She was barely out the door when the damn gnawing need to chase after her burned my feet.
“Not a fucking chance,” I grumbled under my breath.
What I needed to do was go to my desk and focus on my work. Which was exactly what I tried to do. Tried because I couldn’t go two damn minutes without thinking about Kate.
Her rejections shouldn’t have bothered me the way they did. It didn’t matter that she didn’t want me touching her, or that she didn’t want to be in a fake marriage with me.
None of that mattered.
Keep telling yourself that.It bothers you because you want her.
And there it was. The truth I was too chickenshit to admit. I wanted Kate. Wanted to taste her lips, feel her skin beneath my touch. Hear her moan my name. Fuck, how I wanted that.
But she didn’t want me.
Thewoman acted like I had the damn plague or something. Maybe that’s what was messing with my head? Whatever it was, it had to stop.
It was hard enough to get her to agree to help me make partner. If she backed out now because of my pushiness, I’d hand that position to Lewis on a silver platter.
“Shit.”
A heavy sigh blew over my lips as I leaned back and swiped a palm over my face. I’d fucked up and had to apologize.
Checking the time, I noticed the workday had been over for almost an hour already. Kate wouldn’t be here anymore. Especially not with how things were between us.
I had to make it right.
Chapter fourteen
Kate
Iwas so upset, I left work early and didn’t even tell Tristan I was leaving. Who the hell did he think he was? And throwing that comment in my face about doing anything to keep Millie?
Ugh. I wanted to strangle him.
Even if everything he’d said had made sense.
Having two adults in the house with Millie was better than one, especially if one of those adults was a billionaire with unlimited ways to care for her needs. But I also knew my girl was so enamored with Tristan, it’d break her heart when we went our separate ways.
Which, in hindsight, was inevitable considering I’d already brought him into our lives.
“Great, just freaking great,” I muttered into the pot of boiling water. No surprise that Millie wanted noodles for dinner. If that kid wasn’t asking for pizza, she wanted every flavor of Korean noodles we could get our hands on.
I was in the middle of opening the packet when a loud knock filtered through our apartment. Should’ve known Izzy wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily when I canceled our dinner plans.
“Hey, Bug,” I called. “Will you open the door for Auntie Izzy?”
“’Kaaay.”
The music in the living room quieted enough for me to hear the slap of Millie’s bare feet as she hurried to the foyer. The creaking sound of the door was next, followed by her happy squeal.
I smiled.
It didn’t matter that I didn’t have a special someone to help with Millie. I had many someones. I just had to have faith that it’d be enough to convince a judge this little girl was exactly where she was supposed to be.
“In the kitchen,” I shouted to Izzy. “Hope you brought wine.”
“I didn’t, but I could go get a bottle if you’d like.”
