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  Even though my daddy is the best, I wish I could give up all those things to have a mommy like everyone else.

  Blowing out a breath, I rake my fingers through my hair, grief mixing with anger.

  Grief for Penelope. Anger for Charlotte and her choices that denied our daughter a mother.

  I fold the sheet and put it in my pocket, wincing when I think about Brynne reading it.

  To the world, I carry myself with a steel core. Showing weakness is never an option. But Penelope exposed my Achilles’ heel – I’m fucking lonely. And for the first time in eight years, I feel like I’ve finally found someone I want to fill the void with.

  Chapter Five

  Brynne

  My fingers shake as I apply the last touches of make-up. It’s already quarter to seven. Harrison will be here soon. If he shows up.

  Part of me wonders if he won’t pull the same asshole move he pulled all those years ago. He’d promised to take me to the movies that night. My brother was taking Claire Hopkins, and I’d believed it was a double date. I’d found out later that my parents had asked him to invite me, hoping to make me a little more social.

  But when I’d come downstairs to meet them, he had his arms wrapped around Jenny Anderson, his mouth on hers.

  “You ready, kid?” he’d asked when he’d looked up and found me watching them, the grin I’d fallen in love with plastered across his face, like he didn’t realize he’d just broken my heart.

  I’d uttered some excuse about not feeling well, then turned, barely making it to my room before the tears started to fall.

  I hated him in that moment. I try to hold onto that feeling in order to give me strength to resist whatever temptation he throws at me tonight.

  I thought about not answering. Or leaving before he arrives. Anything to get out of tonight. But then I read Penelope’s essay and my heart broke again. This time not for myself, but for everything he and that little girl lost.

  For a moment, I saw the man behind the money and status. A man who loved and lost. And my own loss seemed insignificant in comparison. Maybe he didn’t deserve my anger as much as I believed he did.

  Dinner. I can do that.

  Maybe he’s more like me, than I thought he was. Someone trapped behind an image the world has created. Someone wanting more than just the things money can buy.

  The buzz of the intercom makes me jump.

  He’s here.

  I hesitate before answering. “Hello?”

  “Hello, Ms. Sweet,” his voice is husky and deep, and goes straight to my core. “Can I come up?”

  I have a feeling we’ll never make it to dinner if I let him back up here. If I’m going to do this – spend time with him – it’s going to need to be somewhere public.

  “No.” I chew on my bottom lip and take a long, uneven breath, before finally responding. “I’ll be right down.”

  I don’t listen for his response. One last glance in the mirror, and I nod. I can do this.

  Maybe I’ll find some closure to the heartbreak I’ve carried around all these years.

  Chapter Six

  Harrison

  Leaning against the limo, I wait for Brynne to come down. Minutes pass, and I start to wonder if she’s changed her mind, when the door finally opens.

  Fuck.

  The woman who exits is drop-dead gorgeous.

  Her long auburn hair hangs in thick waves over her shoulders and down her back, and the dress she’s wearing, accentuates every beautiful curve of her luscious body. She’s pure perfection. Green eyes watch me warily as she takes the steps towards me.

  One eyebrow lifts when she glances at the limo, and instead of looking impressed, I swear she looks disappointed – in me.

  A small frown plays on her lips, and I can see the doubts crossing her expression.

  “You look beautiful.” I take her hand, distracting her from whatever excuse she’s forming in her head to get out of tonight.

  “Thank you. You do too.” Her face reddens the moment she utters the words.

  I chuckle and lift her hand, brushing my lips across her knuckles.

  “Whe-where are we going?”

  “I made reservations at Le Dix.” I open the door for her, glad I ordered the driver to stay in the car. She doesn’t seem like the type who enjoys being waited on. “It’s an Italian restaurant on the-”

  “I know where it is,” she says, still frowning as she gets in the car.

  “You’ve been there?” I ask, brows raised as I sit next to her. It’s not a place she could easily afford on a teacher’s salary.

  She hesitates before nodding.

  A surge of jealousy springs up in me as I think about another man taking her there.

  She’s worrying her lip between her teeth even more now, and a deep line furrows her brow. “Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”

  “We can go somewhere else if you prefer.”

  “I…” She’s hiding something. I saw it before, but now, it’s even more obvious. “No, it’s fine. I guess.”

  Frowning, I inform the chauffeur to drive.

  Silent tension radiates off her and despite my best attempts I can’t get her to relax, or answer me with anything more than one and two word answers.

  “Did you grow up in the city?”

  She shakes her head. “No.”

  “But you went to school here?”

  “Yes.”

  “And your family-”

  “I’d rather not talk about them.” Her voice is strained, lips tight. “Tell me about yourself.”

  I can tell she’s just trying to take the attention off herself, but I indulge her anyways. Maybe after a few glasses of wine, she’ll start to open up. I hope she does. Because I’m more than intrigued. I’m downright perplexed by the woman.

  “I grew up here. Took over my father’s business after he died a few years ago. I have Penelope. And you already know that her mother passed away years ago.”

  She gives a small, sympathetic nod. “I’m sorry.”

  I grunt. Part of me wants to tell her I don’t need her sympathy. But I just continue, “We’ve gotten along fine.”

  “Still, I’m sure it’s been hard, raising her alone.”

  Shrugging, I change the subject, “What about you? Ever been married?”

  “God, no,” she blurts out a little too forcefully. “I mean, no, I’ve never met anyone I’ve wanted to date, let alone marry.”

  “You’ve never dated anyone?”

  Pinks creeps into her cheeks. “I’ve been on dates.”

  “That’s not what I asked.

