Page 96 of The Acquisition

"Not having second thoughts, I hope?" he asked.

I learned a lot about my husband in the week we were on the island. He relished being in control because when he felt as much as he did about me, he felt completely out of it.

In a way, knowing he felt as lost as I did made me feel more settled. I wasn't the only one adrift in my feelings. And, yes, I finally admitted to myself I was stupid in love with him.

I think I had been almost from the beginning. It wasn't one moment, but a collection of them that made him essential to me. Letting those feelings out was probably one of the most terrifying things I'd ever done.

My phone rang in my bag. Extremely bad timing, but things with my father were still up in the air, and I was waiting for word from Stryker that the deal with Malcolm had been finalized. For the sake of my sanity, and Colt's I agreed to let one of the Anderson Global lawyers handle the deal.

Getting Colter to agree to break his "no outside interruptions" rule while we were on the island was one of our only disagreements while we were there. Of course, it ended quickly when I told him I'd just have to get in touch with Malcolm myself when we returned to civilization.

Using his hatred for the man was a dirty trick, but I wanted this crisis with Easton Corporation behind me. I was coming to a decision that I hadn't shared with anyone yet. I didn't want to run the company. Whether we defeated my father in the end or not, I had too many bad memories there to make it my life.

During the time Colt and I were apart, while I tried to get a meeting with Malcolm, I had endless hours alone. Thinking was something I actively avoided doing, so I spent the time perfecting the app I'd been designing for the last year.

Heartache made me focus with laser precision, and before I knew it I had the code written for a functioning AI assistant that could schedule meetings, send reminders, search for travel arrangements, and use dictation to compile basic reports. It would not, under it's current functionality, replace a human assistant, but it would be a godsend for small businesses and individuals needing more organization in their lives.

I'd already reached out to Hans from Woten Automotive, and he and I were in the process of bringing the app to the market. It was a risk to abandon Easton Corp for a private venture, but it was the first professional achievement I'd made without help from anyone except an investor.

After digging through my large bag filled with about three things I used and thirty things I didn't even know I had, I finally found my phone under a couple of paperback books.

"Stryker, hey," I greeted.

"My asshole brother finally signed the paperwork. I think he was just trying to delay so he could talk to you again."

"How did you manage to move him along?" I asked.

Stryker chuckled. "There are some distinct advantages to him not knowing you and I are working together. For example, I know that he's very paranoid people will find out how he got the money to finance his first club after he failed his college ethics class and our father cut him off."

"C'mon, you can't dangle something like that out there and not spill the details," I pressured.

"I don't want you to take offense at what I'm going to say," he hesitated.

My mouth opened and closed. After that word of caution, did I really want to know?

"Just spit it out," I grumbled, allowing my curiosity to overcome my insecurity.

"I suspect that when you were named as the sole inheritor of Easton Corporation, Malcolm started thinking of ways to get close to you. See, he got the money for his first club by dating Gemma O'Riley."

"The tech heiress?" I asked for clarity.

"The one and the same. Anyway, they were nearly engaged. I think he'd have gone through with it, but her father intervened and paid him to break up with his daughter. It was enough to start his club, and he's never looked back."

"Then why do you think he'd want to seduce me for my money?"

Next to me Colter growled. Now that his alpha side was unleashed, I feared, or maybe hoped, it was there to stay. I was still conflicted how I felt about this newly discovered side to him. To calm him down, I laced my fingers with his and squeezed.

Oblivious to Colter's darkening mood, Stryker continued. "I'm hiring an investigator to look into him deeper. I wouldn't be surprised if he is into something shady. I mean, like I said, he failed his business ethics class. That's not for you to worry about. We can meet when you get back in town and go over everything. If you and Colter are staying together, you'll be taking over my seat sooner than we originally planned."

"Do you already have something else lined up?" I asked.

"Nah," he replied. "I thought I'd take some time off after this job. I need to be in Seattle to deal with some personal business."

"If you did have a position in Seattle, would you consider not taking an extended time off?"

Colter narrowed his eyes, but I held up one finger promising I'd explain.

"Perhaps, if it were the right position," Stryker answered.

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