More Than Hate You (More Than Words)

She shakes her head, disbelief all over her face. “You don’t.”

Not the response I wanted, but after what she admitted, I understand. “So now you’re going to tell me how I feel?”

She sniffles. “No, but it seems obvious.”

Really? “In what way?”

She shifts beneath me, as if I’m too heavy—or if this conversation is too intimate. “Aren’t you going to roll over and snore or whatever guys do after sex?”

As long as I’ve waited for her, if she thinks I’m ready to call it a night, she’s out of her mind. “No. I’m good right here.” To make my point, I press into her again. “Why do you think it’s obvious that I’m lying?”

“Can you give me some space?”

So she can put mental distance between us? Like hell.

“What made you emotional?” There’s something here, and I’m going to dig until she tells me.

She looks away like she’s going to shut me out and refuse to answer. Finally, she sighs. “The day I found out Bruce Rawson was my father and he slammed the door in my face, I went to my boyfriend. Darren held me while I cried and told me I was special. He said he wanted to prove how much to me. So I let him and…”

“He broke up with you after you had sex and you’d already suffered a huge blow.”

“Exactly. I found out the next week that he had another girlfriend at our rival school. They’d been going out for two years, and I was just a girl he’d wanted to nail.”

“Darren was an asshole, and I’m not him. I’m not your father either. I’m here for you. Start believing that.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

It would be easy to be frustrated by her answer, but earning her trust in the snap of a finger after a few words and a hot romp isn’t going to happen. I don’t like it, but I get it. “I’ll teach you, baby. Let me try.” I kiss her again and reach for another condom. “Let me prove I’m here for you. Only you. Ever…”

April 22

After taking Sloan over and over, I’m sated and smiling from ear to ear when the sun comes up. She looks relaxed and rosy, and over breakfast with my mother, she can’t seem to stop smiling, either.

The conversation is light, the mood jovial, until we hug my mother goodbye and put her in a taxi to the airport. Afterward, I have just enough time to stop at my condo, pick up a few more clothes, park my car, and make love to my wife in my bed before Evan and Nia swing by to take us to the airport for our evening flight. On our way, I receive notification that our departure is delayed, so the four of us stop at a little beachside bistro for an early dinner.

Sloan looks uncomfortable beside Evan. She still hasn’t figured out that he isn’t Satan, but she will. I just need to give her time.

While the ladies grab a table on the deck with a stunning ocean view, my best friend and I order drinks from the bar. When the bartender starts pouring, Evan looks my way. “So…marriage to Sloan. How’s that going so far?”

“Good.” I smile. “Great, actually.”

He doesn’t grin, but I see a hint lurking at the corners of his mouth. “Glad to hear it. Just don’t give me details.”

“You’re not getting them.”

I know by the way Evan doesn’t banter back that he has something heavier on his mind. “Is she going to give us any problems between now and Thursday?”

The way things are going right now? “I don’t think so. Give the worrying a rest, buddy.”

“Easy for you to say when you don’t have to cough up nearly a hundred million dollars.”

True but if once it’s done, we’ll have control of our closest competitor and be a shoo-in to get Wynam’s business, which is ultimately worth way more than a hundred million dollars. It’s a win-win. “After last night, I don’t think we have anything to worry about. And in case you’re wondering, she’s amazing, and I’m happier than I thought I’d ever be.”

Especially after the Becca debacle.

“I want that for you. I really do.” Evan claps me on the shoulder with a sigh. “I promise I’ll be less of an asshole when Thursday rolls around and we’ve taken control of Reservoir.”

“I get it. But what happens if Michael Astor announces Wynam’s decision before then, and he hasn’t chosen us?” It’s something that’s been swirling in the back of my head. It’s a worst-case scenario since Reservoir landing that account would give them both the cash and the clout to fend off our somewhat hostile takeover. If that happened, Stratus’s market position would be weakened, not to mention we’d have lots of egg on our face.