AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You know I do. I’m trying to be good.”
“What’s the sense in being good when we can be very, very naughty?”
My face flamed at the intensity in his voice. He made me want to be reckless for him. To forget everything that was on the line and let go with him. But I knew it would be a mistake to make any decision tonight when we’d spent the day together.
Silas leaned back in his chair and sighed. “I’m a patient man.”
After his speech, I wasn’t so sure about that. But after our initial hookup, he had given me space.
“Let me think,” I finally said, because everything felt disjointed. If I chased a thought, it disappeared. I felt like I was coming apart at the seams, and I wasn’t sure how I’d ever get myself together. Panic bubbled up in my chest, making it difficult to breathe.
“Take a breath, Gia. It’ll be okay.”
Tears pricked my eyes because it wasn’t. Silas had changed everything, and I had a feeling he’d change me if I let him. I couldn’t let that happen.
I’d worked too hard to build a life I was proud of. I wouldn’t let a man come along and make me think I didn’t need it anymore. He wanted to distract me and dull my focus, and I wouldn’t let that happen. “Give me some time.”
Silas’s expression was disappointed, and it hit me in the sternum, stealing my breath. “You can have all the time you need. I’ll see you on Saturday.”
He hung up, and I instantly felt searing regret. Silas wanted me. He wasn’t intimidated by my success or my confidence. He was one of a kind, and I liked him.
But I couldn’t help but think it wasn’t enough. That I couldn’t have it all. The guy and the business. I couldn’t be independent with a man by my side, especially not one like Silas. They shined like the sun, and everyone around them paled in comparison.
I didn’t want to be some trophy wife or a woman supporting her man. I wanted to keep my focus where it belonged—on my business.
I’d been working hard to impress my father, and it hadn’t happened yet. But if I could take Happily Ever Afters to the next level, maybe then Papà would respect me. Maybe then he’d tell me I’d done a great job.
My chest ached as I emptied the water. I should have been basking in the aftermath of another amazing orgasm, but I wasn’t. Instead, I ached for a different reason.
I wanted to connect with Silas. I wanted to be all in with him. I wanted to see where it could go. For the first time in forever, I felt like I’d met my match. I just wasn’t sure he was good for me.
* * *
I needed to talk to Harper about the new contract with Silas. I put it off because I wasn’t sure she would think it was the best business decision. I worried she’d see right through me and know exactly what I wanted, and it wasn’t to increase revenue.
“You seem jumpy today,” Harper remarked during our morning meeting.
We usually spent the time going over the schedule for the week, finances, and business expenses. We brainstormed ideas and talked about our lives. It was the benefit of working with your best friend.
“I have something on my mind.” Or more likesomeone.
She raised a brow. “Are you worried about cash flow?”
I smiled ruefully. “I’m always worried about that.”
“Did something happen?”
I took a shuddering breath. “Yes, but I think it’s a good thing. Silas came to me with a proposition.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “He’s famous for those. You turned him down, right?”
When I didn’t answer, Harper’s startled gaze flew to mine.
“He wanted to partner with me to plan the wedding of one of his high-profile wedding couples.”
“You said you’d never work with him.”
I sighed, hating that I’d lied to my best friend. But I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I’d been rejected. “Early in the business, I suggested it to him, and he turned me down.”
