“Are you telling me what to do? Seriously?” I turned to my sister. “Is that a Dunn family trait, or is it just this one?”
Laurel raised an eyebrow. “I believe I warned you about him. In fact, I’m pretty sure I told you that Dunn men are nothing but trouble.” She gave her husband a sideways grin.
“Ich liebe dich,”Jason said quietly.I love you.
My sister took his hand, set it on top of her stomach, closing hers on top of it. “I don’t get tired of hearing that.”
Shawn peered at me, his brow furrowing. “All I’maskingyou to do is what you already agreed to. If you don’t, you’ll spend the rest of your career wondering.”
I didn’t know which I disliked more. That he was probably right . . .
Or that he knew it.
17
SHAWN
I understoodwhy Kara ignored me throughout the rest of dinner, I knew I deserved it. As soon as Jason left my office this morning with the good news, I’d set the wheels in motion for bringing her on board at Osterhägen. I wanted her professionally and personally, so I could satisfy both of those desires in one simple move.
I also wanted to track down her ex-husband and beat the shit out of him. It should have been obvious with the way Paul had introduced himself that he viewed Kara as a possession and not an equal. I’d come across enough C-level men who acted that way, whose partners were treated as servants.
Power corrupted, and I knew I wasn’t immune to it either. I’d have to overcome all my own obstacles, and Paul’s too, before she’d give me a true chance.
At the end of dinner, the conversation drifted to the moment she’d discovered I was traveling with her on my plane, and I felt a twinge of worry.
“I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal,” Kara said, “since he looked like he was going to die.”
Worry escalated as I searched for a way to steer the conversation in another direction. “I’m sure I wasn’t that?—”
“What? Why?” L said, confused.
“Because he’s afraid of flying.”
Fuck.
L and Jason turned to me, her expression skeptical and his full of annoyance. He asked me in German why she would think that.
Because she’d been ready to leave me on that plane, so it had been a ploy. I’d had to give her another reason to stay.
“I never said I was afraid of flying. I said I don’t enjoy it, which isn’t a lie.” I watched her closely, unsure how she would take this revelation.
Not well was the answer. She gave me a deliberate look, pure and cold. I wasn’t proud of the manipulation before, and now... I most definitely regretted it.
“Wow.” Her tone was deceptively calm. “You are quite the actor.”
“I’m sorry. I?—”
She put a hand on my hip, shoving me toward the end of the booth so she could escape. “Let me out so I can say good night.”
I stood and tried to help her to her feet, but she ignored my offered hand. As she rose from the booth, she finally gave me her full attention. Her expression was frosty. “I don’t want your apology.”
The dominating side of my brain seized control. “You’re not going to get one.”
I might as well have knocked her legs out from under her. “Excuse me?”
“I didn’t lie. I don’t like flying, and, yes, it’s a control thing. I wasn’t sure you were going to stay on the plane, so I decided to exaggerate my discomfort.”
Anger flashed in her beautiful eyes. “You decided?—”
