West Restoration.
What the hell?
Sliding it out, she set it in front of her and read it carefully. A contract. A contract to take ownership of her business. The business that she, Alex, and Piper had worked their asses off to build after her father died.
She shook her head.
No.
She read it again, then again, because it couldn’t be true.
This can’t be happening.
But it was. It didn’t matter how long she stared at the words, they didn’t magically change. It was right there in front of her in black and white. Her stomach lurched, and she doubled over, gasping for breath.
Reid wanted West Restoration, and apparently, he was willing to go to any lengths to get it, including using his childhood to manipulate her into coming back—sleeping with her.
He’d been using her, lying to her this whole time.
That explained the green pin. It was her shop.
Did he truly think she’d just hand her business over to him, that she’d be so grateful for the attention he’d given her that she’d just roll over and let him take it?
Her heart was hammering in her chest, slamming behind her ribs with enough force she struggled to catch her breath. He didn’t want her. He never wanted her. He wanted their business. And she’d fallen for it.
She’d fallen for him.
God. She covered her mouth with trembling fingers. She’d nearly told him she loved him last night, when he’d made love to her. No. She slammed her hands down on the desk, knocking her coffee across its surface, a raw cry escaping her throat. He’d fucked her. Manipulated her. Used her feelings for him against her.
I’m so stupid.
She should have known better, should have never believed in him. Trusted him. She’d shared things with Reid she’d never shared with anyone else, and he’d twisted that trust into something ugly, all to win her over, fool her.
Jesus, she had to get the hell out of there.
She stumbled to her feet and lurched for the door. Thankfully, she’d brought her pickup. Racing from the office, she dressed quickly, hands shaking, heart pounding, afraid he’d come back before she could leave. He’d see how much he’d hurt her, and she couldn’t bear that.
Slamming the door shut behind her, she climbed into her truck and fired up the engine, peeling out of there a moment later as fast as she could.
She fought down the pain in her chest, the hurt, the disbelief, the utter devastation that threatened to pull her under, and focused on the anger because the rest of it wasn’t real. How could it be when she was the only one that felt anything? When she was the only one stupid enough to let her feelings get tangled up with a man who could fuck her, pretend he cared, all for his own gain. What did that make her?
Shaking her head, she tried not to let the pain take over, even as hot, angry tears ran down her cheeks.
She squeezed the steering wheel tight, tight enough her knuckles ached. Once he got home, and he realized she’d seen the contract, that she knew—that would be the end of it.
She’d never see him again.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Anticipation thrummed through Reid as he pulled up outside his house. Going into work was a pain in the ass and had taken a lot longer than he’d expected. The last thing he’d wanted to do this morning was leave Rusty. She had been wet and willing, looking sexy as hell in nothing but one of his tees.
But it wasn’t just the way she looked that made her irresistible. There was so much more. He’d never met anyone like her. She might love it when he took control in bed, but she was no pushover. All she had to do was bat her damn lashes, and he was chasing his tail to please her. He wanted to please her. She had that effect on him, though she never asked for a damn thing. No, all she wanted was reassurance that she could trust him, that he would never let her down the way he had ever again.
Yeah, she was back in his bed, but he’d hurt her, and he knew, could see it in the depths of that vibrant soul, that he would have to work to gain her full trust again. And he would. He’d do whatever the hell he had to, give her whatever she needed to earn that back. To be the man she showed him he could be.
Grabbing the bakery bag filled with sandwiches and chocolate cream cake, he headed for the door. Though the chances of eating lunch before he had her at least once was slim. The thought of her here, waiting for him, hot and needy, had driven him crazy all morning.
Unlocking the door, he strode inside. “I have food.”
