No one had bothered to loopmein just yet.
The elevator doors opened onto the executive floor of the Westwood offices and my unease sharpened into something jagged when I noticed the tension humming through the reception area.
Assistants moved quickly, their voices low, like they were trying not to be overheard as they bustled this way and that. I frowned and headed toward Nate’s office, but I paused at the sound of raised voices bleeding through from the conference room.
Well, at least that explains why the assistants are nervous.
When the room came into full view, my heart jumped into my throat. Alex was at the head of conference table with Nate at the foot, the two facing each other down with my parents and their dad sitting in the middle.
“This is not how negotiations work,” Nate argued, his voice so tight and controlled that it sounded a lot more dangerous than if he’d been shouting.
“It’s already in motion,” Alex insisted, calmer than his brother, but no less firm. “We’d be reckless not to consider the long-term advantages.”
Without even taking a single beat to think about what I was about to do, I shoved the door open and strode inside. “Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?”
Every head turned toward me. Alex’s expression shifted immediately into a warm, polished smile rather than the firm resolve he’d just had aimed at his brother. “Kate. Perfect timing. Would you like to have a seat?”
I didn’t move anything but my eyeballs, and that was only because my gaze slid to my parents of its own accord. My heart started pounding, still in my throat. It hit me like a bolt out of the blue to see my mom looking nervous, her fingers twisting together in her lap. My father stared at the table, refusing to meet my eyes.
My stomach dropped, but I still couldn’t manage to convince my limbs to move. Nate looked around the room, sighed, then pushed back from the table. “Give us a minute.”
Without waiting for permission, he crossed the room in long strides, grabbed my arm, and pulled me out into the hallway, half supporting my weight until I managed to get my feet to work underneath me again. He didn’t stop until we reached our shared office, shoving the door open, marching me inside, andlockingit behind us before leaning back against it like he needed the support to stay upright himself.
I turned to face him, my pulse malfunctioning as I took him in. He was wound tightly, his shoulders filling out his suit jacket in a way that made him look not only broader but harder. The muscles in his jaw fluttered as he ground his teeth. The sharp lines of his face were drawn with frustration so intense I could almost feel it radiating off him.
It didn’t take someone who knew him well to see he was on edge, and now, because of that, so was I. Except it wasn’t just nerves whirling in my belly. There was something hotter there too. Something that nearly caught fire when he fixed me with that cutting blue stare.
“Did the deal fall through?” I asked, clearing my throat when my voice came out a little breathy.
“No,” he said immediately. “The final details are being written up this morning.”
Relief tried to bubble up inside me, but it tangled with suspicion long before it could settle. “Then why wasn’t I told about this meeting?”
“I tried?—”
“Clearly not hard enough,” I cut in.
“Kate,” he snapped, pushing off the door and dragging a hand through his hair like he was trying to get a grip on himself. “The success of this deal is riding on something I can’t find a way out of.”
Cold prickled across my skin. “What doesthatmean?”
He stared at me for a long second, and I also didn’t have to know him very well to see the doubt in his gaze. Almost like he wasn’t sure how much damage total honesty would cause or whether I could handle it.
I lifted my chin. “Whatever it is, I can take it, Nate. Just tell me already.”
“Hinds has made it clear what he wants,” he said finally, each word forced through clenched teeth. “He’s seen how successful my family has been, doing it this way.”
My stomach twisted. “Doingwhatthis way? What way?”
His jaw flexed again. “He’ll only sign off on the sale with us if you become family.”
The room went completely still, like even the light shining in through the damn windows had stopped moving. I frowned. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Apparently, he doesn’t think you’re protected enough by our agreement to keep your firm on to handle his account once we buy him out. He wants a permanent alliance. One that guarantees our families are tied together in the long term.”
I stared at him, certain I’d misheard. Certain my brain had scrambled his words into something absurd and impossible. Slowly, I reached down and pinched the inside of my forearm hard enough to sting.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
