Page 15 of Erik's Redemption
Tears gathered in her eyes, and she quickly opened her drawer to get a tissue, only what she found was the envelope Taylor had delivered to her office yesterday. She’d forgotten all about it.
Tentatively, she pulled it out and slipped the note from the envelope. Her gaze ran over the words again.
I know what you did, Hannah.
Her heart started to thump, the heaviness of everything going on in her world beating down on her. The sale falling through. Brigid’s pain. The note. And Erik.
God, Erik…he’d given her so much hope last night. In the way he’d touched her. Kissed her. The things he’d said. Then this morning, it had all been ripped away, like none of it had happened.
A tear slid down her cheek.
“Hannah, I—” Leo stopped, brows pulling together as he looked at her.
Shit. She whisked away the tear. “Sorry, it’s been a long morning.”
She wasn’t sure if she expected empty words of sympathy, or for him to just nod before awkwardly leaving her office. He did neither of those things. Instead, he walked around the desk and squatted beside her.
His eyes were gentle as he pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her. “I’ve had a bad morning too. My coffee was so hot I burnt my tongue and my cat, Gisele, scratched me when I was on my way out because I forgot to put food in her bowl.”
Despite everything, Hannah laughed. “You have a cat named Gisele?”
“I do. She runs the household. When I mess up, she sure as hell tells me about it.”
“I bet that’s not often.”
“No, I’m a pretty good cat dad. But it doesn’t take a big mess up for her to express her displeasure.” He cocked his head. “Can I do anything?”
For some reason, that simple question made her tears dry up. She loved that he didn’t ask her if she was okay, because he could see she wasn’t.
She opened her mouth to tell him no. That this was a mess only she could tunnel her way out of.
“What the hell’s going on?”
Her heart jumped, her gaze shooting up to the doorway. Immediately, she rose to her feet. “Erik.”
Leo was slower to rise. If he was affected by Erik’s hard tone, he didn’t show it. “Hi, Erik. I was just checking in on Hannah.”
Erik’s focus switched back to her, and he searched her body like he was looking for an injury. “Are you okay?”
She nodded slowly, the lie slipping easily from her lips. “I’m okay.”
Erik didn’t believethat for a second. Hannah’s eyes were red-rimmed like she’d been crying, and there was a sadness about her, both in the hunch of her shoulders and the crease in her brows.
But why the fuck was this asshole on his knees in front of her?
When Leo turned and squeezed Hannah’s arm, anger pulsed in Erik’s temple.
“I’ll see you later, Hannah. Call if you need anything.”
When Leo passed him, Erik locked his body to stop himself from grabbing the man.
“Erik…” Her voice pulled him back to her. “What are you doing here?”
He crossed the room, pulling her Apple watch from his pocket, and lifted her wrist. “You left this at home.” He turned her wrist over and secured the latch. When he was finished, he didn’t turn it back over, instead caressing her smooth skin and allowing the touch to calm some of the storm inside him. “You also left the G70…I was worried.”
An emotion he couldn’t place flashed over her face. The hint of wetness on her cheek sent his concern into a spiral, and he was again reminded of what he’d walked in on.
He reached up and cupped her cheek. “You’ve been crying.”
