Page 38 of His Billion-Dollar Takeover Temptation

The soft trill of a bird drew Everleigh out of the most relaxing sleep she’d had in ages. She smiled, her eyes still closed, as she stretched under the covers. Her hand reached out, seeking the warmth of Adrian’s body. Her fingers settled on a cool sheet.

Her eyes snapped open and her head swung around.

Aside from a slight indentation in the sheets, and the lingering scent of cedar on the pillow, there was no sign that Adrian had even been there.

She didn’t know how long she stared at the empty space.

Her decision to sleep with Adrian had been one that, in the heat of moment, had seemed so right. Every touch, every kiss...seeing the flare in his eyes when he’d looked at her, feeling him move inside her...all of it had surpassed every expectation and drawn her into a web of emotion that had ensnared her body, heart and soul.

She’d fully embraced every feeling, even though Adrian had made it clear so many times how he felt about relationships. So this shouldn’t hurt. She shouldn’t feel abandoned, adrift, embarrassed.

But she did. She felt all of that and more.

Because it hadn’t just been the incredible, mind-blowing sex. It had also been the tenderness when he’d taken care of her afterwards...the way he’d cradled her in his arms as she’d fallen asleep. For a moment she’d thought that maybe their time together had meant something more to him.

She pulled the sheets up over her nakedness and rolled away from the spot where Adrian had lain just hours ago. No matter what she’d thought, she’d obviously been wrong.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ADRIANSTAREDAThis laptop a couple of days later, his anger ratcheting up a notch every time he reread Calandra’s email.

My apologies for the short notice, but I’ve accepted a job with Harrison Industries. I will be unable to attend or coordinate the Fox party in two weeks. I have attached my notes for the event. Best wishes.

He closed the screen of his laptop. Never in a hundred years would he have pictured Calandra being the type to quit with such short notice and just a brief apology—let alone before a major event.

But his head of marketing, Jade, and her team were building a great campaign. Everleigh had only been with them for two days, and already Jade was praising her work. They would assume some of the responsibilities for planning the party. Calandra had an assistant who could probably handle most of the other details, and there were other employees he could call on.

But the massive change caused by Calandra’s message did not bode well.

Although, come to think of it, Calandra had not been at peak performance since the night of the wine release party in New York. A typo in a client email...entering a meeting two minutes before it started as opposed to her customary ten... Little things, but he should have paid more attention.

Something had obviously been wrong, and he’d let his damned attraction for Everleigh distract him to the point where he’d lost one of his most valued employees. He could reach out, offer her more money, more time off—whatever she wanted. But the ring of finality in her email told him she would turn him down.

An ache built in his temples. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes falling on the row of awards displayed on the far wall. The sight of the gold and silver plaques, each one a testament to the success of his company, anchored him. And he clung to that anchor to keep himself from falling even deeper into the mire he’d created for himself.

When he’d given in to his desire and claimed the gift Everleigh had offered him his desire had woven together with a fierce need to protect, to keep her from anyone else who might even dare to look at her.

Mine.

That mantra had played over and over in his head until he’d woken, hours later, with his arms wrapped around her slender body. The sight of her bare skin, glowing golden-red under the rays of the afternoon sun, had aroused him once more and made his hands tighten possessively on her hips.

Possession. Protectiveness. Need. Emotions he hadn’t experienced in...ever.

The languid warmth had disappeared under a crushing cold wave of reality. It hadn’t just been sex. No, it had been something much more.

Which was why he’d eased himself out of bed, dressed quickly and disappeared.

It was also why he had avoided her these past couple of days as he’d pondered how he could possibly name her director after he’d compromised them both.

Until this morning, when he’d passed his director of human resources in the hall and an answer had come to him. He’d sent Everleigh a professional, carefully worded email, telling her to report to his office in Cabrera Wine’s main building in downtown Granada. The less personal the setting, the better...

“Mr. Cabrera?”

He turned and his breath caught. Everleigh stood framed in the doorway, her lush hair tumbling down over her shoulders. A scarlet skirt followed the curve of her hips and flared out around her knees. Her sleeveless black top, loose and tucked into her waistband, did little to curb his imagination from filling in the blanks of what was hidden beneath.

His eyes snapped back up to her face, to see irritation evident in her narrowed gaze.

“You summoned me?”

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