. “Hey, Jace,” he answered. “You doing okay?”

“Hey, bro.” Jace’s enthusiastic voice rose over the loud din on his end of the line. He was likely on a tour bus with his bandmates traveling to their next destination. “I should be asking you that question. Something tells me you’re not doing so hot.”

Devin smirked. He’d never believed in the twin telepathy talk that Jace swore by, but there had been too many instances like this one that made him wonder if any of it was true. “I’m fine. Just have a lot on my plate.”

“It’s Friday night. You should be out with a girl, not sitting at home in front of your computer.”

He stared at his reflection in the monitor across from him, bemused. “How did you know where I’m sitting?”

“You’re always at your computer. If you were anywhere else, I’d be worried you’d hit your head and gotten amnesia.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing right now.” If he lost his memory, he’d at least have some peace, if only temporarily. His cousin’s threats to take over the company hung in the forefront of his mind like a wrecking ball he couldn’t dodge. He knew he should act quickly and find a wife, but the more he considered his options, the more he dreaded going out with those women. If he didn’t want to date any of them, how could he imagine marrying one?

“What’s going on, Dev? Talk to me.”

The last thing he wanted was to burden his brother with his problems. Jace was the carefree one; he had concerts to play and fans to entertain. He’d always had fewer expectations placed upon him by their father. As the older twin, Devin had known from a young age that he was to take on the family business one day. They might have been born only eight minutes apart, but the difference between their responsibilities was as far as the east was from the west. Jace wouldn’t understand his struggle even if he did know about it. “It’s nothing. Just dealing with headaches at work as usual.”

“Work, work, work. When are you going to do something else with your time? Work will always be there, but your youth won’t be. You should go out and meet people, get a little action in. Come on, Dev. With a face like yours, you can get any woman you want. I should know,” he added with a chuckle.

Devin shook his head in wonder. He and Jace might be identical in their DNA, but that’s where the similarities ended. “I see you’ve been enjoying yourself on the road,” he drawled with disapproval. “How many hearts have you broken this week?”

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