Page 13 of Forbidden Bond

I start to walk away but she stops me, placing her hand on my arm.

“Which part? Which part was way off?”

She’s curious. “You’re trying to figure me out.” I smile. “Why?”

“Because you’re interesting.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I could say the same thing about you, Katherine.”

“So?” she says, insistent on getting an answer to her question.

I consider not replying but decide to at least be honest. “I suppose you were right about some of what you guessed about me. I don’t lay around all day, though. I’ve got a pretty successful business, started it a few months ago, actually. Maybe one day I’ll take you to see it.”

Her eyes grow a little soft at that. But they widen at my next words.

“As for the part about my ‘daddy,’ well, I can’t very well spend his money if he’s dead.”

With those words, I walk out of the room, leaving her flustered and shocked.

CHAPTER 5

Katie

Ninety percent of the time, I’m great at saying the right things at the right time. My dad used to tell me I had excellent communication and diplomatic skills. But there are those slim moments, instances where I end up saying the dumbest shit. This is one of those moments.

It takes a few minutes before I go after Topher. When I find him, he’s having a conversation with two girls. One blonde, one brunette. His eyes meet mine as I approach.

“Hey,” I say, my throat feeling a little hoarse. “I need to talk to you.”

Jameson was right. I actually might have a crush on him. And I hate that I might have pushed him away by saying something so stupid. Topher’s not the kind of guy I’ve liked in the past, but something about him pulls me in. He has a magnetic presence, and judging by the way these girls are glaring at me, I’m not the only one feeling it.

“We were talking to him,” the blonde states.

Topher moves to stand beside me. “Darla,” he says, smiling, “easy there. Katherine and I just have an unresolved conversation to finish. I’ll come find you girls later.”

Her eyes narrow. “That’s what you said the last time. You might be hot stuff but we don’t give third chances.”

“We can just find someone else,” the brunette says. “Bye.”

Topher doesn’t look the least bit worried. He offers them a small wave and the girls leave. Then he turns to me.

“You just might have cost me an epic threesome, princess.”

I make a face at that. “Did I really need to know that?”

“No, but it made you uncomfortable. I like making you uncomfortable,” he says, grinning.

“Because it’s fun. You like having fun.”

“There you go again, trying to fit me into a box. You can’t define me. You don’t know me at all.”

Right. I came here to apologize.

“No, I don’t,” I agree. “And I’m sorry about what I said. And I’m sorry about your dad.”

He waves that off. “It’s fine. He died two years ago. I’m over it.”

But something in his eyes and the way his body tenses when he says that tells me he’s not over it at all.

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