Page 41 of Falling for Them

“No. I need to be alone.” I moved into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

I thought he wasn’t going to listen, but he stepped out of the elevator. “I’ll order us dinner.”

The door closed before I could argue, and I leaned back against the elevator wall, exhausted.

Chapter 15

Red Flags Waving

Leo

The urge to run after Libby and make her forget whatever was on her mind was strong, but I knew I shouldn’t. After she’d gotten back from lunch and overheard Ethan threatening me, she’d shut herself inside her office for the rest of the day. I hadn’t even had the chance to check in on her with all my scheduled meetings.

She was going for a walk for a reason, and I was probably part of it. The other part… well, I had been trying not to think about him. I didn’t stand a chance against a man like Ethan.

Putting my business face back on, I walked into the condo to find the man in question slumped on the couch, his fingers buried in his hair like he was about to yank it out.

So,hehad been the cause of her running off.

I marched into the living room, dropping my bag on the island on the way. “What did you say to her?”

Ethan didn’t respond besides a slight shake of his head. So, I did what any rational businessman would do in this situation and rounded the couch to stand in front of him.

I kicked his foot to get his attention. “I asked you a question.”

The son of a bitch snorted.

I grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking his head back to look at me. “What. Did. You. Say?”

He batted my hand away. “I kissed her.”

“You… what?” I don’t know why I was so shocked; it wasn’t like I wasn’t aware he was in love with her.

“I kissed her, and she ran.” He went back to gripping his hair.

“And you let her?” I started pacing on the other side of the coffee table. It was better to have a barrier between us. “Why didn’t you go after her?”

He threw his hands up in frustration. “I don’t know, Leo. Maybe because I know her well enough to know when to back off?”

My jaw clenched. Part of me was relieved that Ethan had finally made a move—at least now everything was out in the open. But another part of me, a selfish, possessive part, felt like I’d been punched in the gut. My chances with Libby were already slim, and now they had dwindled to practically zero.

But that was right where they should have been. I wasn’t good enough for her, but that didn’t stop me from latching on to the tiny tendril of hope that maybe I was… or could be.

“And you know her so well?” I was unable to keep the bitterness from my voice.

Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes blazing. “What would you know about it? Your idea of knowing a woman is memorizing her bra size.”

His words stung more than I cared to admit. “At least I have experience with women,” I shot back. “How exactly do you plan on satisfying her if you’ve never even touched a woman before?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I’d crossed a line. Ethan’s face flushed red, a mix of embarrassment and fury. He rose to his feet, all six-foot-three of him towering over me.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me or what I’m capable of,” he growled. “How many women have you left in tears after your one-night stands? How many hearts have you broken?”

What argument did I have for that? He wasn’t wrong, even if I was trying to turn over a new leaf. “Women are complex creatures. They need more than puppy love and stolen kisses.”

“Stop.” Libby’s soft voice cut through the hostility. What had she done? Gone on an elevator ride and come right back?

I stepped back from Ethan, who was practically standing chest-to-chest with me. “I thought you needed a walk.”

---