Page 55 of The Boss's Forbidden Assistant

‘I know, I know.’ He couldn’t help himself. He reached out, lifting his thumb and wiping away one of her tears, but then he kept his hand there, cocooned against the side of her face.

‘And I stayed that whole day because it was my job but, in the back of my mind, I kept telling myself you’d come and apologise, that you’d come and see me, that you’d realise you’d reacted badly...’

‘I wanted to. God, I wanted to.’

‘But you didn’t. And, every minute of that day, a part of me broke off and I don’t know if you can ever put it back together. I just don’t know. You let me go. You were just like my dad, just like Peter. You showed me that I don’t have any value, just like they did.’ She bit down on her lower lip and he ached for her, for the way she’d been treated and disrespected all her life.

‘You are all that I value in this world,’ he said angrily—the anger directed at himself. ‘How can I show you that? How can I prove myself to you?’

She was silent, staring at him, lost and bereft. He lifted his free hand to her other cheek, holding her face, gently stroking with his thumbs.

‘I love you,’ he said, quietly. ‘And I’m not going anywhere.’

‘You live on an island,’ she reminded him unevenly. ‘Far, far away from here.’

‘I want to live wherever you live,’ he said with a lift of his shoulders.

‘You can’t move to Chicago.’ She rolled her eyes.

‘Why not?’

She stared at him in total confusion. ‘I can’t—I don’t know if you’re serious.’

‘Harper, I love you. YouknowI love you. That last morning, when you suggested staying, it was because you understood how I felt, how you felt, and what we needed to do. I reacted terribly, and I will never forgive myself for that, but everything we shared before that, that was real. That’s who we are.’

‘But it’s like I said—it’s not about love, it’s about choice. I did think you loved me,’ she admitted carefully. ‘But you chose not to be with me. What if you make that choice again? What if you decide in a week’s time that, whether you love me or not, you can’t be with me? I can’t put the pieces of my life back together every time you decide that you’re scared of what we feel for each other.’

‘I was scared,’ he admitted, and it was a lot for someone like Salvador to face that. He was generally fearless but not when it came to his heart. ‘I was terrified of what would happen if I lost you too. Then I did lose you. Not to death, but to life and life choices, things that were completely in my control. I woke up every day and had to face how I felt and what I’d done and I know I could never do that again.

‘I have no guarantees in life, Harper. I’ve seen what can happen, what can be taken from us without notice, or in the most awful ways, but only an absolute fool would pass up the happiness we share when we’re together out of fear of what might happen. I don’t know that we’re going to get the great privilege of living together until we’re old and grey, with a dozen grandkids scattered at our feet, but hell, I want to do everything I can to try. Don’t you?’ he pushed, tilting her face towards his. ‘Look into your heart and tell me what youwant.’

She closed her eyes, shielding herself from him, so he bit back a groan. He waited on tenterhooks, so terrified, knowing everything was riding on her answer.

She was silent so long, he thought he was burning up, and then she opened her eyes, frowning so she had a small divot between her brows.

‘I want that,’ she said finally, with a hint of surprise in her voice.

He wasn’t sure he’d understood. ‘You want...?’

‘I want you. And me. Old and grey. Lots of grandkids and memories—good and bad, the kinds of memories you collect in a rich life that’s well lived. I want to start living, Salvador, just like you said: when we’re together, I’m alive. Most alive.’ And then, sucking in a deep breath, she nodded slightly. ‘I love you.’

They were the best words he’d ever heard. He pressed his forehead to hers, needing to fortify himself for what would come next. Because, when they kissed, it was as if all the pieces of heaven exploded and came back together inside them, all the matter in the universe existed just within them for the moment their lips meshed. To anyone walking past, it might have looked like just a couple sharing a passionate, secret embrace, but to Salvador and Harper it was a promise, as real and bonding as any marriage vows ever could be: they were both in this for real, for ever, because it was just exactly where they were meant to be.

On the twenty-ninth floor of the da Rocha Industries tower on Dearborn Street, Jack Wotton tapped his fingers against the dark wood of his desk, a frown on his face. It was not like da Rocha to be late. The man was renowned for his punctuality. He cast a glance at his watch again. Twenty past five. Where could he be?

Standing, he moved to the coffee machine right as his phone began to trill. He reached back for it, perching on the edge of his desk.

‘Wotton? It’s Salvador.’ The man sounded...happy. Laughing... There was the sound of street noise in the background: people walking, cars, then the closing of a car door. ‘Something’s come up.’ His voice sounded louder, because of the absence of street noise now. He was in his own car, Jack guessed.

‘Not a problem, sir. Would you like to reschedule?’

There was a different sound, a little like clothing rustling. ‘Yes. I’ll call Monday.’

Jack pulled a face. ‘Was there something specific you wanted to discuss?’

‘Just a general touch-base.’ Salvador’s voice was muffled now, like his mouth was pressed against something. ‘Everything’s fine. Have a good weekend.’

Just before Jack disconnected the call, he thought he heard a woman’s voice laughing and moaning at the same time. He shrugged his shoulders and abandoned the thought of a coffee, deciding instead to grab a beer on the way home. Everything was fine.

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