Page 52 of Brazen
She turned away and lifted her chin. “I can’t work with Kir or you or help you start your business when this explodes. You need your brother’s help far more than you need mine right now. Patterson said he’d keep it a secret if we paid him ten million dollars.”
My mind raced. I wasn’t sure how she felt or what she wanted. I folded my hands between my legs. “Do you want me to pay?”
She jumped, and her eyes were wild. “No. I want you to realize we’re over.”
I took her hand and squeezed. “I don’t want that. We’re going to Hawaii.”
Her bottom lip pursed. “I wanted to go.”
Maybe it was better to show her in Hawaii that I was absolutely in love. It sounded romantic, and I couldn’t care less what anyone said about me online. “Then come.”
She closed her eyes. “Your brother will hate me.”
I doubted that. My family wanted me to be happy, and if I loved her, then that was all that mattered. I kissed her knuckles. “I will deal with him. Promise me you’re coming.”
Her eyes were open. “It’s not a good idea.”
I was getting to her. “It really is.”
She stood but held me. For a second, my heart beat was wild, but then she said, “Let’s just go to bed. I want to hold you.”
She had to feel something for me too. I took a deep breath and held her waist. “We’ll figure this out.”
As we headed to the bedroom, she said, “It’s okay, Charlie. I’ve always been a realist, and I have no energy left today.”
“I’m here for you.” I held the door for her.
She might have had to settle in the past, but she was mine now. And I refused to accept defeat. I would prove my love was solid and real and always hers.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Charlie
* * *
Last night, she hadn’t wanted to kiss. My entire body burned for her, but it was more. I hadn’t told her she had my heart. She’d curled into me, and her eyes had stayed closed. So I'd closed mine and planned a big reveal in which I would drop to my knees on the beach and ask her to marry me for real—and tell her I loved her.
My body was tense all night. I worried she might not feel the same. If she had, then the blackmail wouldn’t matter because just being together proved our feelings. My brother, my family—they all accepted I talked my way around a situation rather than committing directly.
She woke, smiled at me, and headed to the bathroom. I left her alone to clean up, but as she came out, she said, “I think I should stay and figure out temporary housing as they fix up my condo.”
My heart almost stopped. She seemed so serious. I couldn’t read her. My shoulders tensed. “Our party is tomorrow. It’s better if we both show up.”
She sat on the bed beside me. “I… I know you think that’s best.”
I ached to kiss her, but I stood. “And your friends all RSVP’d yes. Just relax.”
I headed to the bathroom, cleaned myself, and quickly weighed my options. If I walked out and told her I loved her, she could run away from me fast. If I waited until tonight, when we were on a beach, I would get a better chance of showing her she was in my heart.
I finished up in the bathroom and left. I would wait until tonight.
She’d changed into a sundress with blue flowers embroidered. She turned toward me and squared her shoulders. “I won’t change my mind again. I’ll go, and we’ll fix what we did in person.”
Good. I hoped she would relax. And I hoped she loved me back. I smiled. “Then maybe you and I can go and find a way to enjoy ourselves, alone, for a night.”
She shook her head, and our phones started beeping. We both saw her friends were arriving.
“There is no time for that. Your brother’s getting married. Your parents have us scheduled in for some party that we’re going to, so it’s best if we focus on the tasks at hand and let me apologize to everyone.”
