Page 285 of The Christmas Wife

"As I recall it, when you were stretched out across my table earlier you were very vocally in agreement with me. In fact, I recall precisely you saying that you didn’t want me to stop, that I should fu?—"

"Shut up, Hunter." She glances around the room, then back at me. "How can you be so careless?"

"There’s no one here. There are also no cameras or bugs in here."

"How can you be sure?" She frowns.

"I have the premises swept every morning."

"Except your office where you have cameras placed so you can film anyone who comes in to meet you," she says bitterly.

"I do have cameras in my room. It’s a precaution, and only I have access to the footage."

"So you can blackmail people into doing what you want?"

"If need be."

She tips up her chin. "Are there any other indiscretions you need to tell me about? Anything I need to be prepared for as your PR manager?"

I close the distance to her, then grip the arms of her chair and bend until I’m eye level with her. "I’ve never used the filming to blackmail anyone else before."

"So only I’m subjected to your machinations then?"

"Not letting you go so easily, Fire."

"We’re working together now; it’s best to keep our relationship professional so I can do my job."

I hold her gaze, and she doesn’t glance away. I see the hurt in the depths of her eyes, and damn, I already hate myself for what I did. But if it’s the only way to have her close to me, then I’ll take my chances. But I also know when not to push further.

"I won’t touch you again; you have my word. Unless?—"

She swallows "Unless?"

"Unless you ask me to."

"That’ll be the day," she scoffs.

"Don’t underestimate how much you enjoy being with me, in every way."

"You’re underestimating how easy it is to piss off a woman. One wrong move, and they’ll never forgive you. Not unless you grovel and go back to them with your hat in your hands, andsometimes, not even then." Liam leans forward in his chair. "And you’ve crossed the line here with what you did."

Don’t I know it?"I had no other choice. She was going to walk out the door."

"And you should have let her."

"Eh?" I blink. "Did I just hear the man who’s never backed down from a corporate takeover tell me that I should have given up without a fight?"

"In matters of the heart, the boardrooms don’t apply."

I tap my fingers together. "If you mean I don’t know when to back down?—"

"What I mean is, the rules of engagement are different when it comes to affairs of the heart."

"We talking about Hunter’s non-existent love life, then?" Declan prowls in. He collapses into the chair between us and kicks out his legs. He’s wearing jeans torn at the knees, a hat on his head, and a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over the hat. He pulls off his sunglasses, revealing dark circles and hollowed cheekbones.

"You look like shite, mate," I offer.

"Fuck you very much." He reaches for the bottle of Macallan, lifts it to his mouth, and takes a swig.

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