“Yes.”
He doesn’t sound embarrassed to have been caught out. His voice is gruff. Matter-of-fact. Deeper and growlier than ever.
“You heard what I said…and you found the auction…”
He nods his head once.
“You bid on it.”
He nods again.
“Why?” I ask, breathing hard. “Why did you do that?”
Flint’s expression darkens. “I wasn’t going to stand by and let a stranger buy you, Willa.”
“But all that money…”
“I wanted it to be enough to cover your debts,” he says. “Knew you wouldn’t accept charity.”
The room spins as I take in what he’s saying, trying to make sense of it all.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Flint takes a step toward me, his gaze softening. “Should have told you as soon as I bid.”
Something shifts then. It hangs in the air between us—what he actually bid on.
What I owe him.
Flint seems to read my mind. “You don’t owe me anything.”
I swallow hard. “You mean you don’t want?—”
“Fuck, Willa, it doesn’t matter what I want.” His body stills, muscles clenching as if it’s taking him physical effort to speak. “Not gonna take advantage of you. I won’t be like all the other assholes who bid.”
“It’s what you paid for…” I whisper.
Flint makes a noise deep in his throat. He runs a hand over his face, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. It’s a long time before he speaks again, like he’s fighting an internal battle.
“I won’t be that guy,” he says eventually. “You deserve better than that.”
My heart thuds as I look at him. My boss. The man who found my listing and placed a bid the size of a small fortune to save me from a stranger and pay off my debts.
It was my mess, not his.
My problem.
But he made it his problem. Mademehis problem.
From the moment I walked into his office, Flint has done nothing but try to take care of me.
Protect me.
Now he’s refusing to take advantage. Refusing to take what he’s owed, even though it looks like it’s costing him everything to say no. Refusing to accept what he paid $100,000 for because he thinks I don’t want him.
He’s wrong.
I’ve wanted him from the minute I saw him, towering like a giant in his green flannel shirt. I’ve been trying to push it down, telling myself Flint was a distraction I couldn’t afford. But he’s so much more than just a distraction. So much more than just my boss. And as those stormy eyes bore into me, setting my skin on fire, I finally realize why the auction felt so wrong.
It wasn’t just about the money or the shame.
