Page 24 of His Price

God, I want to cry at that very thought. “No one should have to learn that lesson. I can’t believe Jackson did that to you. Did he say anything to defend himself?”

“We didn’t exactly talk things over,” he states with a dry laugh. “We beat each other senseless. After that, I moved out. We didn’t talk again until we began doing business with each other. Then we simply stayed professional.”

I search his eyes, perplexed by his decision. “You never wanted to understand why Jackson did that to you? I mean, he had to have a reason, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t care what his reasons were.” Liam frowns. “The friendship was over.”

I glance away, looking at a couple under a big shade tree, cuddled in each other’s arms. It’s a sweet thing really that no matter how badly Liam had been burned in his past, he’d still waited and wantedme.Of course, one could think he only did this to get back at Jackson but I know that isn’t the truth. I can feel Liam’s affection, and Liam isn’t a spiteful man. Though the longer I look at the couple, the more I can’t believe Jackson would ever be so cruel. Why did he do this to Liam? More importantly, why didn’t he tell me? We were close, as close as brother and sister.

“I wanted you to know the truth,” Liam says, dragging me out of my thoughts. When I look at him, I find his gaze strong again, the painful memory obviously pushed away. “I wanted you to know of what stands between Jackson and me, and to understand what happened in our pasts so you could make a conscious decision going forward.” My heart feels squeezed in my chest when he rises and adds, “I will never make you choose between us, Aria. But you need to ask yourself a question.”

“What’s that?” I barely whisper.

He arches a single eyebrow. “Does Jackson deserve your unwavering loyalty?” My breath hitches, the world spinning slightly around me, when he leans forward and presses his lips against my forehead. “You know where you belong, Aria. And you know that I’ll be waiting for you.”

A chill in the air brushes over me when his lips leave my skin. He turns and strides down the pathway, leaving me alone with my confused heart, my jumbled thoughts, and a very big decision to make.

CHAPTER8

Liam

Late into Monday afternoon,I sit behind my desk in the corner office, gazing out at the bustling downtown core through my window. The longer I’ve sat here today, the more my muscles twitch with the need to run and fetch Aria. It’s been twenty-four hours since I last pressed my lips to hers, and those hours have been long and brutal.

Before this weekend, I’d been convinced that not fulfilling the lust I endured with her had been torture. I was wrong. When I walked away from her yesterday at the park, it had been the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a man, and quite possibly will ever have to do.

For three days, my life had meaning.Her.

Now without her, I’m spiraling out of control, drowning in the darkness, unable to fully get air into my lungs. It’s hard to remember what it felt like to not touch her. Everything seemed so natural, so easy. I want that. I want her.

For what has felt like hours, I’ve been stuck, staring at the high-rise housing Keller LLC, where Aria is working this morning. I’ve recounted all the reasons I shouldn’t go to her, and then I’ve reminded myself of them again. Repeatedly. On one hand, my arms ache to possessively take her in close declaring that she’s mine. On the other hand, I know that I cannot make this decision for her. This isn’t a game. This isn’t about winning. I want her to choose to be mine.

I suppose that’s why I can’t seem to move, sitting here wishing my reality was different. She hasn’t come to me. She’s picked Jackson. And now the red-hot anger blistering my blood toward Jackson isn’t about his betrayal with Sophia. It’s about the way he’s poisoned Aria’s mind against me and the power he has over her. Power that shouldn’t belong to him. Power that I want to shift to me.

“Today is a very good day.”

At the low gravelly voice filling my office, I turn in my swivel chair to face the doorway, finding Thomas Henry, Maxwell LLC’s COO, and my right-hand man, entering the room. He’s a strong man, both in looks and in character. He’s thick around the middle, salt and pepper on top, and his dark blue eyes shine with the wisdom of the killer negotiator and savvy businessman that he is. “You’ve come with good news on the Bakker deal, I take it?”

“Excellent news, indeed.” Thomas smiles, his teeth stained from coffee and cigars. He opens his suit jacket and sits in the brown leather chair in front of my desk. “Bakker’s team, including Bakker himself, is coming in within the hour to negotiate some of the terms, but from what I hear it’s nitpicky stuff that shouldn’t give us too much of a problem.”

The little stuff went hand in hand with negotiations, and I’m not concerned. “Good. Norcross will be pleased.” And pleasing the clients pleased me, but I wasn’t alone in handling this deal. I lean back in my seat, stretching out my legs. “I appreciate you taking over control of this while I was gone this weekend.”

“Ha! What did I do?” Thomas quips, crossing an ankle over his knee, arms draped on the armrests. “You’re the magic behind this deal, Liam. And from what I hear, Bakker took your offer over the Pioneer Group’s solely based on the fact that we focused on the employees of the company. That was all you. I had no part in that.”

“It was a fifty-fifty shot,” I admit, knowing how risky the move had been.

Thomas agrees with a nod. “And yet it worked. Another game won.”

That’s the part of corporate law I enjoy. The high. Even now, I sense the adrenaline pulsing through my veins, knowing that Norcross is likely celebrating their win. This deal puts Maxwell LLC into the forefront of corporate lawyers, and I’m proud of that.

Though the heaviness in my chest is overshadowing the high. I scan the law books behind Thomas, so much history, so much knowledge. I win. I don’t lose. And if I do, I go down fighting hard. Even with all that I know, all that I am, I can’t figure out how to make Aria choose me over Jackson. Yesterday, I was sure being honest with her would force her to see Jackson for the shithead he is. I’d never hated being wrong this much before.

Refusing to allow my mood to ruin Thomas’s excitement, I bring my thoughts back to task, asking Thomas, “Have you called in Norcross to attend the meeting as well?”

He cocks his head, eyes inquisitive. “Do you think that’s necessary?”

I nod without pause. “Considering how important the personal touch seems to be to Bakker, yes, I think it’s not only important but necessary.” For me, no deal is done until the signatures are dry on the paper. “Bakker can still change his mind,” I remind Thomas. “Let’s not give him a reason to.” I draw in a long breath and consider the next steps before adding, “Perhaps ask Eric”—the CEO of Norcross—“to bring his children, too. They don’t need to come into the meeting but having them in the office will only feed Bakker’s love of family.”

Thomas rises from his chair. “Consider it done.”

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