Page 30 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“Yes, you’re worse than you think.”

“Huh.”

“We’ll need some boundaries,” I say quickly, eager to establish some control over this ridiculous situation. “Clear boundaries. This arrangement stays professional. No,” I clear my throat. “physicalstuff. No sex. No touching. Nothing.”

The look he gives me in response is pure amusement. “You sure about that? Because the other night—”

“That was a mistake,” I cut in, my voice sharp. “And it’s not happening again.”

Silas is quiet for a moment, his eyes flicking over my face. And the way he looks at me feels like he’s undressing me with his gaze. I shift uncomfortably in my chair, acutely aware of how close we are.

“There may be times we’ll have to kiss,” he says, his tone casual, like it’s no big deal. “When Caleb’s around, for instance.”

“Of course.” I scoff.

“And there’s the Caldwell deal,” he adds, his voice lower. “I need to present the image of a stable family man. You’ll have to act like my loving fiancée.”

I gape at him. “Are you serious? Is this really about Caleb, or is it all about your precious business deal?”

“Why does it matter?” he asks. “You said you owe me. This is your chance to make good on it.”

“It does matter because I’m mostly doing this for Caleb, unlike you, who cares more about your deal than your own son.”

That hits a nerve. I can see it in the way his jaw tightens, in the way his eyes flash with sudden irritation. He leans in, his voice tinged with anger, “I’m doing this forbothCaleb and myself. Don’t you dare try to imply otherwise.”

I shut my mouth, feeling a flicker of guilt. I shouldn’t have said that. He’s a lot of things—arrogant, insufferable—but he’s not a bad father. At least, I don’t think so.

Silas stares at me, the tension between us thick enough to reach out and grab. After a long, charged moment, he breaks the silence with a question I really wasn’t expecting.

“Why did you kiss me the other night?”

My heart skips a beat. “What?”

“The kiss,” he repeats, his eyes boring into mine. “Why did you do it?”

I look away, my cheeks heating up. “It was . . . an ill-brained attempt to piss off my father,” I admit quietly, feeling more than a little embarrassed. “And it won’t happen again.”

For a moment, he says nothing, just watches me with his piercing eyes, like he’s weighing my words. Then, he leans back and smirks. “It has to happen again. But next time, let’s at least make sure the conditions are right.”

I glare at him, hating how smug he looks and how in control he always seems to be. I’m about to respond when he adds, “We’ll need to make the engagement public. For the Caldwell deal.”

I tense up. “Public? You can’t be serious.”

He shrugs. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your name out of the papers. I can’t risk your father finding out.”

I roll my eyes. “I don’t give a shit if my father finds out.”

“Well, I do,” he snaps, his tone suddenly sharp. “If you can’t keep this from Harvey, then we may as well call off the deal right now.”

I sigh. “Fine.”

“Any boyfriend I should know of?” he asks, steepling his fingers.

“No.” I shake my head. “None.”

He looks like he doesn’t care. And for some reason, it stings. I hate that he makes me feel this way. Why do I care what he thinks?

The words hang in the air between us, heavy with unspoken threats. I clench my jaw, weighing my options. I could walk away from this right now. I could stand up, tell him to fuck off, and never see him again.

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