His heart ached.He rubbed his thumb over her cheek.“Thenthey don’t know you.Even when I said it, I was lying.Livie, you’re infinitelycompetent.Your parents don’t leave you in charge because they love you.Theyleave you in charge because they trust you.You are far more than a walkingbank account.”
“So you don’t think I fucked up?”
“Fuck-up is a strong word that I would never have used if Iwasn’t so pissy about the whole gorgeous woman using me for sex thing.”
“So you don’t think I did anything wrong?”
He went still.
She frowned and started to slide off his lap.
“Hey, if we’re going to work together, we have to be able totalk without you withdrawing affection,” he said quietly.“I’m going to be openand honest with you.I can take a lot.I can take you screaming at me.I cantake you dressing me down.Withdrawal of affection hurts me.Keane won’t eversay it, but it’s the thing that will push him away quickly.”
Her eyes rolled and she sighed but she settled back in.“Needy men making me sit on their laps while they tell me what I’m doingwrong.”
“I’m worried you were too aggressive with the owner.I wishyou had kept your suspicions to yourself until you talked to legal.”He had tobe careful with this but also honest.“Is it true you told him the only way hewould ever be able to understand a contract was to stick it up his ass and hopehe gets it through osmosis?”
Her lips curled in a smile.“That does sound like me.”
“Did you accuse him of embezzling?”
“He is,” she shot back.
“Do you have all the proof?Because generally it’s best notto accuse someone until all the details are locked down and they can’t changethings.We don’t give the criminal the heads-up that we’re onto their crimesbefore we’re ready to handle the aftereffects.”
She sighed and laid her head back down.“I was mad.He’s adick, and he’s cutting corners and skimming off the top.”
“I understand, but now we have to prove it.”
“I thought Dad would fire him.He doesn’t usually take legalaction if he doesn’t have to.Gladen isn’t the first to cut corners on ourorganic protocols.”
“No, but Gladen himself is incredibly litigious,” Garrettpointed out.“We’re facing a potential defamation case.”
“It’s only defamation if it’s not true.”
“And if he gets rid of all the records?”She needed to berealistic.He knew that the company was very much a friendly, family type, butthat didn’t mean it wasn’t a business.There were protocols to be followed anda reason for them.“We have to have legal reasons to void his contract andproof that what you saw is true.Court can be brutal.”
“He can’t because I have a whole bunch of them…” She sat up.“Damn it.I had them in the office.At least I had the printouts and notesthere.I’ve been putting off dealing with it because the wedding was prettymuch all-consuming and honestly, I didn’t want to put that pressure on my dad.”
“He knows, right?”The idea that she hadn’t told Jack Barneswasn’t one he wanted to entertain.
“He knows I’m worried about Gladen breaking the organicrules,” she explained.“I’ll go over it all with him when they get back home.But Garrett, it’s awfully convenient that my office burns down right before Imake my case to Dad.”
“Yeah, I might have called Ruby and put her on Gladen, too,”he admitted.“I don’t like the timing either.I prioritized figuring out wherehe was the other night.Turns out he was hosting a party late into the night.He was seen on his ranch at 2:30 a.m., waving guests good-bye.He’s an hoursouth of Austin.There’s not a lot of chance he made it up here.According toRuby, his security system shows no one leaving or entering the estate untileight a.m.the next day.”
“But he could have hired someone to do it,” Olivia reasoned.
“I have her looking into that, too.With the exception ofDeputy Morgan, the sheriff’s office is fairly useless.”They did have an arsonreport, but it didn’t feel like they were working hard to figure out who didit.He’d gotten another round of kids running wild from the sheriff when heforced the issue.
“They always have been,” she admitted, and she was quiet fora moment as though thinking.“Is there something Keane needs to tell me?”
“Why would you say that?”
“It’s the way he looks at me sometimes.Like he wants to saysomething but he can’t.”She watched Garrett for a moment.“He can tell meanything.I’m hard to shock.”
This was the danger zone.Keane knew he needed to talk toher, but he was putting it off because the last few days had been incredibleand he didn’t want to fuck it up if this was the only time they got with her.But the longer they were in her bed and working with her, the more a futurewith her seemed possible.So that talk needed to happen.“He does, but he hasto be the one.”
“Is it about his past?”Olivia asked.
