The Price Of Scandal(102)

“Jesus, Emily. You could have been with him,” I breathed.

“That’s what Lita said. Only now, with hindsight, I know she said it wistfully. She showed me the article. I didn’t even recognize his name at first. She knew him. And I think she arranged for us to meet. Maybe she was playing this game even back then.”

Lita had been. I was sure of it. I hated her. I hated her hatred and jealousy and greed. I hated that she’d hurt the woman I loved.

“But she never told anyone. She kept that secret. I thought it meant that I could trust her.”

“Instead, it meant she was waiting for the right time to use it,” I guessed. “You’re not responsible, you know. For what happened to him.”

“I know now. Maybe for the first time,” Emily whispered. “So now you know.”

“Do you see me running for the door?”

“You’re too hungover to run.”

She slid closer until our legs brushed. I had to fist my hands at my side to not touch her. Setting her coffee down, she took the pen from me and repeated the signature process. She had shadows under her eyes. Given that it was five in the morning, I assumed she hadn’t slept at all.

But there was an energy crackling off her, and I needed to reach out and touch it. Touch her.

Desire lanced through me like a lightning bolt. She was what I wanted, and I just needed to know the game we were playing so I could devise a way to win.

“Excellent,” she said primly. “Now, on to the next one.”

Another contract? Was it a restraining order? A buyout offer? A prenup?

Everything I needed to know about our future would be coldly sketched out in legalese.

She handed me the papers and then rubbed her palms on her knees again.

I frowned at the first page, wondering if I needed a stronger glasses prescription.

“What…” But the question never fully materialized.

“Sign it.” Emily gripped my wrist firmly.

“I can’t sign this,” I argued.

“Why the hell not? You just gave me half of your company.”

“Jesus, Emily. I thought—” I grabbed her instead and hauled her into my lap. I buried my face in her chest and locked my arms around her waist.

I could hear the soft rumble of her laughter, and then she was kissing the top of my head and hugging me back. The pieces of my stupid, shattered heart melded back together at the touch. Not wanting to be left out, my cock stirred to life.

“I thought you stupidly thought you could get away with breaking up with me and stealing my company,” I said, holding her tighter to me.

She laughed again. “I stupidly thought about it for about ten seconds. But I’m a very smart woman, Derek. You weren’t at fault for anything besides stupidly keeping me in the dark again.”

“Go back to the part where you know I wasn’t at fault.”

She laughed again, and the sound of it was lighter than it should have been given the circumstances. “What about Flawless? What about the board and the IPO?”

“It ends today. This is what I want.”

“I know it is,” I said.

“Shut up. You do not,” she argued, playfully slapping me in the chest.

I caught her hand in mine and pressed a kiss to her fingers.

“You’re a bloody brilliant genius,” I told her.

“Did you know you say ‘bloody’ when you’re drunk?” she pointed out.

“I’m hungover now, not drunk, darling.”

“So what do you say?” she asked, bringing her hands to rest on my shoulders.

“Partners?” I pressed.

“All the way around.” Her fingers toyed with the ends of my hair.

“I know it’s not exactly worth much right now,” she said. “And it might not seem like an even trade or even a good investment. But I promise you—”

“Shut up, love. You’re Emily Fucking Stanton, and that’s all I want.”

She cupped my face in her hands tenderly. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Her lips danced over mine softly. But I couldn’t take soft or tender. Not with relief and hope burning so bright.

I took over the kiss, demanding her surrender. But Emily never surrendered without a fight.

It was aggressive and wild. No holds barred. Just the way I loved her.

Her tongue swept into my mouth. It tangled with mine, making me forget about the hangover and the heartache.

I loved this woman fiercely. And I’d do anything she asked.

“You should have told me about Lita.”

“I should have tried harder to tell you about Lita,” I countered.

“You can’t protect me from things by keeping me in the dark,” she said.

When I made a move to speak, she pressed her palm to my mouth. “Let’s skip the part where you remind me that I wasn’t open to any critical truths and focus on how to get even.”

I tugged her hand away from my mouth.

“I need you to know that nothing happened between Lita and me. I know how those photos look. But they were staged. I didn’t… I wouldn’t…”

The realization hit me. If Emily believed that I’d come on to Lita, she’d have kicked me in the balls and kneed me in the face. There wouldn’t be any early morning breakin and coffee.