Page 13 of Dirty Little Vow

He laces his fingers in front of him. “This isn’t a kidnapping. It’s a conversation.”

“Then I can leave?”

“Not yet.”

My lips press together. “Then it’s a kidnapping.”

He studies me a moment and then says, “Okay, you can leave.”

I blink. Did he just say I can leave? He did, but it’s a trick. I can feel it. I don’t move, and sure enough, he adds, “And I wish you and Tyler good luck navigating the Allen family and most importantly, their anger.”

And there it is. What I knew had to be coming. “Blackmail is not any better than kidnapping.”

“Is that what this is?” he asks. “Or is it a negotiation?”

“What are we negotiating?” I ask.

The waitress sets his bottle on the table, filling his glass before she seems to sense now is not a time for her and conversation. She walks away. Oliver sips his drink and says, “Weren’t we talking about your brother’s books? I think you asked when I read them. For me, it’s more about what they spoke to me.”

My brows dip. “Spoke to you?”

“You’re an agent. Don’t books speak to you?”

I don’t care to discuss my personal duties or opinions with this man. “What is your point?”

“I read Dash’s books before I ever knew you existed. I looked him up. I studied him. I admired him. I know how he is. I know what he’s done. I know he’s looking for you right now. I’m not looking to make an enemy out of him or Tyler. I just want to talk.”

I have a momentary flash of Tyler sipping our new chocolate coffee this morning and smiling at the taste.

I’d been ridiculously overjoyed at his reaction, with good reason. He’s lived behind a wall of seven layers of stone, where the alpha male in him would never drink chocolate coffee, but now he does. And now, I no longer have to shove aside that wall that was pure stone. Stone created by everyone in his life being out for themselves. They were never on his side in life, but rather against him. He never gave anyone a chance to be different until me.

I need to get back to him. And we need to just do as he suggested and get married, end this. We’ll get past the engagement period in court. I know we will and then this is over. I should have pushed this, but I can’t. Tyler is afraid his father’s attorney will release the case file related to the Allen family and ruin all of us.

“Bella?”

At Oliver’s prodding, I blink him back into view. “What are we negotiating?” I repeat.

“Both our best interests.”

“All right then, let’s talk about our best interests.”

“I’m listening.”

“Tyler’s father represented the Allen family way back in the past.”

“As did Tyler,” he states.

“He was second chair, young, and left out of the loop.”

“That’s no excuse under the law, but then you know that. You’re an attorney. I also do believe that if Tyler questioned this case, he’d open the door to every case Hawk Legal ever handled being challenged. Therefore, I’d caution him not to charge into ‘do good’ land and start trouble.”

“Tyler doesn’t want to challenge the case. His father used his will to threaten him with this case.”

His eyes narrow sharply. “What does that even mean?”

“He stipulated that if Tyler doesn’t marry in a certain period of time after a highly public engagement, he won’t inherit. If Tyler fights this stipulation, his attorney, who happens to work for your clients, will release that case file.”

“Then tell Tyler to suck it up and get married.”

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