Tempted by Her Boss

She was so tired. And he felt as if he were to blame.

“Paige, we need to talk,” he said as soon as he shut the door to his apartment.

“Not now,” she called weakly over her shoulder as she walked into the living area. “Where’s Matty?”

“At my sister’s.” He followed her, grabbing her by the arm so he could turn her around and face him. “Do you want something to eat? To drink?”

“Water, please,” she asked primly.

He got her a glass of water, keeping his eye on her the entire time. She wandered about the living room, looking a little lost until she finally sat on the couch. He went to her, handed her the glass before he settled in beside her.

And she promptly scooted away from him. “Is Matty okay?” she asked.

“He will be now,” Matteo bit out, wishing he could reach out and touch her. But he held himself in check. “He was worried about you.”

“What did you tell him?”

“He knew you left. He figured it out first when he went in your room and saw that you took all of your belongings. I told him I was going to find you and bring you back. In fact…”

He pulled out his phone and punched a number.

She met his gaze, her eyes full of sadness as she realized he must be calling Matty. “You didn’t leave him alone, did you?” she asked, and he loved how her maternal instincts roared.

“No, bella. He’s with Stasia, remember? And he probably won’t sleep until he knows I brought you home. Hello? Stasia, can I talk to Matty?”

He handed over the telephone, and Paige’s face softened when a familiar voice spoke. Matteo could hear him too—he was sitting so close. “Ullo?”

“Matty!”

“Paige!”

“Are you being a good boy?”

“Yes, yes, are you with Daddy? He said he’ll bring you home, are you coming home?”

“Maybe. Yes. Yes. Go to sleep now. I’ll see you in the morning.” She hung up and glanced at Matteo, her cute eyebrows scowling a little bit.

“I’m not an object you can keep in your house, Matteo,” she said, her voice low.

“I know that. Paige, I’m sorry.” He tossed the phone aside and scooted closer to her, wanting to touch her but unsure if he would only worsen things or not. He clenched his hands at his sides. “I was an idiot. I was so upset when I saw that article, I reacted without thought and in the process, I hurt you.” He was probably already making a mess of this, but damn it, he needed to get his apology out in the open.

“You did hurt me. All I wanted was your trust.” She set the water glass on the table, then turned to face him once more.

He briefly closed his eyes and shook his head. “I wish I knew how to make this up to you. I wish I knew how I could prove how much you mean to me. You never even gave me a chance to explain. My brothers found a woman who used to work for Leonard. Said he did the same thing to her that he did to you. I was about to come and tell you everything, but you’d already left.”

“Your brothers?” Her jaw dropped open.

“They, uh, investigated you. But found nothing wrong,” he added quickly.

She stood, glaring at him. “I can’t believe this. Did you put them up to the investigation? Was this all your idea?”

“No, they did it on their own. You know how skeptical they were about us. I tried to tell them to mind their own business, but they didn’t. And for once, I’m glad.” He stood and gripped her by her arms, giving her a little shake. “Paige. You ran out before I could talk to you again. You wouldn’t answer your phone. How come you talked to my mother and not to me? I may be the one who overreacted and behaved like an ass, but you ran away. I need your trust too, you know.”

“You’re right.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry I ran.”

“And I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. It’s hard for me to let my walls down, but for you, my love, I have.” The anxiety coiled within him slowly unwound. He was this close to getting back into her good graces again. “I love you, Paige. I never wanted to hurt you and I’m sorry. I could tell you a thousand times, but it would never be enough.”

“I’m sorry too.” She gasped when he reached inside his pocket and pulled the diamond pendant she left on her dresser. He’d been destroyed when he found it. Spotting the necklace sitting there, her leaving had felt so final, their relationship so completely destroyed by a few choice, ugly words.

And he’d let them fill him with doubt. How he hated that. He hated even more how much he hurt her.

“You forgot this,” he said solemnly, holding it out to her.