I don’t look back.
Not this time.
Not ever again.
17
Ben
I should be over this by now.
It’s been days since Lila pushed me away. Days since she shut me out and shut me the fuck down.
I’m still pissed.
Because no matter how much I try to focus on the goddamn project, on the business, on anything else, I can’t stop thinking about her.
The way she unravelled beneath me.
The way she begged for more.
The way she looked at me afterward, like I was a mistake she was desperate to erase.
I grit my teeth, gripping the pen in my hand so hard I half expect it to snap.
“You want to run that by me again?” James asks, one brow arched, tone laced with disbelief and a healthy dose of sarcasm.
I don’t bother looking up from the contract. “Increase the offer.”
Silence.
Then a low whistle. “Okay, who are you and what have youdone with Ben Ashcroft?”
I keep my eyes on the page. “You heard me.”
James leans forward, tapping the table with his pen. “We’re already offering over market. You planning to buy her a castle too, or just the whole goddamn street?”
I glance up, slowly. “Did I ask for your opinion, or just your signature?”
He grins, unfazed. “Relax, I’m just saying, bit out of character, that’s all. I checked her company out, you know, Bloom & Brew. Solid setup. Good branding and yeah… she’s hot as hell.”
Something sharp flares in my chest.
James doesn’t notice it at first, or maybe he does, the bastard because he keeps going. “Didn’t peg you as the type to let a pretty face scramble your business sense. Unless this is one of those situations where your cock’s doing the talking.”
The chair scrapes hard as I shove back from the table.
His grin slips. “Whoa! Alright, easy. I was kidding.”
I stare him down, jaw tight. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
A beat of silence.
Then James blinks. “Jesus. You’re serious.”
I don’t answer. I don’t need to.
He sits back, still watching me carefully. “Alright… noted.”
