Bad Seed

I soft smile crossed my cheeks, and I didn't want to say anything else. I didn't want to ruin the moment. So much had been ruined by so many poor decisions made from insecure places, and I didn't want to dwell on it any longer. I didn’t want to be angry at the lies and the deceit and the missed opportunities. Being angry at it would change nothing. I snuggled deeper into him and slid my leg between his. And as I sighed against his chest, his fingers found my hair and began to run through my tangled curls.

I loved it when he did that.

I was content for the moment but worried about what tomorrow would bring. I’d gotten my father on my side, or so it seemed. But Hollis was another beast altogether. He was fiercely protective and worse— Grant’s best friend.

And it would make me miserable if I ended up having a hand in ruining their lifelong friendship.

CHAPTER 30

GRANT

I looked over at Theresa sleeping in the bed, and I grinned. Seeing her naked bosom rising and falling with her breaths was peaceful to me. The bruises on her neck were finally beginning to fade, and the bruising on her thighs was following suit. Soon, the evidence of that bastard would no longer be apparent, and the only marks on her body would be ones I left behind with my mouth.

The only kind of marks she deserved.

I ripped my gaze away from her and turned it on all the emails I had. I needed to get back to Boston. Our financials were in prime condition for taking over my mentor’s company, but I would need to be there to sign off on the paperwork. Matt didn’t have the credentials to orchestrate something like that, which meant I would have to leave.

And the thought of leaving Theresa behind again made me sick.

I couldn't run my company from a hotel room, but I didn’t want to leave her. I didn’t want to risk her getting hurt again because I wasn’t around. I couldn't ask her to up and move for me. To pack up her life and come with me. She’d never go for it. A weekend, sure. That was recklessness with a deadline, which was what Theresa enjoyed. I loved her more than I could stand. My heart filled with joy at the mere prospect of looking upon her beautiful face. We’d whispered half promises all night long of exotic vacations and no more worries and a long future filled with adventure and orgasms that made us speechless.

But in the cold light of day? This place wasn’t my home.

It hadn’t been since I was eighteen.

I typed up a few responses to some of Matt’s emails and told him I was on my way back, that come dinnertime tonight, I would be back home and able to kick off this acquisition. I told him to set up the meeting, so we could sit down and draw up not only a formal purchasing document but make sure we took all my mentor’s wishes for his company into consideration. I didn’t want to dismantle what he’d built. On the contrary, I’d modeled myself after what he had done. I didn’t want to change his vision or direction for his company simply because he was ailing. I wasn’t that kind of businessman.

I wanted to do right by the only man who ever remotely saw past the barbaric, angry boy he had employed to work for him.

I sent off the email just as Theresa began to stir. Her grunting and yawning was a sound I’d grown accustomed to hearing. I turned myself toward her and smiled when she sat up on the edge of the bed. Her breasts hung against her beautiful body, and her curves made my groin throb. Her hair was crazy from sex, and her eyes were hazy with sleep, and she’d never looked more beautiful than she did in those first few moments. When her mind wasn’t right and the only thing guiding her actions was the routine she’d ingrained into herself.

Then, her eyes connected with mine.

She wrapped the sheet around her body, and I cursed her for covering it up. If she were mine, I’d encourage her to walk around naked. To let me see those curves while she did all those mundane tasks men thought were idiotic. She padded over to me and I spread my legs, accommodating her full and luscious tones as she sat against my thigh. I wrapped my arm around her and settled it on her hip, and her head fell to my chest.

I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to caress her. I wanted to slowly slip that sheet from her silky skin and pull my cock out just for her. To eat and ride and suck on for her morning meal until she was begging for her own release.

But I couldn't.

No matter how much I wanted to, I knew I was about to break her heart.

“Morning,” she said into my skin.

“Sleep well?” I asked.

“Always, with you.”

I clenched my jaw and tried to stay as strong as I could.

“What are you doing?” Theresa asked.

“Just sending out some emails.”

“Your company already falling apart without you?”

I moved my head away from her, and it caused her to look up at me. The playfulness in her eyes died and in its place was a worry I watched surface. Fuck. I was really going to do this. I was going to give up the one thing I wanted and cherished more than my fucking life.

But I loved her too much to make her choose between her home and mine.