And I’m mad at myself for being unable to repress my shiver as he leans in to whisper in my ear.
Whatever he says, I don’t hear it. Too mad and too turned on for my own good.
Damn him.
Chapter Ten
Chance
Maddie walks into my office on Monday morning and slams the files I requested on my desk. Before I can speak, she shoots off outlining the stuff I have to attend to for the day.
“Maddie?”
“Want some coffee?” she snaps. “I can get you coffee and I’ll do it right away. I’ll go to the break room, make a nice cup and bring it back and hand it to you, still steaming because I do what I say I’ll do.”
“Coffee sounds nice, but—”
“What, sir?”
“Maddie, calm down.”
“Oh, I’m calm. Now, would that be all? Well, thank you. I’ll be somewhere else doing stuff with people who can follow through!”
She spins around and flounces to the door. I don’t think she intends the sway of her hips to be enticing, but it is.
The door shuts, cutting off my view of her and bringing my head back to why she’s so mad.
I didn’t tell my family what we agreed on.
I groan and rise, going to look out the window.
How do I explain it to her? It’d require coming clean, telling her everything but I could never. She’d look at me differently, hate me.
I can’t bear that.
Dad almost let it slip last night and I’m glad he didn’t.
But I also can’t forget the look on his face, the pride and joy.
I work myself to the bone to keep the Island as one of the most successful this side of the globe and Dad’s approval has always been half-hearted at best.
But bringing home a woman? That pleased him a lot.
It pleased all of them.
Even Landon came up to see Maddie speak a few times. He stayed throughout dinner—something he never did. Then he waved and near-smiled as she left.
Just one night and she’d found her way into Dad’s heart and became accepted as one of us.
When she asked me to say it, tell them it isn’t real and she would be leaving, I couldn’t. Throughout the dinner, I dreaded the moment I had to.
And when the moment came, I closed up.
I failed her.
Her attitude is completely understood. I earned that.
She didn’t speak to me on the ride back to the villa, her gaze firmly out the window. My goodnight was returned with a slammed door to my face.
