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“But I don’t get it,” he says, turning his face up again. “Wouldn’t that tape be horrible for Cameron’s career? And Antoni’s?”
I shake my head a little. “They were smart,” I admit. “They had the network shut down to anything but intra-office communications when the email went out. The tech team had time to scrub everyone’s emails, computers, and even check phones before the network went back online. The tape never made it outside those walls.”
Kipp makes a disbelieving sound. “But you said they didn’t succeed in taking over the business, right? So how’d they force you out?”
“They didn’t. Not exactly. I left, but what Cameron and Antoni didn’t expect was for Papa to sell me his shares.”
“Your grandpa had shares?”
I nod, stroking his hair again. It’s as soothing to me as I’m guessing it is to him. “He helped us start the business. Invested. He didn’t want anything in return, but he finally accepted three percent of the shares as a thank you. Cameron, being older and having more experience under his belt, took forty-nine percent. I had forty-eight.”
“And your grandpa sold you his three,” Kipp says. “Giving you fifty-one.”
“Yes, he did. When he found out what happened, he didn’t for one second think I’d turn on family like that. I didn’t expect him to pick sides, but my papa is fierce when he wants to be. He gave me control of the business. I haven’t done anything with it,” I hasten to add. “I’m not looking for revenge. But Cameron wants those shares. Without them, he’s vulnerable.”
“Are they still together?” Kipp asks. “Your brother and Antoni?”
“Yeah, they are. I don’t think they were ever in love, and maybe things have changed, but… I think it’s mostly greed and spite that keep them together.”
Kipp shakes his head. “I’m really sorry, Teddy. I wouldn’t have talked to Antoni if I knew who he was.”
“Hey,” I say, tugging his hair again so he lifts his face. “It’s not your fault. And you talking to him doesn’t bother me. It’s Antoni I don’t trust. I’m sorry I was rude back at the club. I… I don’t like who I am around them, Kipp. I don’t like being that angry, bitter person I was five years ago. Every time I think I’m past what happened, something like this pops up, and here I am again, turning into the monster they tried to make me.”
Kipp huffs a laugh, spinning in my arms and sliding up my body until he’s straddling my waist. He leans close, his hands on either side of my head. “Teddy, you are the furthest thing from a monster. It’s okay to be angry about what they did. I would be, too. Hell, I’m pissed for you. But you are the sweetest man I know, so fuck them, okay? They didn’t make you into a monster and they never could. You’re a freakin’ teddy bear.”
My heart beats swiftly as Kipp brushes his lips against my own. Just a press.
“You are good,” he whispers. “And you are honorable. And nothing could convince me otherwise. So forget them. They don’t deserve space in this gorgeous head of yours.”
I open my mouth to respond, but Kipp doesn’t give me the chance. His lips fit to mine, and with the sweet taste of him on my tongue, Kipp succeeds in driving every other thought away until all that’s left is him.
Chapter 26
Kipp
My feet pound the pavement, the same few certainties circling inside my head over and over again like the thwap, thwap, thwap of my shoes.
One. Teddy is sexy as fuck when he dances. Especially when said dancing is salsa. Holy hotness, did he have me feeling things. In my cock. In my head. In my heart.
Two. Antoni is a bug I want to squash under my heel. The man tried to hurt Teddy, which is inconceivable to me in the first place and unforgivable in the second. Thinking about it makes me want to rage, which is why I’m out here running at five in the morning before the sun has even come up.
Three. And maybe most importantly. I don’t want to divorce my husband.
It’s the thing I keep coming back to. I’m not done with Teddy. At some point, us staying married would be plain weird, and frankly, we may have already passed that point. But how the heck do I suggest holding off on the divorce I promised him so that we could, what—see where things go with each other? We did everything backwards, and now it’s a mess I’m not sure how to unravel.
I think Teddy likes me, too. Really likes me. But what if that’s only part of his whole Daddy vibe? The man is obviously an angel.
What if I’m just the mortal blinded by his beauty who doesn’t stand a chance?
Christ, maybe I need some help.
Slowing, I pace beside a closed hardware store while I catch my breath. Before I can second-guess myself, I tug my phone out of the pocket of my compression shorts and fire off a group text.
Me: What would be the best way to tell someone you maybe, probably, definitely could see yourself waking up beside them every morning for the foreseeable future until death do you part?
I’m not expecting a quick answer this early, but much to my surprise, one comes through immediately, followed by another.
Cassandra: A simple, romantic date. Like dinner at a classy restaurant. Not fast food.
