Page 90 of The Acquisition

"It sounds like a deal, on one condition," he said.

"Name it," I agreed, rather foolishly.

"Dance with me. I want to have that talk. Please, give me a chance to apologize."

I inhaled deeply. "One dance. That's how long you have to talk to me about the past."

"Then I better make it count." Malcolm strode off to the DJ stand.

When he came back the first chords of "Your Body is a Wonderland" by John Mayer started playing. He lead me onto the dance floor to a series of groans.

"Really? This song?" I complained. I wasn't really looking forward to swaying to a song about a man worshipping his lover’s body while in the arms of my teenage heartbreak.

"We can talk over it."

I grunted in agreement. I would say every word I knew not to think about the few fumbling times we were together. Back before I knew what a loving touch felt like.

Thoughts of Colter filtered in uninvited, and I swatted them away. I didn't need him haunting me the way Jenny haunted him. I would get over him someday. I had to.

"I was stupid when I was younger, Jana. I didn't know what I had with you. I'm so sorry I hurt you."

I narrowed my eyes and studied Malcolm. His words, to an unfamiliar ear, would sound sincere. He used all the right buzz words, and I could tell he wanted me to believe he was contrite. The problem was, I wasn't unfamiliar with his charms. I had a year after we broke up to peel away the veneer of the all-American boy he tried to portray.

I felt an oily slick coat my skin. The desire to shower away even this innocent touch was nearly overwhelming. At his core, Malcolm Graham was a user. His pretty face and privileged background bought him entrance into many social circles. All of which he took advantage of.

"Why are we walking down this path? There was never anything real between us. We were teenagers with too many hormones and too little sense. It doesn't matter anyway because it's ancient history."

There was a gleam in his blue eyes. I could see the wheels turning as he calculated the benefits he could gain being with me. That's exactly what he was doing. When I was a teenage girl, Matilda Forsythe and her father's shipping empire, Waverly and the Greyson fortune, or even Sabrina and her connection to it were more enticing to him. Now, I was the heiress to the entire Easton Corporation. Those dollar signs always did make his blood heat up.

"Don't say that," he said in a voice that tried to be enticing. "We could be good together. I can be better for you than Greyson."

My steps faltered, causing me to stumble over my own feet. "D—don't say his name," I demanded.

My heart hurt. How long would this ache last? It'd been six weeks and it hadn't dulled a bit. If anything, it hurt worse the longer I was without him.

Is this what Colt felt during the years he'd lived without Jenny?

Even more, could I endure that feeling for the rest of my life?

Honestly, I wasn't sure. Part of me, a part I wasn't very proud of, longed to take whatever part of Colt I could get. But there was still a glimmer of hope that I would find someone who could love me the way I now loved Colter. And, God willing, I could love them too. Heaven help me if I were doomed to love him for the rest of my days the way he loved Genevieve Holmes.

"He's gone, Jana. You've been here for weeks trying to get my attention. Where has he been?"

"I've been at the bottom of a bottle, but a good friend recently told me that I'd only find pain there." I looked over Malcolm's shoulder and found Colter standing behind him.

Their rivalry didn't start with me, but I could see the moment Malcolm decided to use me against Colt. He pulled me tighter against his chest, and I struggled to push him away.

Instantly, Malcolm was torn away. He stumbled on his feet, but Colt grabbed a fistful of his shirt and hauled him back upright. He continued to pull him closer until they were nose to nose. "Don't you ever put your hands on my wife again."

Malcolm, an idiot through and through, sneered in Colt's face. "Your wife has been chasing me all over the city for weeks. I'm just giving her what she's been begging me for."

The snap of Colt's temper was practically audible. Or perhaps that was Malcolm's nose as Colt's fist landed square in his face. This time when Malcolm stumbled, no one reached out to steady him.

He landed on his ass, on the sticky floor. Colt moved to stand over him, leaning forward to issue one more warning. "I heard what Jana offered you before you got grabby. Take the deal, or you will regret it."

There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but there was a voice in my head begging me to run far away from him.

Colt's large hand wrapped around my wrist. "Don't do it. I just chased you across the country. Now that I've found you, I'm not letting you go."

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