Page 60 of Handsome Devil

“The decision was your father and the board’s to make, and he had no right to threaten you or your father.”

“True. Hopefully, he won’t cause problems in the industry. He could possibly try to tarnish our reputation or badmouth me and my performance now that I’m the head of the company. I never thanked you for… running interference. At the time, I was worried if you spoke to Albert it could sabotage my chances of getting the position of CEO.”

“I know how to handle men like Albert. There was never any chance of you losing the position because of my conversation with him.”

“Do you know what I wish sometimes?” Annabelle asked wistfully.

“What?”

“That my mother and Cliffy could see me and how much I’ve changed.”

“They do see you.”

“We say people who have died can see us because the idea makes us feel better, but I want to know for sure that they see me. My mother died before I had enough sense to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. She was always very patient with me. She didn’t agree with my father’s ideas about a woman’s role. She believed a woman could do whatever a man could.”

“Your father believes in a man taking care of his family. The idea is old-fashioned but understandable. He saw his father do that, and his father before him. The Buchanan men built a business and each male in the family was expected to take control when the time came.”

“Are you old-fashioned too?” Annabelle asked.

Dante considered the question. “In some ways, yes, because of the machismo culture I grew up in. I have changed my point of view over the years, but I could never be a house husband. However, if my wife made more money than me, I could live with that.”

“Could you?” Annabelle asked, her voice filled with doubt and one eyebrow arched.

Dante thought for a minute. “No, never mind.”

She burst out laughing, and he was mesmerized by the sound. The rest of the world receded like an out-of-focus photo. With her bright blue-gray eyes and lush, smiling lips, he wondered what he’d do when they went their separate ways at the one-year mark. It would be hard as hell when their marriage ended. He didn’t want their marriage to end.

“That’s what I thought. You’re almost as bad as my father.”

“Almost, but not quite.” He kept his eyes on her face. “His opinion hurts you.”

She sighed. “Yes, but… he would never hurt me on purpose. I’ve accepted that he won’t change. He’s flawed, but I love him. He’s my father.”

They fell quiet, listening to the whispered conversations of the other diners around them.

Annabelle sipped her cocktail. “What made you approach me back then, when you and Sebastian crashed the private party at Lola?”

“I was desperate,” Dante answered honestly.

That was the only explanation for why he had the nerve to approach someone clearly out of his league. The first time he saw Annabelle, his life changed. She was stunning, with the body of a goddess and a face meant to tempt mortal man.

“Desperate?”

He nodded. “Desperate to make you mine.”

He knew he couldn’t allow her to get away, guessing this woman would somehow change his life. Unfortunately, his obsession with her was quickly set aside for an obsession with success. He saw that clearly now in hindsight.

Pink filled her cheeks. “Why me? There were plenty of other women there.”

“I only saw you.”

The color in her cheeks deepened.

Ray returned with their entrees. “Annabelle, for you, the salmon, and for you, the whole fish.” He placed each dish in front of them.

After ensuring they had no other needs, he left them to enjoy the food.

Annabelle peeped at Dante’s dish. “Yours looks good.”

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