Page 177 of Lush

I couldn’t.

He was my brother’s ex–best friend. He didn’t belong in my life anymore. I had to play this cool. I didn’t get emotional like my siblings. Emotions had no place in my life.

There was only success, and that was my only compass.

“Serena.” Noelle’s voice broke through my thoughts, and I forced my gaze back to her, a tight smile pulling at my lips. “You okay?”

I nodded, my traitorous gaze shifting back over to Miles again. He was talking to someone, but his eyes flicked over to me, that damn smirk on his face, the one that made my heart twist and my stomach tighten.

Without thinking, I stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the stone floor behind me, loud enough to make everyone pause.

“I have to go.”

Before either of them could protest, I turned on my heel.

“Serena!”

I didn’t look back, didn’t slow down. I needed to be away from here, away from the place where everything felt out of control, where every thought seemed to lead back to him.

“Serena— Goddamn it,Sunny!”

Not that name.

I felt his hand on my arm, and he spun me around. My heart slammed against my ribs as I came face-to-face with him, breathless, furious, too close.

“Let go of me,” I hissed, but my body already betraying me, too tangled in the pull between us. “Don’t call me that. I told you never to call me that again!”

“You’re running again,” he said, his voice rough. “You think that’s gonna fix anything?”

I shoved at his chest, but he didn’t move. He just stood there, holding me captive with that maddening stare, like he knew me better than I knew myself.

He probably did.

“I’m not running,” I bit out. “I’m leaving because I don’t have time for this. Foryou.”

For a second, I thought he was going to pull me back into him. Instead, he pushed me against the wall of a nearby building, trapping me between him and the cold stone. The rough texture of the wall scraped against my skin, but it barely registered as he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear.

What would people say if they saw me, Serena King, speaking withtheMiles Whitmore?The scandalous Whitmores. Our ex-friends.

“Stop lying to me, Sunny,” he growled, his voice thick withfrustration. “You want me to stay away, but you keep popping up everywhere I go. Coincidence?”

I shoved harder, trying to push him off, but it only made him press closer, his body like a furnace against mine mixed with the already scorching heat.

“No,” I gasped, fighting to break free. “I told you if it’s not about business, we don’t speak, and even that’s limited.”

He jerked his head back, looking down at me with disbelief and something else—something dangerous I couldn’t quite name.

“You’re the one who won’t let it go, Serena. Why the fuck were you at my house last week, then?”

I didn’t want to hear it. That had been a mistake. A moment of weakness. I didn’t give myself that often, and I wouldn’t again.

“I’m not here to help you or your company or whatever game you’re trying to play.”

His expression flickered. “Last time I checked, your company’s got a hell of a lot more to lose than mine, or was that little visit just attempted sabotage?”

I laughed, but it wasn’t a real laugh. It was sharp, biting. “Your company is already on the brink of bankruptcy. You aren’t a threat. It’s called playing with your meal.”

The words hit their mark. I saw the muscle in his jaw tense, his fists clenching at his sides. I couldn’t help the twisted satisfaction that rose in my chest.

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