Page 65 of The Bargain

Yes, Pierce was the king of tact.

“Yeah,” I mumbled as I shoved the plate away.

Pierce immediately pushed it back toward me. “Tell me about him. He’s the one I met that time I came in to grab you for lunch about six months ago, right?”

I stared at my old college friend for several seconds. He was serious. The snarky jabs were gone, and he returned my gaze with a look of genuine concern and interest. Pierce was hard to get along with at the best of times. Where Declan was simply cold and reserved, Pierce was like trying to make friends with a honey badger that was constantly trying to rip your face off.

When we’d been in college, I was determined to get everyone to like Declan, so I’d forced Declan to accompany me everywhere until they just accepted him. The funny thing was that Rome and Sawyer had used the same approach with Pierce. Eventually, we were all together for so many years that we could no longer imagine a world where we didn’t see each other or talk every day.

The thing with Pierce was that he was all brick walls and boiling oil to keep people from seeing how damaged he was on the inside. It took ages to get past his defenses, and I couldn’timagine the person who had the strength and patience to give it a try.

“Yeah. You met him at the office.”

Pierce nodded and cracked the seal on his water, unscrewing the top. “He’s cute, if you’re into that super prim and proper thing.”

“You know you are, so don’t give me that shit.”

My friend’s smile turned a little devilish. I might have had a reputation for being a bit of a slut in my twenties, but Pierce had been right there in the gutter with me.

“Only because they’re the most fun in bed,” Pierce purred.

“Stop right there. You may not think things like that about Byron.”

Pierce smirked but wisely moved on. “He’s the one we’ve been hearing about for the past few years that you have such a crush on. He’s the reason you stopped even attempting to date.”

“No one could compare to him.”

“How?”

His question stopped me short. “What do you mean, ‘how?’”

“How is he so great? I get that he’s adorable and efficient, but how did that translate into being this person who you’ve been enamored of for three years?”

I opened my mouth to chastise him for being so dense. Of course, Byron was amazing. How could he not see it? It was obvious when…

My mind went blank. What was it that had captured my attention? No, what had grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let me go, instead tightening its grip with each passing day?

That first day, it had been his tiny smile as I’d passed him in the main lobby. We’d caught each other checking one another out. Our gazes had slid down our bodies and slammed into each other as we made it up to our faces. The smallest lift of thecorners of his lips. It wasn’t a smirk, but something similar. Like we’d shared a joke without ever saying a word.

The situation had become even funnier after it had turned out that he was there to interview for the position of my assistant.

But despite that shared moment, he’d always been one hundred percent professional. Yes, he was brilliant, efficient, analytical, detail oriented, and driven. Yet, within a year, I’d discovered he was also thoughtful and compassionate. No matter how busy he was, he always had time to help someone out, no matter who they were. He had a soft spot for everyone he met, and that only made me want to protect that vulnerability.

Each day, he’d been there at my side, making every hour easier. He’d listened to me complaining and my crazy ideas. He’d seemed to know naturally when I just needed someone to listen and when I’d needed suggestions.

What had driven me crazy was that he was always there to help me, but I’d never felt like I could return the favor. Not once had he shared anything personal. Until a couple of months ago, I’d known nothing about his family or his financial situation. To the entire world, he presented this guy who had everything under control and didn’t have a single problem.

Being able to listen to his problems and hold him had given me more joy that I would have ever thought possible.

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quiet for this long. And that smile is getting a little creepy.” Pierce’s comments broke into my rambling thoughts.

“Shut up.”

“Got it bad, huh?”

“Totally. I want to marry him. I want to marry him, lock him up in this house, and keep him safe from the world while spoiling him in every way possible.”

Pierce chuckled and shook his head. “That a lot worse than bad. That’s a felony.”

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