The CEO's Seduction (A Hamilton Family 1)

“So freaking glad,” she said, sarcasm leaching out despite her best attempts to keep it at bay.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, running his hand down his face. “I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s called jealousy.”

He stiffened. “I don’t get jealous.”

“Oh. Right.” She curled her hands into fists. “Silly me. I should’ve known. You have to care about someone to be jealous, don’t you?”

She walked away from him before she had a full-on diva meltdown in front of everyone. She even made it to the foyer before he caught up with her, grabbing her hand.

“Please stop walking away from me.” He backed her against the wall, his body pressing against hers in all the right places. “I don’t like it.”

“Oh no!” She glowered up at him defiantly, anger finally making her snap because he kept sending her mixed signals, and she was over it. “Well, we can’t have you displeased, now can we?”

He cocked a brow. “You’re clearly pissed at me. You’re acting like a kitten who got her favorite ball taken away.”

“No shit, dumbass,” she said, letting sarcasm color her voice. “What obvious statement would you like to tell me now? That the sky is blue, and the clouds are white?”

“The kitten has claws.” He caught her gaze and held on, his own eyes tortured and open for once. “You never used to walk away from me when we argued.”

She swallowed past the lump in her throat.

She wouldn’t cry. Refused to cry.

“You’ve been avoiding me all night. If you changed your mind…”

They stared at each other, neither one speaking. She waited for him to deny it. Waited for him to say she was overreacting or overthinking. Instead, his silence spoke volumes, and said exactly what she didn’t want to hear.

He glanced over his shoulder, sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Your brothers are staring me down. Go upstairs. We’ll talk later, when we’re alone.”

Soon, he’d be telling her It’s not you. It’s me.

But she didn’t want to hear those pathetic words come out of his lips.

Not now. Not ever.

“You know what? Don’t bother.”

He wouldn’t be coming up, and she had to be okay with it being over between them. She’d asked for one night, and she’d gotten that, plus a day. It had to be enough.

It had to be okay.

But it wasn’t okay.

And neither was she.

His eyes were full of so many things as he looked at her. She couldn’t attempt to tell one from the other, but not all of them looked good. “Anna.”

“Don’t. Just don’t.”

She brushed past him, half expecting him to stop her again. To pull her into his arms and tell her how he loved her and didn’t want to let her go. Half hoped he’d beg her to stay with him forever, and kiss her until all the doubts faded from her mind.

Of course, none of those things happened.

Because this was the real world…

And the real world didn’t grant wishes.

Chapter Fourteen

Brett climbed up the steps, his palms sweaty and his heart pounding a hole through his chest. He couldn’t let her give up on him. She used to love the boy he’d been, and if they made a go of things, maybe she could come to love him again…

As the man he was now.

He always thought he was better off alone, but she’d shown him otherwise. She’d wormed her way past his defenses, one kiss at a time. Now he had to place his trust in her and hope that things went well. Hope that she didn’t take his heart and crush it into pieces while he watched. He had to fucking trust her.

All night long, he had ached to pull her into his arms and kiss the little dimple on her left cheek. To hold her close as she sipped her wine. To strangle that idiot who dared to flirt with her in front of him. He hadn’t done any of those things until their fight—though he’d come far too close on the last one.

He wanted to be a good enough man for her.

To be her man.

Now it was time to tell her as much.

He had to give her his heart and hope she wanted the stupid, broken thing. His steps slow and heavy, he held his breath as he climbed the last couple of stairs. He’d lived his whole life behind a shield. Not letting anyone close enough to see how vulnerable he was. He was terrified of loving and losing, and even more terrified of letting her down somehow.

Or even worse?

Breaking her heart.

Damn it, he wouldn’t break her heart.

He stopped outside her door and took a deep breath. As he reached out for the knob, a calloused hand slapped over his mouth, and he got dragged backward against a hard chest. He slammed an elbow into his attacker’s gut. When the man’s hand slid off Brett’s mouth, Brett took advantage of the lacking grip to shove back and break free.