Page 163 of Come Apart

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"Yes. Really."

He smirks. "Did Samantha finally get rid of you once and for all?"

I throw him a fake smile. "You could put it like that."

"Good for you."

“Thanks.” I slam the paper onto his desk. "Is that all?"

He offers me another pitying look. "Is there any way you can be convinced?"

"No."

He taps his fingers against the desk. " The non-compete is only for L.A. County."

"Funny, that’s where I live.”

"Come on, Luke. You may be romantic, but you aren't this naive. Alyssa isn't going to stick around."

"Mind your own business."

"That’s rich, coming from you."

Not so unaffected after all.

I bite my lip to keep from smiling.

He narrows his eyes. "I'm sure the passion is intoxicating. Lust always is. But we both know you and Alyssa aren't going to last."

"Do we?"

"Yes, we do." He picks up the offer and places it in my hands. "So sell, move somewhere else, and get on with your life."

I set the paper on the desk. "It's not happening."

He smiles. "You know, I saw her this morning."

My fingers curl into fists. He's got such a smug look on his face. He thinks he knows what Alyssa wants.

He thinks he can come between us.

"She was rushing out of the condo," he says. "And she looked upset."

"If you touched her, I swear—"

"You don't have the moral ground to swear on that."

He is so fucking calm. How can he always be so calm when he's talking about me stealing his fiancée?

Does he really even feel anything?

His voice is even. "What if I did touch her? What if I brought her back to my place and I fucked her all morning?"

I dig my nails into my palms. There's no way Alyssa would fuck Ryan. She's been done with him for a long time.

"What would you do if she decided she wanted to go back to me?" he asks.

"You're dreaming."

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