“I haven’t done that.”
Suzie stopped walking to glare at him.“No, your behavior was worse.You treated me as an equal and accused me of betrayal.You didn’t even give me a chance to defend myself.”
A flash of shame struck, and Niall hung his head because that was precisely what had happened.He raised his gaze to meet her beautiful green one.“I’m sorry, Suzie.That’s exactly what I did.I’ll try harder in the future to hold back my temper.”
“And you will stop letting your childhood color your reactions.You’re an adult.Successful.Smart.Sexy,” she added after a pause.
Niall knew then that she’d forgiven him—at least a little.“I am sorry.My brothers…” He hesitated, wondering how much he should tell her.
Everything, his bear chided, and Niall’s shoulders slumped momentarily.“Now is not the place, but I’ll tell you more about my brothers soon.”
“They want your money.”
“Of course they do.They never could walk past a bet.They’ve probably borrowed money from the wrong person and neglected to repay their loans.”
Suzie frowned, then surveyed their surroundings.They’d left the main square and taken the road toward the castle.She cast a glance behind them before looking at him.Suzie leaned close enough for him to catch a trace of citrus from her hair.
“Your brothers mentioned your honey.Would they have organized the attempt to acquire your newest product?”
“Euan and Colin are smart.Crafty.They might’ve made an educated guess since it’s not a secret I’m a honey producer.I didn’t pick up their scents at my research building.Did you sense anything?”
Suzie’s brow puckered.“The intruders had human scents.Nothing distinctive that I recall, although I’d recognize them if I encountered them again.”
“Same,” Niall said.“Normally, these occurrences wouldn’t bother me, but if I add everything together plus the upcoming release date of my product, I’m inclined to increase my security and keep an even closer eye on my brothers.”
“I don’t blame you.What will you do?”
“The investigator hasn’t come back to me yet.If I understood where they fit in this mess, it’d help me decide what to do next.”
Suzie’s expression softened, and the tightness in Niall’s chest reduced.
“I feel as if my world has tipped upside down.Before, everything was easier.Now…” He shrugged, not wanting to seem mushy.But hell.Since Suzie walked into his life, he couldn’t think clearly.He snorted inwardly.He wanted to blame his confusion and unease on Suzie when it wasn’t her fault.She’d had her life mapped out and wanted different things from him.But it was hard to fight fate.
He didn’t even know if he wished to return to his pre-Suzie life.That had been a lonely existence where he’d had mainly acquaintances rather than friends.He’d immersed himself in work, and since he loved every moment of the challenge, nothing else had mattered.Yes, he’d dated women, but most of those relationships had been disasters.He’d thought he would remain alone—his destiny.
Until Suzie.
“Why are you frowning so hard?”
Niall took his time answering, checking their surroundings as they left the outskirts of the village.“If you had your life planned and no interest in a mate, why did you come to the gathering?”
“I never said I didn’t want a mate.I objected to my parents and grandparents dictating my life, thinking they knew better.As for the gathering—I’m sure I’ve mentioned Saber and London asked Edwina and me to attend.Six of us came from Middlemarch, and they approached us all.Our attendance was voluntary.No one forced us to do anything.All Saber wanted was for shifters to participate with open minds.They didn’t put pressure on us and didn’t mind if we returned home without a mate.Saber and London thought the experience would benefit us and other younger Middlemarch residents.Some shifters in attendance look desperate because their families have such high expectations.”
“Good to know,” Niall said.
They walked for a few minutes in companionable silence.
“I gave the go-ahead to put the honey into production today, but I haven’t told anyone this product is special.It’s labeled honey and nothing more at this stage.The plain label and reasonable price point should help the honey sell itself.Once people taste it, I’m hoping word of mouth will do the rest.”
Niall was pleased to see that Suzie scanned their surroundings before she replied.“You don’t want to create a splashy launch and extoll your honey’s benefits from the start?”
“All the catchy names and fancy labels won’t do a thing if my product sucks.”
Suzie laughed, and Niall’s steps faltered at the bright, bubbly sound.This woman.She was the whole package.He recalled their night together and fervently wished he hadn’t destroyed their fledgling relationship with his bullheadedness.
Suzie… She’d made him feel, made him think, and yeah, she’d made him laugh.For once, he wasn’t allowing business to consume him.He wanted her to stay of her own volition.He desired Suzie for himself.Hell, he needed her.
It was time to apologize again.
