Happily Enemy After (Hawthorne Brothers 2)

And now, here I am in this pretty dress, my cheeks cold, my feet sore and my heart torn to pieces.

This is what I get for daring to dream.

But I know better now. Even though I feel like breaking down, I hold my shoulders square. Even as I shatter, I’m turning my resolve into steel.

I’m going to forget all about Asher Hawthorne, and I’m never going to let any man make a fool of me again, no matter how handsome or wealthy or clever he is.

Never again.Chapter OneAsher

Five years later…

So we meet again.

I stare at Violet Cleary as she stands on the descending escalator in a yellow ombre dress that seems to wrap around her like a flame. Most of her black curls are gathered at the top of her head but some still cascade past her ears down to her shoulders.

I remember a woman with black curls that I dated once. Just once. She had the most beautiful blue eyes, too. Too bad I can’t remember her name—I’m terrible with names—and too bad I never got to sleep with her.

I set the memory of her aside as I prepare to greet Violet. No use dwelling on the past. I have to focus on the present, on this amazing woman I met in Switzerland who’s going to be working with me starting tomorrow.

I know what my brothers think—Asher’s going after another woman again. They think I do this just for fun. Well, it is fun. Usually. This time, it’s different. Ever since I met Violet, I just knew I had to have her. I’ve been with a lot of women, but I’ve never wanted a woman this much. And not just in my bed. I want to make her fall for me. I want her to drop her guard, to wipe that serious, snobbish expression off her face. Something tells me both are just masks, barbed wire on the fence to keep people out. I want to see the real her, to know the real her. The fact that she’s been thwarting all my efforts to get close to her so far has only made me want her more.

One way or another, I am going to get what I want.

I walk towards her after she gets off the escalator.

“Welcome to Chicago, Violet. I trust your flight was comfortable? We did put you in first class.”

Her brown eyes narrow. “What are you doing here, Mr. Hawthorne?”

In other words, she’s not happy to see me. Well, I had a feeling she wouldn’t be, but I’m still here.

“Asher, please,” I tell her. “There are three Mr. Hawthornes in the company, so it’s best if you call me Asher.”

“Or maybe I’ll just call the CEO Ethan and your younger brother Ryker and I’ll call you Mr. Hawthorne.”

I let out a breath. And here I thought coming to America would make her a little less… cold. But I guess she’s just like the Swiss Alps—covered in snow all year long. Well, in that case, I’ll just have to turn on the heat and be global warming.

I keep my smile on. “To answer your question, I’m here to give you a warm welcome to our fair, windy city and also to give you a ride to the office.”

“Wow.” She puts a hand on her hip. “I didn’t realize one of the duties of a CFO was picking up employees from the airport.”

“Not all employees,” I say. “Just the most talented one from this Zurich-based company which happens to be the newest and most promising addition to Hawthorne Holdings.”

Violet rolls her eyes. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Hawthorne. Surely I taught you that in Zurich?”

“It’s not flattery if it’s the truth.”

“It is flattery if your intention is to make me like you, which I can assure you will not happen, so you’re only wasting your time.”

“But I’ll be your boss. Weren’t you informed?”

“I was,” she answers with an expression that tells me she doesn’t like it one bit. “But I wasn’t aware I was required to like my boss. I definitely didn’t read anything like that in my contract.”

Stubborn. But somehow, that’s one of the things I happen to like about her.

I’ll make her like me. Eventually. For now, I’ll just get her out of this airport.

“How many suitcases do you have?” I ask her.

She glances at the red one next to her. “Just this one.”

“You don’t look like you have enough shoes in there,” I joke.

Violet doesn’t laugh. “You want to know what’s in my suitcase?”

I admit I’m curious. “What?”

She leans towards me to whisper in my ear. “The dead body of the asshole who tried to undress me with his eyes inside the plane. Think you know a place where I can dump it?”

I look at her. I know she’s joking, but I also know she’s trying to warn me. Ha. She thinks she can scare me off that easily? Not a chance.