Page 53 of Runaway Bride for the Boss

AUTUMN

Vincent Fletcher leaves after dropping that bombshell; and because the bar is incredibly busy, I can’t stalk off to Mr. Beaufort’s office and give him a piece of my mind. He may befrom the top,but who the fuck does he think he is?! And for him to pay for it…

What the hell is wrong with him? I’m fuming at this point. Andrea catches my eye across the bar and raises a questioning brow to which I shake my head in dismissal. Later.

We’re closing the bar hours later when a fancy SUV pulls up in front of the building. “Ezra finally decides to grace us with his presence.” Andrea rolls her eyes in annoyance, and I remember the conversation we had this afternoon. She called Ezra to come help us put together a business proposal.

“Is this about the investment with Alex?” I start shifting uncomfortably on my feet when Ezra gets out of his car. “I told you I wasn’t interested.”

“But it doesn’t hurt to have the contract drawn. Just in case. Why are you late?”

Ezra comes to a stop in front of us and tugs at his tie, loosening it as he scowls at Andrea. “Does it ever occur to you that I could have business that ran late?”

His eyes are bloodshot like he hasn’t slept in days, and there’s a small shiner bruising the top of his cheekbone. And something red on his collar. I narrow my eyes at it, my stomach churning nervously.

“Is that b–blood?” I ask. Andrea’s gaze drops to where I’m staring, and she rushes to him.

“Oh my God, Ezra. Did you get into a fight again?”

“No,” he growls, pushing her off him. “I had a pest to deal with. It sounded urgent on the phone, so I came directly here. Can I shower in your apartment?”

Andrea nods, still looking concerned. Ezra walks back to his car to retrieve a duffel bag from the passenger seat. My mind is racing almost as fast as my heart as we make our way up to her place.

He had a pest to deal with? What could that mean? Somehow I doubt it was a literal pest troubling him.

“Give me a minute.” Ezra says and walks directly to the bathroom.

“You okay?” Andrea asks me with a raised brow, I nod absently. “Ezra is the best at writing up business contracts. And maybe a little ruthless, especially when it comes to one-upping Alex; but trust me, you want Ezra on your side when it comes to legalities.”

“And he’s on our side?”

“Of course.” She says it like it should be obvious. “We all love Alex, I promise, but he can be a stick in the mud and overly controlling sometimes.”

“He’s not that bad,” I jump to defend him, blushing when she raises a brow. I don’t like hearing her talk about Alex like that when all he ever does is try to protect and provide for the people he cares about. She just doesn’t understand him. There’s controlling because you want to keep people beneath you, andthen there’s protective because you want what’s best for the people you love. Alex is the latter.

He’s been trying to provide for me from the get go. I think about that again, and I gasp when I come to the obvious realization. There’s no way Alexander Beaufort could feel that strongly about me. Yes he’s possessive of me, but that’s strictly physical. I assume.

I sink to the couch weakly.

“What is it? Are you okay?” Andrea asks again.

“I’m fine.” I repeat it in my head. She watches me through narrowed eyes for a moment and then makes her way to the kitchen, where she warms the dinner Mrs. Staten sent with us this morning.

She’s dishing out the food when Ezra comes out of the bathroom in flannel shorts and a t-shirt, his duffel in hand. He walks directly to a chair in the dining room and sinks into it heavily.

“That smells delicious. I assume Autumn made it?”

Andrea glares at him. “Mrs. Staten. But that doesn’t mean I’m not making progress in my strides to becoming a half decent cook. Thank you very much.”

He yawns dramatically. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” He smiles, revealing the charming dimple in his left cheek. Handsome as he looks in this moment, it doesn’t hide the fact that he looks exhausted.

Andrea brushes a hand over his forehead as she places his plate in front of him. He slaps her hand away gently. “What?”

“You look tired. You haven’t been getting any sleep, have you? What’s wrong?”

Ezra brushes her concern away. “I’m fine,” he mutters. Exactly what I said earlier. Andrea tosses an annoyed look my way.

“What’s with people saying they’re fine when they look anything but?”

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