Page 39 of Tender Offer
“I have to go.” The same fight-or-flight instinct kicks in, forcing me to stand. I toss my napkin onto the table. It was a mistake to come here. I exposed more than I intended to show.
Preston reaches for me with a slight tremble in his hand. When it covers my wrist, the contact sends my pulse into a fury. Sadness tugs his thick brows together and deepens a frown on the face I once thought I’d spend a lifetime loving.
“Please don’t leave…out of my life for good.” Pain laces his plea. His stare tells me everything he feels. Sorrow for the time we lost. Hope for the future we could have.
My mind and heart clash in hard blows. My heart tells me he’s my person, the reason any relationship or attempt at love ends before it starts. My mind reminds me of the aches and scrapes that came from getting too close. Six months was all it took to experience a love I’d never felt before, a love that almost destroyed me.
“We owed it to each other to say goodbye. There was always a point when we’d have to let go,” I say, standing my ground and restraining the quiet part of me that screams in curse words to give this a chance. Any more of his groveling, and I’ll cave. “You paid me to do a job, and I intend to finish it. Given our history and my policy not to date clients, I think it’s best to keep our interactions professional.”
Preston’s face softens. His brows unfurl with a dejected sigh. “I’ll see you out.” He gestures for me to go in front of him.
The walk back to the front door is silent. Kismet only happens in holiday romance movies, not in real life. A billionaire and a secret identity makes for a hell of a story, but who am I kidding? That’s not how this works. I was never the Hallmark girl. Lifetime, maybe.
Tonight, we put everything on the table for the closure we needed. I did the right thing, so why does it still feel like a mistake?
The door transforms into a solid chest when Preston spins me around. I stifle a gasp and suppress a shudder at the brush of his thumb on my chin and the gold flecks catching fire in his eyes.
A younger Preston might’ve ended things abruptly, but the mature version isn’t giving up so easily. Gone is the man who shed tears at the thought of me walking out of his life. In hisplace is the one who doesn’t lose, who takes what he wants at any cost.
The hairs of his goatee tickle my skin as he whispers into the shell of my ear, “I’m not letting you go this time. I can’t.”
Whatever fight-or-flight instinct I had bends the knee to the slow sweep of his tongue and the gravity of his stare.
I feel around for the anger that stretched and spiraled in the closet. It’s no longer here, just like the handle that somehow disappeared from the door my back is pinned against.
That’s the problem with a soul tie. It traps you if you aren’t careful.
Preston leans around me to grab the door handle, which is inches from my hand. The scent of his cologne and the soft cotton of his hoodie brush against my face. “See you soon, Puff.”
I’m out and down the hall to the elevator, speed walking in house slippers, my heels and coat be damned. Thank God I had half a sense and kept my phone and keys in my cargo pockets. Whatever I left can stay there another day. Possibly forever.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Preston will come for me with everything he’s got. My defenses aren’t ready, but they will be.
Chapter 22
Fifteen Years Ago
Date:September 21, 2009, 10:53pm
From:[email protected]
Subject:Miss you
It’s getting harder to be away from you.
P
Date:September 21, 2009, 11:12pm
From:[email protected]
Subject:Re: Miss you
So don’t be. Miss you too.
