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I winced. “I was crazy with grief, and I know it doesn’t make any sense. All I could think about was that my grandmother was gone, and you took the very last bit of her away from me.”
His face went blank. All emotion gone. “So you thought you’d seduce me into giving you a house?”
Ten
I pushed him back a step. “No, you idiot. Not every single move was so calculated. I went there to convince you sell the house back to me, but when I met you, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I had to figure out another way to get my house back.”
“And I’m the idiot who hired you.” He shoved his hands into his hair. “Wow.”
“No. Not exactly.”
He laughed. It was a horrible sound. I so rarely heard him laugh, but the absolute desolation in it made my heart ache.
Hearing that had my hackles raising, but I forced myself to keep going. “I know people, Blake. It’s my gift.”
“No, your gift is glass and metal.”
“Glass and metal is my passion. It’s been my center since I was a girl, but I’ve always been good with people. From school, to living in Marblehead, to the gallery—I understand people.”
He looked away from me for a moment, then took a breath and faced me once more. “Then why are you still here? Don’t you have someone you can stay with?”
“Just because I know people, doesn’t mean I’m good at keeping them in my life.”
His eyes shuttered. “Evidently we’re alike in that regard.”
“You push people away. I’m assuming a lot of it is because of your money. People want things from you all the time.” His chin lifted.
I sighed. “Yeah, I thought so.”
“Well, if you can read me so well, what is it you thought you were going to accomplish?”
“The minute I walked into your office I knew nothing was going to go the way I thought. At first, I thought I could get to know you. That maybe I could figure out a way to make you understand my situation.”
He frowned.
“I didn’t say it was a good plan. But then I started to love what I was doing. Digging into your world, I saw your passion. I even understood it. There’s so much more you can do with your glass.”
“So you were going for what? Insider trading?”
“Oh, my God, Blake.” I moved into him, but he folded his arms and angled away from me. I grabbed his arms.
Was that really how he lived his life? The first thought was who was going to screw him over?
I looked up at him. I saw the obstinacy and the hurt there under the cool stare. I lifted my hands to his face. He tried to shake me off, but I wouldn’t be denied. Not now. “No, Blake. I just wanted to be part of your world. Then the vestibule happened and everything got so twisted.”
If I wanted him in my life, and I was pretty sure I did. More than I thought was even possible just a day ago. He made me insane, but he also made me see exactly what I’d been missing.
Life.
I’d never lived as much as I had in the last month with him.
“Then I just wanted you, but I didn’t know how to tell you.” My throat tightened. “I didn’t even know how to tell myself.”
His shoulders heaved as he took deep breaths. I didn’t know what he was going to do. I closed my eyes, unwilling to sway him with tears. I only had words to convince him. “Please don’t leave.”
Please don’t leave me.
He dropped his arms to his sides. I swallowed the sob that wanted out so badly. I’d let him walk away. If he didn’t understand that everything I’d said was heartfelt, then that was his loss.
