“You’re pregnant?”
This makes me snicker.
“You saved five hundred dollars by switching your car insurance?” she continues. “Better jump in here soon, or I’ll guess every possible scenario there is.”
I drink the rest of the booze and don’t taste a thing. “We shouldn’t have this conversation intoxicated.”
Her smile fades. “You can’t put the rabbit back in the hat, Carter.”
The name is like a punch to the gut.
“That’s not my name.”
I can feel her pulling away from me.
“It’s my middle name actually.”
“Okay? That’s not a crime. People go by their middle names all the time.”
The wind outside shifts again, and something on the porch scrapes across the wood. She’s staring at me, and her expression hasn’t changed.
“My full name is Dyson Carter Banks. I’m the CEO of Banks Finance. It’s a financial management firm in New York.”
“Carter—”
“The name people know is Dyson Banks. I use my middle name as an alias because it’s harder to recognize.”
She blinks three times, and then a laugh escapes her. “You’re joking.”
“You know I’m not joking.”
Her smile fades. “I’ve heard of Banks Finance and the asshole who runs it.”
“That’s me.” I force a grin. “The firm manages close to two trillion in assets. I have a penthouse that overlooks Central Park that I escape to every day. The board forced me to take a vacation because I was burned the fuck out and forgot what it meant to live.”
She stares at me like she’s seeing me for the first time. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because I knew you’d look at me like this.”
She turns away from me, like she’s trying to solve calculus in her head. “I should’ve known. Renting the Captain’s Room for two months, all the unnecessary requests, and that watch you had on the first day you arrived. I was stupid.”
“I wasn’t trying to be anyone but myself,” I say.
“What about the Palm?” she asks on an exhale.
“I have comps galore. That wasn’t a lie.”
She faces me. “I feel like I don’t know you.”
“I deserve that. But I’d be willing to say, right now, you know me better than anyone else in my life. Most see the title and money before the man. Every woman I’ve ever been with has used me for my connections and what I can do for them or their careers. Not you.”
Her mouth opens and closes.
“I’m so fucking sorry for not telling you.”
“Why are you now?” she asks.
“If whatever this is going on between us has a chance of continuing past August 3, you have to know. Also …” I breathe out, knowing I need to be completely honest even if it will hurt. “There are pictures circulating of us together. Like a couple. And people are talking about that.”
