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“And it’s true?”
“One-hundred percent.”
Her lips curl up, brightening her expression. “Wow.”
“Wow.”
“So that’s what all the fuss is about?”
“You could say that.” Honestly, what we shared was so extra, it was news to me, too. “You waited for me?”
“To have sex?” She nods. “I had opportunities. There was always someone I tried to date or some flirty dude at a party. But I never wanted any of them. No one made me feel like you.”
“No one has ever made me feel like you, either.” When I’m with Whitney, I’m centered. I’m myself. I’m whole. I never got married or serious with another woman because I couldn’t replicate the feeling I had when I was with her. “How were you going to marry some guy you’d never slept with? And didn’t love?”
She grimaces. “It was a business deal. You know Vance needs money. My fiancé needs plausible cover because he’s in love with someone he can’t have. He doesn’t have any more interest in me than I have in him.”
As far as I’m concerned, he’s her former fiancé, but I’ll get to that. “So he never touched you?”
“Except to give me a peck for some engagement photos, no.”
Then I won’t have to kill him. Good.
Reluctantly, I pull free of Whitney’s body. When she winces and shifts, I’m instantly concerned. “You okay, princess? Sore?”
“A little, but I’m fine.”
That’s a relief because I’m going to want her again soon.
For now, I lie back and nestle her body against mine. She rests her head on my chest as if curling up against me is the most natural thing in the world. I caress my way down her back with a light stroke.
I sigh. We may be in love, but that doesn’t make the road in front of us easy. Eventually, I’ll have to be unflinchingly honest.
But first, it’s time to talk about the elephant in the room. “What about your brother?”
We can’t let him stand between us.
She nibbles on her bottom lip for a long minute. “Being here with you has made me realize I can’t sacrifice my future for him. He has to stop being impulsive and getting himself into stupid situations. And if he doesn’t, I have to stop bailing him out. He regrets everything eventually, but by then…it’s usually too late. I think that’s especially true of you.”
I have mixed feelings about that. I’ll deal with those later. “Tell me how he got in his current financial situation.”
How much does she know?
“A few months ago in Vegas, he was drunk, and some asshole—he won’t tell me who—dared him to bet a stupid amount of money on a hand of poker. It just happened to coincide with the value of his company. I think it was a setup. But like an idiot, Vance did it. And he lost. I was crushed because I went to school to help save and grow this company. Now it’s…gone.” She looks so distressed that I soothe her with a caress.
“Has he signed it over to this guy yet?”
“He refused to. I told him that’s not the way the world works, that he needs to grow up and face his consequences. His answer was to call Michael, someone we’ve known personally and professionally for a few years. Vance begged him for a bailout. Michael agreed if I would marry him. Not that anyone asked me.” She shakes her head. “I’ve had cold feet from day one. I’ve wracked my brain to figure out how I can help my brother without sacrificing my future. Then the courier knocked on my door with your note.”
“And you met me in the bar.”
Her face softens as she nods. “Not for the money. I couldn’t not see you. I had to know…”
“If there was anything left between us? I needed to know, too.” And it’s time to come clean. “That’s why I created a fail-safe plan…or so I thought.”
She props her chin on my chest with a frown. “What plan?”
“I’m the, um…asshole who got Vance drunk in Vegas and encouraged him to bet the value of his business. I knew he’d lose. For me, it was a win-win. Either I’d get back the company I lost or—more importantly—I could use the debt as leverage to see you again. So I’d finally know if I was still as much in love with you as I suspected. If so, I planned to forgive Vance’s debt if you’d marry me.”
Whitney gapes. “Why go to all that trouble? Why not just reach out and talk to me?”
“And risk rejection? My fragile male ego…” I roll my eyes at my foolishness. I’m usually so fearless, especially in business, but knowing Whitney would likely rebuff me terrified me. “I thought you’d tell me to go fuck myself. My negotiations with Vance seemed to be going great—until he suddenly stopped responding to my calls. Then I heard whispers that he’d arranged your marriage to someone else for money. So I came straight to you.”
