Page 67 of Signed, Sealed, Married

Her fingers laced with his. ‘I think the person you’rereallytrying to convince isyou. You’ve carried the memory of being looked down on though no one does it any more. You keep expanding the company, looking for more and more profits. But when will you be satisfied? When will enough be enough?’

Adam wanted to pull his hand free. He’d shared something utterly personal and she was twisting it.

Or was she? Was it possible Gisèle was right?

Something inside stilled as he sifted her words.

For years he’d been so caught up in the need to prove his value that he’d driven himself phenomenally hard.

His family kept telling him to ease back and enjoy the fruits of his success. Yet it wasn’t until now, with Gisèle, that he’d allowed himself time off from his frantic striving for more and better.

Heat filled him. Had he used past hurts as an excuse to feed his ego? To drive himself, and others, relentlessly?

A soft palm cupped his cheek. ‘Adam?’

‘You’ve given me a lot to think about,’ he muttered.

What if the pressure he put on himself, and his high expectations of employees, were because he secretly feared his success couldn’t last? That he was doomed to failure and poverty?

Gisèle’s eyes turned misty, the way they often were during intimacy. It struck him anew that he’d manoeuvred her like he’d manoeuvred so many business opportunities.

Had she forgiven him for his actions? They’d reached a truce based on mutual need. But was that enough to sustain the relationship he wanted?

‘Tell me about Julien,’ he said abruptly. It was time to be totally honest. He couldn’t bear any more secrets between them. ‘Is he unwell?’

At the wedding her brother had looked thin and drawn.

Gisèle sat back but Adam captured her hand. ‘You can trust me, sweetheart.’

She nodded and he felt the pressure on his chest lift. Because she was willing to share this. She wasn’t retreating.

See, what you share is far more than sex.

‘He was diagnosed some time ago.’ She bit her lip. ‘The prognosis wasn’t good but he’s responded well to treatment and we’re hopeful.’

‘I’m glad he’s improving.’ Adam squeezed her hand. ‘That’s why he withdrew from the company and installed you in his place, isn’t it?’

Silently he berated himself for not guessing earlier. He’d briefly wondered if a breakdown might have caused Julien’s withdrawal. But he’d been inclined to assume it was something more frivolous, believing the siblings had inherited their jobs without the competence to handle them.

What an arrogant fool he’d been!

Just because he’d met some like that, he shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. He’d even felt a self-righteous satisfaction at rescuing the House of Fontaine from the siblings he’d assumed had mismanaged it.

‘That’s right. Though I wasn’t really CEO.’ Her smile was wry. ‘As you know, I don’t have that skillset. The company was managed by some executives who have since left.’

‘Because their mistakes almost destroyed it.’

Luminous eyes met his. She nodded.

Nausea stirred. ‘Leaving you both in the lurch.’

‘Not just us. Everyone who’s dependent on it.’

Adam shook his head, sick at the situation she’d found herself in. Then he’d barged in, throwing his weight around, demanding not just the company buther.

Would it have changed things if he’d known? He grimaced. He told himself he’d have been gentler with Gisèle, pursuing her without pushing her into a corner. But he’d still have acquired Fontaine’s.

‘That’swhy you wanted to convince the world we were falling for each other? To keep the truth from Julien?’

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