Page 4 of Sweet Conviction

It doesn't matter how fascinating she is or how intense the attraction is; this can't happen. The last thing she needs in her life is a motherfucker like me.

After a long moment, she finally speaks again, a challenge in her voice. "So we are. But I can't help but wonder…"

"Wonder what?" I practically growl, desperate to know what she's thinking about, what's turning over in her mind.

"Is it the office that's the prison or the fact that you just found out about the marriage contract?"

I clench my jaw so hard my teeth grind. Fuck. I don't want to answer that question. No matter what I say, the answer isguaranteed to hurt her feelings. I don't want to do that. She's not the one I'm angry with.

In my world, happily-ever-after doesn't exist. It's just a lie we tell ourselves until something comes along and rips it all away. And I already live with the scars of losing one family. I'm not willing to add a whole new set. I won't ever be that vulnerable again.

But goddamn. She's even more tempting in person. The way her curvy body moves, the fierce intelligence sparking in her eyes, the fullness of her lips. I want to peel that tight dress off her and see all of her. Want to feel her soft skin against mine as I…

Fuck.I shove the thoughts away, ruthlessly trying to quell the desire coursing through my veins.

Does she even want this marriage herself? I can't help but think she's only here because her entire future demands it. She has no choice, not if she wants to keep her company. According to the old man, her fucking father wants a piece of Grady Records so badly, he's threatening to leave her with nothing if he doesn't get it.

Marriage is a cage for her, too; only she has fewer options than I do. I don't want to be a jailer. Especially not to a woman like her—one meant to be free.

And yet…the paperwork is still in my fucking desk.

I rake a hand through my hair, suddenly exhausted. Weary of fighting my grandfather, my mind…my own churning emotions. It's all I've done for the last six weeks.

"Why are you here, Tempest?" I ask, my voice sharp, far sharper than I intended.

She glances aside, her amber eyes drifting from mine. I don't think she intends for me to see it, but something sad shifts through her eyes before she manages to hide them from me.

My heart clenches at the sight.

Fucking hell. She wants this sham of a marriage, doesn't she?

"I came to set you free," she says quietly, her face a mask of determination even as her lush mouth trembles.

I blink at her, uncomprehending as she does the same fucking thing the old man did—detonates a bomb in my life. "What are you—?"

She throws up a hand, cutting me off. "I'm not interested in marrying a man more interested in my company than me." Her eyes blaze with a savage light, a fierceness that makes my cock throb in my slacks. "I don't care who he is or how much he's worth."

Fuck her company. I want her. Crave her with an intensity that terrifies me. That's what's fucking me up. I don't even know her, but here lately, she's the only goddamn thing I think about.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" I ask instead of telling her any of that.

"Seriously, Dalton?" Her eyes narrow on me. "Please don't treat me like I'm stupid. I know you've been looking into the company, doing your due diligence. You've invested countless hours over the last six weeks going over our financials, our roster, our history…you've pried into every single detail of Evernight Music Group. But the one thing you haven't done is pick up the phone to call me. You don't want this marriage. You just want the company because my father dangled the possibility of a merger in your face."

Fuck.

She's right. I have poured over every detail of Evernight, preparing for the possibility of a merger. But she's wrong, too. I've spent far more of those hours obsessing over her than her company.

"You don't want this marriage, so I'm giving you your wish. The wedding is off." Despite her show of bravery, her voice trembles when she says it. She's far more upset about this than she'd like me to believe.

"Without me, you lose your company, Tempest," I remind her quietly. "You lose everything. You don't want that."

Just a minute ago, I saw the truth in her eyes. She wants this marriage. But now, she's willing to give everything up to walk away from it…just to protect the company she's willing to sacrifice. It doesn't make any fucking sense.

Why would she want to shackle herself to a bastard like me if not for her company?

"Then I have no company. Some things are more important."

"What?" I growl. "What's more important?"

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