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Nathan's chest rumbles against my cheek as he speaks, the sensation feeling like home. Dangerous thinking. I need to keep distance between us so I don't wind up hurt again. "I can respect that."
I place my hand over my rapidly beating heart, surprised by how his words make me flutter inside. "Thank you," I whisper. I can't be pulled in. Can't fall for the trap of liking this guy.
It was easy when I had a crush on him and he didn't notice me. But now that he not only knows I exist, but seems to have feelings for me too, everything feels way more complicated.
I place my hands on his chest and push until he releases me. I need space from him. He nods, that knowing gaze still on me, and I back away. Even as I try to escape him, he doesn't move. The thought of that, of him staying solid even as I find a way to escape, doesn't escape me.
My heart might not be in control of this game, but my brain definitely is. I have a plan, and I'm going to stick with it. Maybe it feels wrong right now, but so does going all in with a guy who will probably just chew me up and spit me out like the others.
I've already been hurt by one guy who didn't appreciate me, who used me, who wound up destroying my entire life in the end. No matter how much I might feel like Nathan is different, I have to remind myself I thought Logan was different too.
I just don't want to get hurt again.
My mind is a jumble of emotions and my heart hammers in my chest. I need to get out of here. Away from the pull of Nathan. His presence is a temptation I can't handle right now, because if I stay, I’ll do something I regret. Heck, something we’ll both regret.
Do I want to be Nathan's fiancée for real? Yes.
Do I want him to break my heart? No.
I have no idea what to do. I can't fall for Nathan.
We both hear the knock at the door and it pulls me out of my thoughts and fills me with terror. I glance at Nathan, hoping he can’t see the fear crushing the air from my lungs. He doesn’t seem worried, but that doesn’t make me feel better.
Things are about to come crashing down – I can feel it.
How did he find me?
Logan having my number, texting me, sending photos, heck, even calling me is one thing... but how is he here? How did he find me at Nathan’s hide out?
Chapter Eleven
Nathan
I open the door to my brother, but not before I see the disappointed look in his eyes. Closing the door behind me, I move toward the dark asphalt of the driveway.
“What are you doing, Nathan?” he asks.
Once I’m over by our cars, I turn to face him. “What do you mean?”
My brother gestures toward the house, his expression worried. “You’re here with an employee young enough to be your daughter. What are you doing?”
Hearing my brother air the ugly concern that’s been on my mind cuts like a broken beer bottle in a fist fight. But he’s not done tearing into me.
“And our parents had something perfect set up for you.” I can see the disappointment in his eyes, feel it rolling off him, and hear it in his voice that reminds me so much of dad’s disapproving tone growing up when we used to sneak out, paintball our enemy’s houses, or party like the other teens did.
“You really think you should be telling me what to do or how to behave, Scott?” I lift an eyebrow, ready to do battle if he chooses. He has no right to tell me who I should or shouldn’t see, after he fell for and married the daughter of our family’s enemy. I love Valerie like a sister, but her dad almost killed ours.
His eyes narrow. “That’s really what you want to do? Fight about it?”
“Of course not. You’re my brother and I love you,” I say. “But this isn’t you or me being a dick to the other. This is you telling me how to live my life, after you knocked up and married someone who tried to sabotage our family.”
“It’s not like that, Nathan,” Scott says, his eyes pleading for me to hear him. He takes a step toward me. “This is about our family. Our father. Our mother. The family business. She's a fucking employee and young enough to be your kid.”
“Don't guilt trip me, Scott. I'm allowed to find happiness just like you did. She's an adult, she's capable of making her own choices, and it's not what you think it is.” My knuckles itch and for the first time since we were kids, the urge to hit him nearly overwhelms my good sense.
I don’t know if he’s going to apologize or explain, but it doesn’t matter. His words showed me how he really feels... and that's he's not in my corner at all.
Maybe he never was.
