The Rogue (The Moorehouse Legacy #4)(56)

Whoa. She knew that name. Those stores were everywhere.

She flipped through the books until she got to the tab marked Acquisition Proposal. When she was finished reading the memo from Richard to the board, everything about his fight to keep her shares fell into place. If he retained voting rights over her block of ownership, he could push through stuff like this acquisition with no problem because, in effect, he was the majority shareholder times a thousand.

No wonder he’d wanted to remain executor of her trust. Now, he’d have to convince her to get anything done.

That must have been what all the phone calls from him were about.

She heard a knock at the door and lifted her head. “Yes?”

“I brought you dinner.”

The muffled sound of Spike’s voice had her sitting up with a jerk.

“I can leave it out here in the hall,” he said quietly. “If you’d feel more comfortable that way.”

She sprang off the bed, straightened the robe she had on and opened the door.

“I don’t want—” But she couldn’t quite finish the sentence. He was so broad, filling the jambs, his black T-shirt stretched over that chest she knew too well.

Damn it…The distraction of his body disgusted her. Didn’t she have willpower? Common sense?

And what had happened to his forearm? There was a big white bandage all the way around it.

Not her concern, she told herself. And neither was the rest of him.

She kicked up her chin. “I didn’t know you were staying here.”

“Or you would have gone somewhere else, right?” When she didn’t reply, annoyance flickered over his face, tightening his mouth. “Do you honestly think I’m a threat to you? Just because I’m across the hall?”

She frowned, thinking that was a weird choice of words. “Of course not.”

Well, not a physical one anyway.

“Good,” he muttered. “So prove it. Invite me in and eat what I brought you.”

“I’m not—”

“Hungry? Oh, right, I forgot, you’re Super Woman. Capable of going for days on nothing but air.” As she opened her mouth to tell him off, he cursed and dropped his glowing eyes. “I’m sorry…I take that back. Look, here’s the food if you want it.”

He held the plate out to her and for some reason she took it. “Thank you,” she said. And then hesitated.

“Invite me in, Mad,” he said softly. “Please. I’m not looking for sex or anything like that. I just want to explain some things. I want to tell you what happened and why.”

Do not let him in, she thought. Do not—

God help her, she backed away from the door and left it open. He shut the thing silently as he came forward.

She sat on the bed, put the plate in her lap and unrolled the napkin full of silverware. He was right, she wouldn’t have eaten and she wasn’t sure she wanted to now. Her stomach was in a knot, but she needed to do something with her hands.

While she tried some of the roast beef, she tracked him as he went over to one of the windows across the room. In the silence, she despised the fact that she was hoping and praying he would come up with an excuse she could buy.

Frustrated with herself, she said, “You don’t have to explain why you were with her. I know the why of it.”

His head spun around and a frown dragged his brows down over his eyes. “What?”

“Why you slept with Amelia. I know why. It’s obvious why.”

Spike reached out for the window, grabbing on to the sash as if steadying himself. “You think I…Where in the hell did you get the idea I was with her?”

“Come on, Spike—”

“Why do you think I would do that to you?”

His intensity was a surprise. “I—Ah, I saw her walking out of your bedroom and you were trying to pull her back in. You were very clear you wanted her.”

Those yellow eyes stared at her for a long stretch. “Hold up. You left because—”

“Oh, no, I really wanted to stick around after that. Absolutely.”

Her sarcasm didn’t seem to affect him at all. “Wait…Richard didn’t talk to you about me?”

“Why would he have to? Seeing you with my half sister was enough.”

Spike scrubbed his face with the palm of his hand. He seemed to have shocked out for some reason, his eyes going glassy. “Good…God.”

“Come on, Spike,” she muttered. “Do you think I’d hang around? I’ve been through that twice before. The experience has nothing left to teach me.”

Which was not exactly true. This time it had hurt worse than the others put together.

Spike was silent for a moment, then he threw up his hands and shook his head. “I…I don’t know what to say. I guess…enjoy the dinner, Mad. And…whatever. Take care of yourself.”

He walked to the door like every bone in his body hurt…and as if he were giving something up.

What the hell was wrong with him? She was the one who’d been betrayed.

“Why do you think I could handle it?” she said as he gripped the doorknob. “Knowing that after everything we…did together, you went to her?”

“Yeah, that would be awful,” he snapped. “Just about as bad as your total lack of faith in me.”