“I signed on the dotted line last week after a fight with Jimmy about the Valentine’s stock. I could see him running what I wanted into the ground and I’d delayed enough. I wanted to tell you but I was… I was worried it would make you run in the other direction. And yes, when Jimmy pointed you out as the culprit, I did look into you. But full disclosure? My lawyers are now working to clear you, not blame you. I see your passion, Calliope. I see how much you love your work and I’ve seen the warmth in your life. I ruled you out almost immediately, but legally, they need to test everyone. I’m so sorry it made you feel targeted, and I was going to warn you and prepare you, but then…” He sighs deeply, like air escaping a bottle. “I was arrested and couldn’t. I trust you, Calliope. I do. and I should have told you the truth from the beginning, but I was so…” His hands tighten around his cup. “I was so caught up in finding you again that I didn’t want to rock the boat in any way. You wanted to spend time with me, and Iwantedthat so badly. I still do. I can feel myself falling for you so fast and I was desperately clutching at all the good moments. But I swear to you.” He lifts his head. “I wasn’t using you to sleep with you or taking advantage of your kindness. I love spending time with you. I swear my lawyers are only working to clear you ASAP so work can begin on our projects. I’m sorry it made you feel like you were just being used.”
He speaks with such a deep honesty that I don’t know what to say. Every word is carefully chosen and slow, like he’s putting great thought behind everything he’s saying.
Maybe I jumped the gun a little. As much as I felt those lawyer’s questions were targeting me as a culprit, they could just as easily clear me from any suspicion that only exists because my boss is a dick. Hearing how much he enjoys spending time with me lifts my heart and for a moment, he’s not Elijah Baird, rich CEO and charming Elite. He’s just Eli, the hot guy from the conference that I fell head over heels for at first sight.
“I…” The word catches in my throat, and Elijah’s brows twitch as if he expects another tongue-lashing. “I don’t know what to say. It did… it really did feel like I was being set up and you were just using me. But listening to everything, I think I have to admit that my… my fear that it was the truth overruled everything else. I was so hurt, Elijah. You didn’t call or text me back and then I was dragged into an office with a scary lawyer who threw all these questions at me like I was a criminal. Everything was fitting into a fear and I may have… let it get ahead of me.”
“I can’t blame you.” His voice remains soft and he looks toward the fireplace. “I can’t even blame Imogen because I should have told you the moment I signed the deal. But I was scared too.” He laughs softly, betraying his own nerves. “It’s so silly, but at the same time, it’s terrifying.”
“Did you… mean what you said?” I ask cautiously. “That you’re falling for me?”
Elijah’s eyes remain on the flames for a few seconds longer, then he looks toward me. “Will it change things between us if it’s true?”
My heart begins to race. “Maybe.”
“I don’t know if I want that,” he admits. “But at the same time, it’s out of my control.”
“How so?” This is a dangerous path to lead, considering Elijah’s beating himself up for not telling me the truth and meanwhile, I’m sitting on a secret bigger than both of those.
Nick.
Will Elijah be as forgiving when we finds out the truth?
“Because I don’t want to lose this.” He sets his cup down and loosely laces his fingers together. “It’s selfish, I know. Back then, I didn’t know what age you were, only that you were old enough. Back then, I was young and stupid. Not an excuse, but you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and when you approached me, I felt like I was in a dream. I feel like I’m back in that dream but…”
“But?” I tilt my head.
“But I’m your boss now. And not just a manager. The acquisition makes me CEO of Angelic Jewels with Jimmy demoted to CCO. A relationship between us could put the entire company in jeopardy, so I admit I was delaying signing because I was trying to find a way that kept us both safe. And then Jimmy was being such a cunt and I was tired of watching him destroy something I knew was good so I signed, and now…” He lifts one hand and runs it through his hair. “Now I’ve put us both in this terrible, terrible position because I think I’m falling in love with you and I don’t want to let that go.” A tired, weak laugh escapes him. “I’m a selfish man, Calliope. A selfish, selfish man.”
He is.
But he’s falling in love with me.
I can’t count how often I dreamed of him turning up on my doorstep while I was pregnant and telling me he was in love withme. Even after Nick was born, I dreamed of him leaving his then-wife to be with me. Fantasies built on only half the information, but the core desire remained the same.
And it lingers now.
Anger dissipates within me like fog as I set my cup down and stand. I reach him in a few steps and stand in front of him, waiting for him to lift his head.
Elijah remains staring down for a few long seconds, then he slowly looks up at me.
I don’t have a plan.
I don’t know if this will work out or if I’m signing the end of my life as I know it.
But I do know in this moment that I feel the same about one thing. I’m falling for him and I’m just as selfish as he is.
Cradling his face with both my hands, I stroke my fingers over his cheeks and stare deep into his eyes as I slowly lean down. “Be selfish,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Just this once… be selfish.”
I’m not sure if I’m talking to him or myself, but it hardly matters. A second later, our lips gently collide and my mind goes blank.
33
ELIJAH
Her lips cover mine, bringing with them a sweet hint of chocolate and the subtle tinge of peppermint and everything freezes.
Calliope’s words are honest and I’m too weak to resist.
