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“Just take your time with the paperwork,” she continued, smoothing her skirt. “And if you need anything, let me know. I’m here for you.”
If only that were true. She wished her dad were here right now, even if only for one last talk. She had so many questions for him. The advisors were helpful, but nobody knew business like her dad.
Lately, she’d been sounding more and more like him. She’d taken on his tone and mannerisms, completely by accident. The company accountant had pointed it out, and it’d simultaneously made her proud and heartsick for him.
What would he think if he could see her now?
Her mother stood and turned to leave. Ophelia moved around the desk to walk her to the door. The plush carpet made balancing on heels difficult. The dark oak bookcases that covered the walls on either side of them held law books, business books, and some of her father’s favorite literature. She wasn’t sure if the dark colors and wood were meant to seem ominous, but they had that effect on her. Maybe it fed into the whole powerful-executive thing. For now, she left things as they were. Changing anything—even the outdated family portrait from fifteen years ago—was too hard to bear. It would have felt like she was erasing her father’s memory.
At the door, her mom paused and looked her over. She wrapped her arms stiffly around Ophelia. With a quick pat on the back, the world’s most awkward hug was over.
Ophelia couldn’t remember the last time her mom had hugged her. She assumed it’d happened when she was a baby, or toddler, but not in the last ten years, at least. Did money mean that much to her? Suddenly it made her daughter of the year?
As her mom stepped outside the office, Ophelia spotted Luke waiting by the reception desk.
Her heart skipped a beat.
It had been weeks. She hadn’t seen him since the
kidnapping—something she was desperately trying to forget. Yet there he stood in her office foyer, without so much as a text to warn her.
She’d thought seeing him again would bring back the awful memories of that night, which was why she’d been avoiding him. At first she’d been pissed too. But now part of her missed him so much it hurt. At night, she laid awake thinking about silly things like his laugh, or the way he furrowed his brow when he was concentrating. She’d been too chicken to text him to meet up.
But seeing him now didn’t remind her of that nightmare at all. Having him near made her feel warm and protected, as she had always felt with him.
When they locked gazes, she almost lost her breath. The way he looked at her—like she was his world—made her want to forget everything else and run into his arms. But she was a CEO now. Not only did that force her to be more composed, but it also meant she had big responsibilities. She couldn’t take risks with her life. And Luke was most certainly a risk.
“Sorry to show up unannounced,” he said, eyeing her mom warily as she left. “Do you have a minute? If not, I can wait. Or come back later.”
“No. It’s fine.” She smiled slightly. “Come in.”
He followed her into the office, shut the door behind them, then looked around. “Wow. Nice office.”
Chuckling, she turned to him in the middle of the room. For some reason, sitting behind the huge desk just felt wrong with him. “It’s a little much, but it was my dad’s so . . .”
He nodded. “I’m sure you’re filling his shoes well.”
She wasn’t so sure about that.
Luke watched her, seeming at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say either. There was a lot to sort through. Where did they even start?
“How are you?” he finally asked. “How’s everything going? Are you . . . doing okay?”
After that night with Vander, she’d blown off every text he’d sent checking on her. She’d given short answers that distanced him even more. Part of her felt guilty, but it’d just been too much to wrap her head around. Between that and deciding to go for it with her father’s company, life had suddenly overwhelmed her. The urge to beg him to come over had been strong, but she’d resisted, positive she’d be better off with some space, and scared she’d only ever see him as a violent criminal. It was irrational, but the vision of Vander, dead, had been haunting her.
But now, as she looked at his concerned expression, she wished she’d been braver and called him.
She shrugged. “I’m okay. Are you?”
At least Luke had his cousins to help him through any trauma. Of course, he was probably used to it. He was a criminal, after all.
Ugh. This was such a mess. What was the CEO of a prestigious hotel chain doing with a criminal? She wanted him so badly—more than anything she’d ever wanted—but how could it possibly work?
“Luke, I . . .” She stared at the carpet, needing to say so many things but not sure how. “I don’t know what to do.” Tears filled her eyes and she hoped he couldn’t see them.
He stepped in and pulled her against his chest. His arms came around her, making her feel so small and protected. Nobody else hugged her like this. Not since her dad had passed.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, dampening his shirt. God, he smelled good. The same as she remembered. She wanted nothing more than to keep him, but she couldn’t ask him to step away from his work. It was his life. He would miss it, and what would his cousins think? That he was choosing her over them? No. She couldn’t be that selfish.
