Page 130 of Point of Contention

“What’s going on?” She tilted her head. “You’re all scowly.”

I chuckled. “Not a word, my love.”

“And yet…” She motioned toward my face.

“Fair enough. Come here.”

She rose to her feet and made her away around the desk, stopping in front of me to lean her hips against the desk.

I opened the shirt and ran my hands down her bare sides. “There’s an emergency shareholder meeting on Monday. We’re trying to get prepared.”

“Who was on the phone?”

“Travis.”

She nodded, offering me a small smile. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure yet.” I sighed. “Travis is looking through some old documents. Hastings is drawing up some new ones…” I brushed my thumbs beneath the swell of her breasts. “Roderick has to be dealt with. Mina is handling Gage… And Stella…”

Rylan tensed.

“Stella is in the middle of a lawsuit. That won’t change. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how or why she leaked those photos, just that she did. She’ll have to answer for that, regardless of what happens to Gage or Roderick.”

Rylan nodded and I inhaled deeply, then leaned forward and pressed my lips to her stomach.

She moved her hands to my hair, dragging her fingers over my scalp to relax me.

I trailed open-mouthed kisses over her stomach, from side to side, then down to dip my tongue into her belly button, breathing her in as I moved across her flesh.

She yawned and I looked up at her, smirking when her eyes widened. “Bored, Ms. Blake?”

She swallowed hard. “No, just—”

I chuckled and rose quickly, smirking when she jumped. “Let’s go to bed, my love.” I bent and scooped her into my arms. She squealed, then settled, sighing as she rested her head on my chest.

She trailed her fingertips through my chest hair. “I love you.”

“I’m so grateful you do.”

Chapter Forty-Four

Rylan

We sat across from each other at the breakfast bar, pushing food around our plates as we quietly considered our options. I was overwhelmed by everything he’d told me last night, everything that had happened over the last few days—and the last few months, to be honest—but now wasn’t the time to wallow or lose myself to vacillation. Cabot needed to come up with a plan, and the fact that he relied on me so heavily to help him do so was a gift I refused to waste.

But the more I processed what I’d learned, the more I considered what his upbringing must have been like… and the more my heart broke for him.

I’d grown up with a horrible man, but my future had always been my own. My decisions, mine.

It seemed Cabot had been at his father’s mercy since the day he was born, conceived to carry on the name, the legacy, even before he’d been old enough to argue or agree.

I’d always known Cabot was cunning, his mind a step ahead of everyone else’s, but I knew now that his father was a step ahead of even him. He was also conniving, moving people around like chess pieces in a game.

Then that Rombauer guy had done the same thing, double-crossing Cabot by finding other people who had it out for him. He’d found Gage through Stella and…

The thought made my lips curl into a scowl and Cabot blinked as he brought me into focus and pulled himself from his thoughts.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

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