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My eyes squeeze shut. “Your parents were killed?”
“In a car accident. It was a long time ago now, but I don’t think you ever get over that kind of loss. So sudden…”
“I’m sorry.” It’s the best I can do at this point.
She blinks up to me, her blue eyes so concerned. Her hair is over one shoulder, rippling in waves over her breast. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than bury my face in it and forget all this shit.
“I guess I should go.”
“Yeah.” I can’t stop her.
Only she moves the wrong way.
She closes the space between us and hugs me, wrapping her slim arms around my waist and resting her cheek against my chest. She feels so warm and caring, it’s like a sharp knife to my insides. This simple act of comfort cracks the wall I’ve erected around my feelings. I lift my arms, wrapping them around her and exhale deeply. Fuck, she feels so good.
Holding her unclenches the fist of frustration at leaving my friend in the hands of strangers. The soft scent of her hair cools my rage at him for putting us in this situation. I’ve done everything in my power to protect him from outsiders, others, himself. Failure is not a concept I have a lot of experience with.
Now this beautiful woman is holding me, caring for me, and I don’t understand it. I don’t want to let her go.
She lifts her head, and her eyes are heated, vulnerable. “I wish I could stay. You were right when you said it’s not a good idea.”
“I could still fire you.”
“You don’t have a reason.”
“Tennessee is an at-will state.”
A hint of a smile curls her lips, and she reaches up to slide a finger along the side of my hair. “Then I guess it’s your call.”
Releasing her, I step back, turning to the bar. I think she knows how valuable she is. “Thank you for this, for coming here. I’ll be in the office in the morning.”
“Tomorrow’s Thursday.” Her voice is thoughtful. “You should take a long weekend.”
“I’d rather be working. Dubai needs to keep moving forward…”
“We’re in the perfect position to hit pause. We just landed our backer, we closed three deals… Tell Dubai you had a family emergency. It’s not a lie.”
She moves closer, beside me at the bar, and I look at her small hand beside mine. It’s so slim and delicate, yet she’s such a fighter. “My parents have a lodge in Pigeon Forge I haven’t been to in years. We used to go there when I was a kid. It’s in the woods. There’s a waterfall leading down to a small creek.”
“It sounds lovely. You should go there.”
Looking up, our eyes meet. “Go with me. I’ll close the office. Sandra can set up outgoing messages.”
Her cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink. “I’d love to go with you, but—”
“Then it’s se
ttled. We’ll go tonight.”
“What about this being a bad idea?”
I reach out and pull her to me again. “I don’t know what this is. I don’t know if it’s a good idea or a bad one. I just know it’s right, and you know it, too. We’ll sort out the rest when we come back.”
19
Raquel
Being in Patton’s arms makes me forget my good intentions. His perfect hands hold me, and I can’t say no. He’s in pain, emotions raw in his eyes, and my heart aches for the brokenness I see there.
