His to Command

“So you broke it off with her?”

He nodded. “She didn’t love me. And I didn’t love her. I woke up one morning and realized there was nothing between us. That she was just a rebound relationship. Of course, I’d known it all along, but wouldn’t listen to the voice shouting inside me.” His lips brushed her forehead in a light kiss. “We fool ourselves at times like that. When we’re hurting. I wanted to be needed. To be loved.”

Kate’s heart ached at his totally sincere words, knowing she’d been the cause of his pain. While at the same time, she’d been in pain herself.

Damn Ileana.

“But I finally figured it out, and I broke it off with her.”

“What did she do?” Kate couldn’t imagine that Ileana would have taken it well.

“Surprisingly, she took it in stride. I think what she really cared about was securing a senior position in her firm. If she could have married me and been a wealthy man’s wife, that would have been a bonus, but I suspect she wouldn’t have liked the limitations that situation would impose on her. She didn’t love me and I think she already had her eye on another man. A partner at her firm.”

“But when you broke up with her, she stayed as the contact person for your company?”

“Sure. Just because she and I didn’t work out didn’t mean I would jeopardize her job. I could work with her in a professional capacity and I didn’t have to deal with her very often anyway. Mostly she dealt with my senior staff.” He tucked his finger under her chin and lifted it, their gazes aligning. “Remember, I had no idea how vicious she’d been with regards to you. After you told me what really happened, and Ileana’s part in it, I went back and had her removed as our contact immediately. I told the senior partner of her firm that I didn’t want her having anything to do with my business.”

She nodded, and he glided his finger along her cheek, then she settled her head against his chest again.

“As it turns out, he was only too happy to replace her. It seems she’d been indiscreet while having an affair with two of the partners at the same time, causing jealousy and a lot of friction around the office. The only reason they’d kept her around was because of her connection to me. As soon as I severed that, they fired her.”

“So she’s out of a job?”

“Kate, you can’t tell me you feel sorry for her.”

“No, it’s not that. When she was here, she wanted to get the ring, saying it was hers and she shouldn’t have given it back to you.”

“It was never hers.”

Kate nodded. “But do you think she would actually have taken the ring? She said something about moving to California to start again, and that the ring would go a long way toward a down payment on a house.”

“She would certainly have trouble finding work in New York again after the problems she’s caused. I wouldn’t put it past her to take the ring. Then, if I tried to charge her with theft, she might find a way to turn it around on you if you had let her take the ring, or just deny that she had it.” He shrugged. “Or she probably just expected that I couldn’t be bothered going after her for it.”

She tightened her arms around him. “I’m just glad she’s no longer a part of our life.”

Our life. She gazed up at Matt. She so much wanted a shared life with him. She loved him so much her heart ached.

But there was something standing in the way of that, and she had to know what it was.

“Matt, last night you wouldn’t talk about it, but I really want to know about the woman you bought the ring for.”

“Kate…”

“No, please. I know she hurt you. And I assume you still love her. But you need to move on with your life. You need to get over her.”

“Kate, that’s what I’ve been trying to do.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed her back. Their bodies parted and the comfort of being close to him slipped away. He stared at her, pain emanating from his eyes. “But it’s harder than you know.”

“Why, Matt? Who is she? What did she do to you?”

“She didn’t do anything. It’s what I did.”

She looked at him, confused. She couldn’t imagine Matt doing anything that would drive a woman away.

He tucked his finger under her chin and tilted her face toward him. “And the woman is you.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“Kate, I bought the ring for you. Before the party. Ileana came with me to pick it out. I was going to propose the following weekend.”