Page 7 of Unravel You

“Sam, let me call you back in a minute.” I hung up. “I can do better. I’ve left you alone for weeks now. That’s not what I want our lives to be. It’d been weeks, and you still haven’t picked a wedding date.”

“I just did.” She gestured to the sofa as proof.

“I know all this is my fault. Now this is me fixing that. Let’s go on vacation and figure this out.” It was now or never. I’d put off the visit to my parents’ house because I wasn’t sure how Mom would react. The last time we saw each other, we didn’t leave things on good terms. But that was the old me. That was before I met Valentina. “What do you have on your plate? Can it wait until tomorrow?”

She finger-combed her hair away from her face. “Just the year-to-date acquisitions report.”

“I know. That was my priority today too. But all that can wait a day.”

“What happened?” She shuffled back with an intense look in her eyes, which I’d come to know as her work-mode look.

“Bridget approved a proposal to the client that cut corners in an area where there were no corners to cut.”

She’d done it because at the time she was sure she could sell my company for spare parts and cash out. Bridget was smart. She knew none of it would fly, especially from a legal standpoint. But she’d convinced the customer she could do it faster and cheaper just so they would sign the contract and fund her goddamn addiction.

“I saw that.” Valentina grabbed her mobile off the coffee table and started scrolling. “Why did she do that?”

“She wanted to make the company look lean on paper and attract buyers.”

“So what? She just conned our customers out of millions for something she never intended to do?”

“Exactly.”

First, I had to fall on my sword with our client. Then I had to agree to deliver what we promised at cost. At this point, making no money on the deal meant winning. I had Bridget to thank for that. Rubbing a hand over my cheek, I leaned on the edge of my desk. I suddenly felt tired. “Anyway, that’s on me, but I can fix it.”

“Hey.” Valentina kissed my shoulder. “You had no way of knowing what she was up to. Her gambling thing is not on you.”

A warmth flickered inside me at her words. She smiled at me, and I returned the gesture effortlessly. She was so afraid of wanting me. What would she think if I told her I was terrified of losing her? Would she still look at me the way she was looking at me right now? Probably not. She would finally realize I wasn’t the knight in shining armor she thought I was. I needed her with me. Always.

“Enough of that.” She furrowed her brows. “How do we fix this? Would the customer be agreeable to delaying the project a few more weeks?”

“Oh no. You’re not roping me into saying anymore. No more work for today. Tomorrow.” I pulled her to me. “As your boss’s boss’s boss’s boss, I’m giving you permission to take the day off.”

“You really have given up on all decorum and pretenses when it comes to the office, haven’t you?” She laughed.

“What is there to pretend about? They all know I’m madly in love with you. And they know you’re brilliant at what you do. If you leave, they’ll be hurting for months, if not years. And they know that.” I removed her blazer and threw it on my chair.

“Then why go through all that ruse with your team? You could’ve just asked them to leave.”

“You seemed so embarrassed by the misunderstanding.” I kissed her neck.

“Don’t remind me. I was mortified.” Her skin flushed under my touch.

“See? I didn’t want them to know we were going to have sex in my office all day.” I cupped her breast, feeling the tight nub through the silky fabric of her top.

“It’s ten in the morning. We can’t just drop everything.”

“You gotta start early if you’re gonna go all day.”

Her laughter was the only thing I needed to know I’d made the right choice. Not just for today but the rest of my life. I picked up the phone and called Sam to make sure our calendars were clear.

“You know, she knows what we’re doing in here.”

I shrugged. “Do you want to go somewhere else? How about we fly to Vail? The chopper’s here. We could be there in time for lunch. Em would be more than happy to stay with Max if you want to spend the night.”

“That sounds tempting.”

“We could get more of that sex you promised.”

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