Page 68 of Dangerous Temptation
Her fingers went numb when he drew the laptop from her grip. He powered it down and set it aside. The chill in her bones got worse and she pulled up the covers. They’d been isolated from everything here on the estate, and protected.
Theyhadbeen playing house.
She’d buried her head in the sand and hadn’t had to face the difficult questions or tough decisions. She wasn’t ready for that yet. She wasn’t prepared for the real world to break in.
‘Are you going to go?’ The words dragged through her throat like barbed wire. He wasn’t hiding out for the same reasons she was. If anything, he was defiant towards the people who wanted to pry into his life. She knew he’d come here to regroup but, based on this article, he could go back and thumb his nose at everyone. His time had been served. He could do whatever he wanted.
So why had he stayed?
He settled his hand wide across her belly. It felt warmer than the computer, and much more personal. The thin satin was like a second layer of skin.
‘I haven’t finished what I set out to do yet.’
Was that what all the programming was about? Whenever she wandered up to the manor during the day to borrow a book or grab a snack, he was typing all that mysterious computer code and consulting his notebooks. Did he have some big upgrade, some wave-it-in-their-face advances he wanted to spring on all his detractors?
‘Your company needs you now,’ she said, meeting his steady gaze. She fought the shudder that threatened to rack her body. She knew what she had to say, but it didn’t come easily. ‘You should go back, Alex.’
His eyes narrowed.
She licked her dry lips. ‘For your people and for Wolfe Financial. It needs you, too.’
His fingers curled against her. ‘My grandfather’s company can go under for all I care.’
The tightness in his body said otherwise.
‘The Board meeting is in two days,’ she pressed.
‘They don’t want me there.’
She closed her eyes and resignation settled inside her chest, heavy and immovable. ‘If you’re innocent like you say, the investors do. They need someone who can straighten out the mess.’
His slate-coloured eyes took on the chill in the air and tension suddenly snapped. ‘If I’m innocent.’
She lay beside him, feeling small and vulnerable.
He swore. ‘Are you going to make me say it?’
Her hands fisted in the covers. ‘I don’t think anyone can make you do anything.’
His hand set like a rock on her belly, but he didn’t pull it back. ‘I shouldn’t have to, not to you.’
‘I need to hear it.’ She held her ground, but the honesty made her throat feel thick. ‘I need to look you in the eyes as you say it.’
A howl cut through the room, and the sliding glass door rattled as the wind buffeted it. Inside, the silence was just as deafening.
‘I did nothing wrong.’ His eyes were fiery and, as belligerent as his voice was, it cracked.
That one weakness, that one true sign of character …
It cracked the shell around Elena’s heart, and she melted. She believed him, and not just because she wanted to. She could see the pain in his eyes and hear the anger of injustice in his words.
She rolled towards him, cupped his face and snuggled close. Stretching out her legs, she slid under the covers until her body was pressed tight against his. So strong. So defiant. So hurt.
‘Then go help them,’ she whispered. Go help himself.
His hand fisted in her hair. Neither said it out loud, but they both knew it was time to make some big decisions. They’d been living in a fantasy world here, shutting away everyone and everything. It was idyllic, but it couldn’t last. He wasn’t a man who could be held down long. He needed to go out there into the world and reclaim his rightful place.
His pride would allow no less.
