Page 66 of He Falls First

“If you really cared about them, you’d let them be happy. Away from you. Stay away from my family, Tobias. If you come near Gabrielle or Harper again, you’ll regret it.”

“They’re my family,” Tobias snarls. “And I’m going to get them back from you, one way or another.”

The line goes dead. I stare at the phone in my hand, only barely managing to stop myself before I slam it into the wall.

Tobias is going to be a problem. A big one.

Sleep tonight will be a long time coming.

Chapter 28

Hendrix

Elizabeth taps on my home office door, peeking her head inside. “Are you ready to call it a night?”

I glance at the clock and rub my temples. How did it get so late? “Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

Saying “goodnight” has taken on a new meaning these days. It used to be the end of our nightly routine as we retreated to separate bedrooms. But now it’s just the beginning, leading us to my bedroom and into each other’s arms each night.

Elizabeth steps into the room, her brow furrowed. “Are you okay? You seem off.”

Her intuition clocks me every time I try to hide from her. I force a smile and stand from my desk.

“Just a long day. Nothing to worry about.”

“Hendrix.” Her tone is stern, but her eyes are soft with empathy. “Talk to me.”

With a sigh, I relent. “Tobias just called.”

“Your brother?” Elizabeth frowns. “What did he want?”

“Long story short, he found out I’m running Nexus Tech Solutions now. He accused me of stealing Gabrielle and Harper from him and threatened to take them back.”

“But that’s ridiculous.” Elizabeth crosses the room and takes my hands. Her touch calms the tension in my body. “You consider Gabrielle and Harper your family because Tobias abandoned them. He has no right to make threats when he’s the one who screwed up.”

“I know that. You know that.” I squeeze her hands. “But according to the board, my ‘family values’ are a big part of why I’m fit to run the company. If Tobias causes trouble, it could put everything at risk.”

“So we won’t let him cause trouble.” Elizabeth’s tone leaves no room for argument. “Gabrielle and Harper are your real family, and nothing Tobias says or does will change that. The board wants ‘family-oriented’ because they want a leader who’s stable. Someone with good values. That’s you.”

God, she needs to stop talking if she doesn’t want me to shove a ring on her finger right now. I’ve fallen for this woman—fallen hard. But I can never tell her. She deserves so much more than a man with all this baggage. Getting a late-night call from my deranged brother has reminded me of that much.

“That helps to hear.” I give her hands a final squeeze. “Thank you. For always knowing what to say.”

Elizabeth smiles, slow and sweet. “That’s what I’m here for.”

I want to kiss her. To show her how she makes me feel. But instead I lead her toward the door, my fingertips lingering on her lower back.

“Time for bed.”

When we reach the door to my room, she turns to face me. Her eyes are dark with desire. My restraint fractures, and I crush my mouth to hers.

Elizabeth moans into my mouth, her hands fisting in my shirt to pull me closer. I back her through the doorway, kicking the door shut behind us.

Tonight I’ll show Elizabeth exactly how much she means to me, even if I can never say the words aloud.

Her back hits the wall with a soft thud and she gasps. I swallow the sound, slipping my tongue deeper into her mouth. Her hands slide under my shirt, nails raking up my abs and chest, igniting sparks of pleasure wherever she touches.

I grab her thighs and lift, wrapping her legs around my waist. The feeling of her body pressed to mine is intoxicating. I grind into her, desperate for the friction we both crave.

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