Page 80 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

She was the one who jumped up and walked towards the window. ‘You came all this way to talk about Dan?’

‘Yes, actually.’ He leaned back, settling into the old sofa. ‘I came back to have the conversation we should have had before I left.’

‘About my brother?’

‘Yep.’

‘What about your father?’ She turned, angered by this intrusion into her life. What abouthislife?

‘That too.’ He looked sombre.

‘So what happened?’ she asked.

‘He was hideous. Every bit as bad as I’d imagined. Didn’t want to know me. Dissed my mum. Then at the last minute decided I might be a good business contact after all...’

‘Jack...’ She cringed inside at his flat, deadened tone. ‘I’m sorry...’

‘It’s okay.’ He leaned forward again and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. ‘I mean, it wasn’t like I hadn’t imagined something like that... It hurts. Of course it does. Sucks. But I’ll be okay. My brothers and my parents have been great. And now I know I can move on.’

That was what he was good at, wasn’t it? Moving on. She swallowed, trying to ease the horrible tightness in her throat. ‘So you’re travelling soon?’ she asked.

‘I guess.’ He shrugged. ‘But first I wanted to apologise to you.’

‘For what?’

‘For making you go to the Green Veranda with me. Making you stay there when you didn’t really want to.’

She blinked. ‘You think I didn’t really want to go?’ A chill trickled down her spine.

‘You needed me to buy your blog. Because you needed money for your brother.’

‘So you think I didn’t really want to do... what we did?’ She couldn’t believe he’d think that for a second.

And suddenly she wasangry.

A cautious look sharpened his features, making them more chiselled than ever. ‘I’mtryingto say sorry,’ he said tightly.

‘For giving me the best few hours of my life?’ She marched right up to him, stared down into his upturned face. ‘Youregretit?’

‘I regret... how it happened?’

‘Howdidit happen?’ What was she missing here?

‘I seduced you into staying.’

Oh.Was that what he thought? ‘Do I not have a brain of my own? Could I not have said no?’

He looked confused.

‘If I had said no would you have stopped?’ she asked.

‘Of course.’

‘Then what’s the problem?’

Of all the stupid things...

‘You don’t need to apologise about what happened at the Green Veranda. You need to apologise for—’ She broke off.

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