Page 55 of Square Deal

She swallowed and rested her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her. “Anywhere but here,” she whispered.

“Hannah—”

“I can’t do this, Isaac,” she said, pushing away from me. “I thought I could, but I can’t.”

“Hey,” I said, whirling around to chase after her. “Hold on. What just happened? Five minutes ago?—”

Hannah’s face fell. Her lip quivered, and it made my heart twist. “You… you flew all the way here from New York,” she stammered, running her fingers through her hair.

“Yeah, I did,” I said more calmly than I felt inside. I had never seen her so unhinged. She was falling apart in front of me, and it stole the air right out of my lungs.

“You did it for me,” she choked out. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“Han—what the hell is going on? Right before your friend knocked on the door, things were good—we were good. Talk to me.”

She sniffed and squeezed her eyes shut, turning away from me so I wouldn’t see her cry. “I thought I could do this, but I can’t. I don’t want to have to sneak around. I just—I thought I could try changing who I am, but I can’t.”

And you don’t want to be with me.

I stepped back, gritting my teeth so hard I was sure that I would need to see a dentist after this conversation. “We had a deal.”

She steeled herself, snatching up her clothes and getting dressed with her back to me. “I hardly see how a judge could preside over ourdeal. It was a stupid agreement that you have absolutely no proof of.”

“You know, you really need to lay off theJudge Judy,Princess,” I glowered.

She pulled the zipper up her skirt, and I wanted nothing more than to rip the damn thing clean off. Her voice softened. “I’m sorry you wasted your time.”

“Hannah,” I snapped, slamming her back against the wall. She shoved against my chest, but I didn’t budge. “You got spooked because we got interrupted,” I soothed, gently coaxing her into calming down. “So, hooking up at your place of employment probably isn’t the best idea—that’s on me. But Han, I had to see you.”

“I can’t keep this up, Isaac. I’m selling myself short if I do.” Hannah closed her eyes. “You proved your point. I can do no-strings sex and avoid having feelings. But if we keep this up, no matter what we do or don’t do, I’m afraid that I’ll fall anyway.”

“Do you want to fall?” I blurted out.

The shock made her freeze in my arms. “What?”

Why. The. Hell. Did that just come out of my mouth?

“I want to fall for someone safe,” she admitted softly. “You scare me. Being with you is like teetering on the edge of a waterfall. The rush is fun, but I know what will happen if I let it go too far.”

My heart shattered into pieces. I didn’t know how to reconcile how much I wanted her, knowing I could never be what she truly desired.

I knew I was bluffing, but years of boardroom showdowns and tense negotiations meant I was good at never letting them see me sweat. “I know I can’t give you everything you want, but don’t you think you should live a little before you settle down? I won’t let you fall over the edge.”

Hannah looked up at me with big brown eyes that were meantto cripple. “Sneaking around, hiding from Chase and Kristin—they’re not just my friends. They’re family. Hell, I’m spending Thanksgiving with them next week. Hiding from them isn’t living.”

“Fine,” I said. “Then I propose an amendment to our deal.”

Hannah sighed and shook her head. “Isaac, I just told you?—”

“Hear me out,” I begged, backing away now that I was confident she wouldn’t leap over the balcony. “The deal stands, but we add in the extras.”

She laughed nervously. “What?”

“Let me take you out. No feelings. Just sex, but we’ll have the time of our lives. I’ll show you what living’s really like. You do have a passport, right?”

“Isaac,” she groaned. “I don’t know about this. I can’t think straight when I’m around you.”

“Idoknow. What are you doing after Thanksgiving? Do you have to work weddings and shit?”

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