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Bella’s eyes flash with a mix of emotions I cannot read, but then she doesn’t force me to try, either. “Are you saying that if this film deal falls apart, I’ve irreparably damaged you and Hawk Legal?” she challenges. “Because that is unfair. I called you in—”

“No, Bella,” I state, clearly having opened a can of worms I do not want open at all, let alone with an audience created by our driver. It was a flippant response, an almost angry reply to her concern for me after my call. A response driven by my frustration over the fake fiancée requirement and the fact that the only woman I seem to be able to think about is her.

And that is more than a small problem.

“No, Bella?” she asks. “What does that mean?”

“I wasn’t talking about Dash’s deal.” I motion to the driver. “And is this a conversation you really want to have right here and now? Because I do not.”

“Then what did that mean?” she counters quickly, evidently unconcerned by being overheard.

“You asked if everything was okay. I said—”

“It depends on me. The only thing that I know of that depends on me is this deal we’re negotiating for Dash.”

“I could have been talking about the comfort of our travels,” I state rather dryly. “For instance, if you talk when I’m trying to sleep or scream with every bump on the plane.”

“But you weren’t saying either of those things or anything to that effect and we both know it,” she counters. “Just say what you want to say to me, Tyler. I’ve never known you to hold back.”

She has no idea how much I don’t want to hold back, how much Iwouldn’thold back if I ever had her alone, and willing, in the ways, I want her willing. But once again we have crossed a line that impacts our professional relationship and that is on me. I used her innocent question as a sounding board for too many things going on in my head. My need for a fake fiancée. My need to fuck her the hell out of my system. My concern is that will never be possible for many reasons.

And I’m agitated enough about the corner my father has shoved me into, that I don’t really give two fucks right now. “You are clearly not in the same headspace as me, Bella. I thought you were better at reading me than this.” I lean in closer to her. “If you were in the same headspace as me, I’m certain you’d understand the meaning. If you still do not, I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to help you understand.When we’realone.”

The heat of anger in her stare is replaced by the heat of understanding. “You were talking about—”

“Yes,” I say because her eyes say it all. Her mind is in the bedroom, where mine hasn’t left since I touched her. “I was,” I add.

“Oh,” she says, her cheeks flushing a warm pink.

My lips curve. “Yes, oh.”

Her eyes meet mine. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Nothing. Not here. Not now.” The implication is that we will talk about it later and I do believe that’s what has to happen.

She scrapes her teeth on her bottom lip and turns away. I linger a moment, watching her, noting the slight tremble of her bottom lip that speaks of vulnerability and emotion. The best thing I could ever do with Bella is treat her like one of the other women in my life. To demand terms and a written agreement. I ask myself right now why I haven’t considered this option.

The answer is simple. She isn’t one of those other women, in every possible way. She isn’t after my money or my power or even my family name. Even Allison had some of that in her, thus how she ended up with my father. Bella would hate me if I treated her as if she had one of those agendas. I’d deserve that hate, too, because I know better. And I don’t want her to hate me.

Her hate is inevitable though, I realize. The minute I make the world aware of my fake fiancée, whoever she may be, Bella is lost to me. I rotate to face the front of the car and ask myself why that bothers me when it should be a relief. It will be life as usual, at least for me and Bella. She’d get over what amounts to a brief flirtation gone too far. We can get back to business. But it does bother me. Of this, there is no question.

Chapter Thirty

Bella

Be careful with Tyler.

The driver pulls us in front of the airport terminal and Dash’s words are on replay in my head. I’m not exactly doing a fine job of heeding his warning, either. I challenged Tyler about creating a chaperoned environment for the trip and did so while he was in my bedroom. If that didn’t say,get me naked and lie on the bed with me, I don’t know what did. And that was not what I was thinking. Mostly. I thought about it, of course, I did but I was also thinking—this is awkward. We are so awkward, and I don’t like how it feels. We will never be the same

I knew we were forbidden. As Tyler said, I knew there were consequences.

And what did I do? Moan, sigh, and orgasm, right there in his office.

All that aside, his reply when I asked him if everything was okay after he’d ended his call is driving me crazy.

That depends on you, Bella.

What the heck does that even mean?

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