I bite down on my lip harshly. What did I do? I let Ryan use me for months, and right till the end I’m the one that suffers most. I put my own future at stake and he isn’t even worth it. I swallow down a sob and squeeze my eyes closed. Years of hard work, all gone because I couldn’t control my pain.
Silas sighs and takes a step closer to me. Before I realize what’s happening, he’s got his arms wrapped around me. He hugs me tightly, and I burst into tears while he just stands there, stroking my hair with one hand and keeping the other wrapped tightly around me.
“What happened, sweetheart? What did he do?”
I shake my head and hug him back, squeezing him tightly, as though holding onto him will keep me from falling apart.
“I’ll get the car fixed,” I murmur. “Don’t fire me, please. I swear I’m not usually like this.”
Silas chuckles and holds me tighter. “Fuck the car,” he says. “It’s mine anyway. It’s not his. Don’t worry about it.”
I pull back to look at him in surprise, and he smiles. “Oh God,” I whisper. “It’s not Ryan’s?”
Silas smirks and shakes his head. “I loaned it to him because he loved it so much.”
His words bring fresh tears to my eyes. I damaged a car that isn’t even Ryan’s. The small amount of vindication it gave me drains away, leaving me feeling empty, deprived of my revenge and heartbroken in more ways than one.
Ryan’s words run through my mind, filling me with fresh contempt. He can’t have her. Never her. I swallow hard, my eyes running over Silas. “I’ll repay you,” I tell him. “Right now.” He frowns, and I smile bitterly. “Silas, I’m ready to beg for it.”
Chapter 7
Silas
* * *
“Silas, I’m ready to beg for it,” she says, a vindictive glint in her eyes. Her eyes are roaming over my body, but it’s not me she’s seeing. What she sees is an opportunity for revenge.
What the fuck did Ryan do to her? I’ve never seen her look this distraught, this hurt. “Did you break up with him?”
She looks up at me, surprised. “We’re done,” she says, her voice soft. I’m relieved at the lack of heartbreak in her eyes. She seems angry and hurt, but not heartbroken. The thought of her dating my brother was painful enough, but the idea of her becoming my sister-in-law? Fuck that.
“Does he know that?”
She shakes her head and grabs her phone. “No, but he’s about to find out.”
I watch her as she texts him, breaking up with him over a text message. Damn. He really fucked up, huh? I should feel sorry for him, but all I feel is relief.
She smiles as she puts her phone away and takes a step closer to me. I won’t even pretend to lie to myself. I want her. I always want her.
All I could think about when she interviewed with me was what it’s be like to work with her, to steal a kiss from her here and there. I imagined her in a sexy skirt, her legs spread on my desk. I’ve wanted her from the moment I found her.
But not like this.
“Come on,” I tell her. “Let me take you home.”
She blinks in confusion, and I watch her emotions and thoughts dance in those beautiful eyes of hers. “I… how about we go to your place instead?” she says. Her sweet smile is in contrast with the calculative look in her eyes, and something about it breaks my heart. When I eventually fuck her, I don’t want her to be thinking about Ryan, and tonight he’s all that’s on her mind.
“No,” I tell her, and the devastation in her eyes nearly wrecks me. She wraps her arms around herself, and it’s not hard for me to guess what she’s thinking. The sting of rejection is clear in her demeanor.
“I see,” she says, her voice shaky. She looks down at the floor and takes a step back. It only takes her a second to paste a smile on her face, and then she nods at me politely. “You don’t need to take me home, but thank you for offering. I think I’ll head back inside.”
I cross my arms and stare her down. “And do what, exactly?”
She grins. “Find one of Ryan’s childhood friends to spend the night with,” she says, shrugging. “Before the night is over, I’ll have hurt him in the best way I can, with or without you.”
This woman… she makes my fucking blood boil. “Like hell you are.” I grab her wrist and pull her along. She resists, but there’s no fucking way she’s going back in there. “You want to fuck the pain away tonight, baby? Fine — but you won’t be doing it with anyone but me.”
She’s still the same fucking psycho with a heart of gold that I used to know. Once she’s set her mind on something, there’s no talking her out of it. This isn’t how I imagined being with her, but fuck it. If it’s Alanna, I’ll take what I can get.
She’s quiet as I drive us to my home, parking into the elevator that takes us straight up to my penthouse. I glance at her, wondering if she’s changed her mind, but the glint in her eyes tells me she hasn’t.
I step out of the car and walk around it to open the door for her. She takes my hand, and when her eyes meet mine, I smile. I’ve missed her, and having her here in my home is a bit of a dream come true.
“This… this is your house?” she asks, her voice filled with disbelief. I smile at her and nod. “This is my home. The house you came to for dinner is my family home. It’s where I grew up and where I might eventually live when I settle down, but this is where I live on a day-to-day basis.”
She nods and looks around, taking in all the glass and the beautiful skyline. The view is the main reason I bought this place, and I have a feeling she appreciates is as much as I do.
“Wow,” she whispers, and I grin. I walk over to the kitchen and grab a bottle from the wine fridge, pouring both of us a glass. It’s strange having her here. I never invite people here. I don’t even know what possessed me to bring her here. This place is my sanctuary, and it’s filled with confidential client information. I’ve never brought a woman here, but then again, Alanna is different.
I hand her a glass and she takes it with shaking hands. “Changed your mind?” I ask, wanting to tease her.
She looks at me, her eyes slowly roaming over my body before moving back up. “No,” she says, placing her glass on the counter. She takes a step forward, pausing in front of me. I tense when she places her hand on my chest and slides it up until she’s got it wrapped around the back of my neck. “Did you?”
I smile and tilt my face toward hers. “What will you do if I say that I changed my mind?”
She grins and rises to her tiptoes. “I’ll just have to seduce you,” she whispers, her lips brushing over mine.
Her eyes flutter closed as she kisses me, her touch cautious, hesitant. I smile against her lips and thread my hand through her hair, pulling her closer roughly. She moans as she kisses me properly, her body moving against mine, betraying her desire.
I push against her, making her take a step back. I walk her toward the mirror in the hallway that way, step by step, her lips never leaving mine.
Alanna moans against my mouth, her tongue tangling with mine in a way that has me wondering what her hot little mouth will feel like around my cock. I turn her around in front of the mirror and place my lips right below her ear, pressing a featherlight kiss to her skin.