And there he is, the man I fell for, the one who believed in me in a way that few ever have.
“You’re right, I’m not,” I reply. I steel myself. There’s a question I need to ask even though the answer could destroy me completely. “Were you dating Katarina last year? Did you cheat on her with me?”
His cold eyes sharpen. “No. I’ve never cheated, and I never would.”
I lift my hands in despair. “Then what the hell are you doing sneaking in here to trap me? Why let me find you, Duke?”
“Because some things are meant to be,” he says, raking his fingers through his hair. He’d worn a baseball cap yesterday so I hadn’t noticed how much it’s grown since Philadelphia. He blows air through pursed lips. “I know what it must look like with Katarina, but it’s not what you think. We’re not in a relationship.”
My heart stutters. Did I misread the situation yesterday? “You’renotengaged?”
The hesitation is all it takes for my rising hopes to crash back down on the rocks. “It’s complicated…”
I roll my eyes at his pathetic defense and turn my back. I need room to breathe. To think. I’m grateful the office is so goddamn big, but as I walk the length of the windows, Duke follows.
“Please, Grace,” he says. “I didn’t know Katarina existeduntil two months ago. Her family were putting her under extreme pressure to marry so I stepped up. Our engagement was only meant to be a temporary arrangement, but things didn’t go to plan.”
My head spins. Why would he agree to an engagement if he didn’t want to marry her? It doesn’t make sense. Reaching the corner where the windows end, I find myself trapped. I turn on Duke. “Do you love her?”
“No,” he says, holding my gaze. “We have no romantic involvement.”
He sounds sincere, but his story is utterly unbelievable. I’d be mad not to push back. “Are you sure Katarina knows that? She looked pretty loved up when she was showing off her ringandher fiancé.”
“We have to sell the engagement as real, but I see as little of her as I can. We don’t live together. Or do anything together,” he says pointedly. “I’m telling you more than I should, and you can’t repeat any of this outside this room. There would be serious repercussions if you did. For me, and for Kat. I wish I could tell you more, but you’ll just have to trust me. This will–”
“Trust you?” I repeat, my voice quavering. Why did it hurt so much hearing him call her by a shortened name? “I don’t know you, Duke. And I don’t need to know you.” He flinches at that and it spurs me on. “That night…” I shake my head. “We were living out a fantasy. But it was all smoke and mirrors.”
Duke’s eyes flicker at the memory I’ve evoked. Mirrors. Why the hell did I mention mirrors?
I grit my teeth. “Maybe I did come to Chicago hoping to see you again, but I was also looking for a new beginning. I’ve just started a new job, and I haven’t even spoken with my boss yet. You being here is a complication I don’t need. Idon’t care what your reasons are for dating Katarina, the simple fact is you’reengagedto her. Please, let’s pretend we don’t know each other so I can build a new life for myself. I need you to leave. I don’t want you here.”
Duke’s eyes narrow. “That might be difficult.”
“Why?” I ask, dread already twisting my insides.
“This is my office.”
My rising blood pressure pounds against my ears as I reevaluate the man standing in front of me. He’s built like a warrior and his hair, now it’s grown, is the color of dark, golden sand. There’s a hint of copper too. Not quite Calder’s russet shade, but close. “You can’t be…” I gasp out. “You’re a Moncrief?”
He gives the smallest of nods. “Marmaduke.”
I’d seen the name many times in my Google searches, along with the other Moncrief siblings, but it hadn’t crossed my mind to make a connection.
I want to collapse to the floor and curl up into a ball, but that isn’t an option. It’s all about damage limitation now. I swipe my tongue over parched lips. “I’ll speak to Noah,” I tell him. “I was going to ask him to reassign me to another client anyway. And if he can’t, I’ll go back to Philly. Or another city. I don’t care. If you’re here, I can’t be.”
Duke studies me for a moment. His hands have remained in his pockets, his forearms still corded and his eyes glacial. “No.”
“Not your decision,” I say, coming out of my corner fighting. I won’t cry. After yesterday, I don’t think I have any tears left to shed.
I circle Marmaduke Fucking Moncrief and head for the door. I know Duke’s right behind me, and my hands are clammy as I twist the thumb-turn lock and yank on the door handle. I only manage to open it a few inches before Dukesmashes his palm against the door. I lose my grip and the door slams shut.
Duke places his other hand on the door, effectively caging me in. His lips brush my ear when he says, “As you so rightly pointed out, I’m a Moncrief, which means I can make things happen. I’m going to be your client, youronlyclient, and while you’re working for me, I’ll figure this out,” he says, his voice low and menacing. “You won’t resign, and you won’t leave Chicago.”
“You can’t make me stay,” I bite out, my gaze fixed on the wood grain of the door.
The tip of his nose strokes the side of my head. “If you walk out of your job, I’ll cancel every contract Noah has with us. I doubt his company would survive the financial hit, not to mention the reputational damage. And if you try to go back to Brooke whatever-her-name-is, I’ll find a way to bring her company down too. Or any other interior design agency you attempt to work with.”
I shake my head. His words are as cold as ice, but the breath tickling my neck is warm, just like the heart of the man I spent twenty-four glorious hours with in a hotel room. That man wouldn’t destroy innocent people’s careers. “I don’t believe you.”
