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“And you sent me the note?”
I nod. “One way or another, I was going to get my hands on you, princess.”
She giggles. “I’d say you got a lot more on me than your hands.”
“Thank god. My sanity couldn’t stand not touching you anymore.” I tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I think I’ve always known you were it for me.”
“You always have been for me.” She caresses my chest. “I’m sorry I took my brother’s side after that summer. He told me you gave him a few pointers on the app but that he’d actually written it. According to him, you only said you’d created it to impress me. I didn’t believe him, but my dad pressured me to support Vance. If I didn’t, he threatened to have you arrested for touching me. I had no reason to doubt him.”
As she should have. Vance no doubt spilled my “transgression” to their father to use as leverage. The old man never liked me much and probably saw my lust as leverage to use against me.
“I get it. You were so young, and they didn’t leave you much choice.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time hoping I didn’t hurt you too much.” She bit her lip. “But I did.”
There’s no point in lying. Whitney crushed me. “You didn’t mean to.”
I see that now.
“I didn’t,” she rushes to agree. “Even the thought of it killed me. I suspected you hated me for my decision.”
“I’ll be honest. I tried.”
“I know. After that summer, you flaunted all your hookups like you were trying to throw them in my face.”
When I think back on the way I acted out after the rift between Vance and me, I’m ashamed. “I kept hoping like hell you would say or do something because I mattered to you.”
“You did, and I was hurt.”
Her quiet admission makes me feel like an ass. “I’m sorry. I wish I could take all that back. The whole rift seems stupid in hindsight. But I was young and dumb, too.”
“What happens next, Jett?”
“What do you want?”
Whitney stretches up and plants a soft kiss on my lips. “I think you know. I want you. I want everything we should have had all along.”
“I do, too.” My heart starts pounding again for a totally different reason as I reach across the mattress and manage to fumble my way into the top drawer of the nightstand. I pull out an oblong box. “This is yours, no matter what happens between us.”
She scrambles to sit up as she takes the box in hand. I’d protest the loss of her warm skin against mine, but the view of her breasts is spectacular. And I want to see her face.
She lifts the lid and plucks up the letter inside. As she scans it, her lips slowly part until she’s gaping. “You’re giving me forty-nine percent of Vance’s company? I don’t understand.”
“You’ve more than earned it. I know you’ve been trying to advise him for years. I know you’re the reason the business has survived at all. He hasn’t been a good financial steward, but he’s occasionally listened to you. Now I’m giving you real power.”
“How is this possible? You don’t own—”
“I do. While Valentin drove you here, I called your brother again. It took some doing, but we finally hashed out a deal. So I own the company. Well, fifty-one percent as of now.”
“What are you going to do with your part? And with Vance out of the organization, who will run it?”
“That depends on you. If you want the job, it’s yours.”
“Really?” Her hazel eyes widen. “You’d let me?”
“I can’t think of anyone I’d trust more.” I kiss her.
“Oh, my god. This is like a dream come true,” she squeals. “I went to school for a position like this, so I could handle the responsibility and grow the organization. I mean, it’s still relatively small, but it has so much potential and—”
“It absolutely does.” Her enthusiasm makes me smile. “You’ve got some amazing tech developers on staff, too.”
She nods. “I’m so excited about new products and updates we have in the works.”
“So you’re saying yes to the job?”
“Yes!”
“Excellent. I know you’ll be great. And I’ll be your supportive but silent partner.”
Suddenly, her expression falls. “Is that all?”
I smile. “What do you think?”
Whitney looks nervous to jinx herself, but she draws up her courage. “You want to marry me.”
“I do.” Again, I reach into the drawer at my side and pluck out a smaller, plush square box. “And you want to marry me.”
“You intend to ask me?”
Her hint of mischief makes me laugh as I sit up and pull her into my lap with a long, sweet kiss. Then I open the box to reveal a simple, elegant engagement ring that looked like it belonged on her finger the moment I saw it earlier this evening.
