Page 21 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

Cameron turned to Brienne. “What is it with you and these pointed comments?” she asked.

“I just got screwed over. Give me a break,” Brienne replied, her words bitter.

Her chest tightened at the thought of it. Was that why he took her for coffee?

“First,” Kinsley began, “I don’t say ‘oh gee.’ Second, I’m not going to trust him enough to do anything like that. Third, I’m going to make sure he understands our relationship is strictly professional and I am not some potential real-estate acquisition.”

“Or more,” Brienne whispered. “You did say he was quite charming.”

There will never be more. Daegan Westerhouse might win often, but not this battle. Kinsley clenched her fists in her lap, digging her nails into her palms. She could keep Daegan at a distance—she had to. But even as the resolve hardened in her chest, a cold sliver of uncertainty curled around her ribs.

That night, doubt was an uninvited guest at the table as they looked through paint samples. It lurked in the shadows, swirling wine in its glass with an infuriating smirk when they discussed her bathroom renovations. All evening she could almost hear its voice, whispering all the ways she might lose—not just the house, but her carefully guarded heart.

Never.

The beautiful weatherhad changed to match his mood that evening; rain clouds settled overhead and burst. Thunder andlightning were soon to follow. Daegan was not about to admit defeat, but he knew that this would not be easy.

Despite trying to relax that evening, taking in the rain-scented air, Daegan found himself pacing back and forth in his study. When he tried to retire to his bedroom, he simply paced there some more, until he was back to his study again. He tried to read a book, but made it only a few sentences in. There was an attempt to look over the file folder he brought home, but even work couldn’t get his mind off the tears in Kinsley’s eyes today.

Defeat.

Daegan had rarely tasted it before, but tonight it lingered on his tongue as strongly as the sherry in his glass. It left him restless, unsure of his next move—something he hadn’t felt in years.

What was his next step? Should he lay off talking about it for a while? Maybe he could just bring up another, higher-priced offer? Everyone had a price, surely Kinsley did too? This level of sensitivity was new to him, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it. Anything that got between him and his work was never good.

The office.

How would this affect them? Could he trust Kinsley to continue doing her job, or would she try to sabotage him? If he went to HR first, cut this off now before it got worse, could he ever forgive himself? Kinsley wasn’t doing anything wrong. She’d just inherited the wrong house on the wrong block.

Kinsley,who had just lost her last living relative. The home he needed was now all she had left of her family. A sharp pain twisted inside him, a sick feeling that bordered on guilt. Perhaps he was the selfish bastard his opponents accused him of being.

When he resumed his nightly ritual of pulling out the note from Megan and the printed article, something was different. Anger rose from within him as he held them tightly, but this time it was at himself.

Three years of holding onto the past. Three years of holding onto grief, disappointment, anger, fear, hatred, confusion, doubt, resentment… It was time to let it all go. The dreams. The wishes. The visions of a future with Megan and the children that they had always talked about. The miracle of having a family, the sanctuary of having someone to love and hold and trust.Thatis what he yearned for.

Security.

Love.

But never again would he let someone fool him.

He couldn’t bear the thought of coming home to find his wife gone.Or, God forbid, my children gone.A chill ran down his spine at the possibility.

Over the past three years, Daegan had come to realize that the signs had been there. Originally, he’d chalked it up to Megan being upset that he’d had to work late, so she would make late-night plans. Constantly. She had pulled away emotionally and physically, but he’d assumed it was hormonal and it would pass. There were times she would hide her phone and disappear into another part of the house to take calls. She’d even leave for a few hours without reason. Her stories didn’t always add up. But Daegan had chosen to see the good in her. He looked past potential flaws because the result meant so much to him. He’d been a fool.

The rain picked up, beating down heavily upon the windows. He pulled the curtains closed, not wanting to see the raindrops trailing down the glass. They were too similar to the tears he felt he could shed. A few slivers of moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, the largest among them illuminating his desk. The handle of that drawer shined, as if guiding him to it.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he’d withdrawn the envelope from its resting place and slid the letter and printed article back inside. His fingers lingered on the edges for a fewmoments. He knew what he had to do, but did he have the strength to do it? To say goodbye to the life he’d thought he wanted? Soon, he’d throw it all away. And maybe, just maybe, he’d be free.

That feeling of empowerment was short-lived as his mind shifted to Kinsley. Who was this “Cameron” she was picking up from the airport? Were they in a relationship? Dating? Were they tangled together in the sheets at this very moment, while he sat in his study mourning a love he’d never truly had?

Who Kinsley was dating or not dating, sleeping with or not sleeping with, was none of his business. She was an adult woman, free to live her own life. It shouldn’t have bothered him at all. And yet, every time he imagined them together, his pulse quickened with a bitterness he hadn’t felt since Megan had left. His fingers clenched the envelope.

I don’t care,he repeated to himself. But each word was only a futile attempt to strangle the truth. If he wanted to save this town, he needed to acquire her house. To do that, Daegan would have to keep his distance, avoid getting emotionally involved. But the tightness in his chest betrayed any hope of that. Kinsley was already more to him than she should be.

7

Kinsley walkedinto the office Monday morning with her head held high, heels clicking on the polished floor. As she approached Daegan’s office, she took a deep breath, bracing herself for the awkwardness that was sure to come.

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