  She’s saved from answering when the car pulls to a stop in front of the restaurant. Her fidgeting seems to increase as the driver opens the door. In fact, by the time we enter the building, I’m worried she’s going to bolt on me the way her gaze darts from me to the exit.

  I take her elbow, and lean down and say against her ear, “If you want to go somewhere else-”

  “Brynne,” the maître d says, his voice thick with a French accent. “I thought that was you. Magnifique.”

  Brynne stiffens in my arms, a tight smile forming on her lips as she nods and allows the man to take her hand and kiss it. “Bonjour, Marcelle.”

  How the hell does the man know her name? Maybe she worked here before she started teaching, and that’s why she didn’t want to come, because she was embarrassed.

  I don’t have time to ask her, because Marcelle’s attention is turned to me. “And Monsieur Redmond. It’s good to have you back. Please follow me. I have your table ready.” He turns back to Brynne. “Although, I would have reserved your favorite table if I’d known you were with Mademoiselle Jeffri-”

  “It’s all right, Marcelle,” Brynne interrupts a little too forcefully. “I’m sure whatever table you have will be perfect.”

  The man frowns, and something transfers unspoken between them, before he gives a small nod, then turns to lead us to our table.

  Like a fucking baseball b
at to the head, it strikes me who she is.

  It can’t be. But I know with certainty that it is.

  Brynne fucking Jeffries. Colin’s little sister.

  How the hell had I not recognized her until now.

  My stomach twists at the memory of the woman who had been dragged through the mud along with her family.

  She’d been innocent of their crimes, but it hadn’t stopped the media from making her just as much the villain as her father and brother actually were.

  Money laundering. Shady deals. There were even rumors that the family had connection with the Russian mafia. But the real scandal was when both Colin and his father had the charges dropped, despite the substantial evidence against them.

  Sure, the family went bankrupt, but already they were rebuilding, rebranding, and making the same crooked deals they were before.

  I’d always wondered what had happened to the girl. The last time I’d seen her she was just an awkward kid, with thick-rimmed glances and braces. But even then, I’d seen something in her. A goodness. She wasn’t like the other girls I knew. She was…special.

  Brynne’s brows draw down when she sits across from me, and catches me watching her.

  Do I call her out on who she is?

  No.

  She’s hiding a reason. And I don’t blame her. Her name is attached to all shades of scandal.

  Something inside of me stirs.

  Something protective.

  Primal.

  A need to not only consume her, but to keep her safe.

  Chapter Seven

  Brynne

  All through dinner I can feel Harrison’s gaze on me.

  Hot.

  Intense.

  Searching.

  Marcelle nearly revealed my identity. And for one panicked moment, I thought Harrison would put the pieces together.

  But he hasn’t. If he had, he wouldn’t be sitting across from me now. He’d be long gone. Along with my career. I can’t let anyone at the school know who I really am, not without risking being fired. Scandal isn’t permitted. Even if it wasn’t my scandal. My name alone would disqualify me.

  “You haven’t eaten much,” Harrison says, eyeing me over his wine glass.

  “I’m not very hungry.” Because my stomach won’t stop doing summersaults. I should never have agreed to this dinner.

  “Harrison,” a woman’s trill voice rings above us.

  “Hello Patricia,” Harrison says, standing and taking her outstretched hand.

  I recognize her immediately. I taught her son last year. A nasty little boy with a tendency of putting chewing gum in the girls’ hair. But his parents contributed a large donation to the school, and his mother is on the parent council, so my concerns were only met with harsh words about how I needed to be more observant in class.

  Her seeing me with Harrison is almost as bad as him realizing who I really am.

  “Ms. Sweet?” Her brows go up when her gaze rests on me. “Isn’t this…a pleasant surprise.” There’s a bite of disproval to her words that I can’t miss. She turns back to Harrison. “Your daughter is in Ms. Sweets class this year, isn’t she?”

  A muscle in his jaw twitches as he holds the woman’s gaze. “Ms. Sweet and I are old family friends. We’re just catching up. There’s nothing wrong with that. Is there?”

  Old family friends. Is he lying or does he know?

  “Of course not.” The woman laughs, but there’s no humor in the sound. “Well, I’ll let you too catch up.” Her gaze holds mine, and there’s a warning in it. “I’ll see you at school, Ms. Sweet.”

  I give a small nod and watch her walk away.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  I knew this was a bad idea. I should never have agreed to this.

  “Are you okay?” Harrison asks, genuine concern in his voice.

  “No.” My hands are shaking, and my stomach is twisted in so many knots it’s painful. I push my chair back and stand. “I-I should go.”

  I don’t wait for his response. I make a bee-line for the exit, not even thinking about how I’m going to get home. All I know is I have to get out of here – now.

  “Brynne.” Harrison catches up with me outside.

  When I don’t stop walking, his hand wraps around my waist, and I’m pulled against his chest.

  “Stop.” The command in his voice has my already unsteady legs trembling.

  “I-I ca-can’t be here.” I can barely breathe. Panic claws at my throat.

  Everything I’ve worked so hard for is titling over a very fine ledge.

  “Okay. Let’s go. I’ll take you home.” He wraps an arm around my shoulder, and leads me to the limo that’s waiting a few yards away.

  He doesn’t remove his arm even when we’re inside the car. Just continues to hold me protectively. Or at least that’s what my body wants to believe, because it melts into him, and all the fight I had a few moments ago dissipates.

  “That…woman…” I can barely get the words out. “She hates me already. She’ll use…this…as an excuse to get rid of me.”

  “She won’t,” he mutters against my hair. “Trust me.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  He places his hand under my chin and tilts my face up. “Yes, I can. Your job is safe. I’ll make sure of that.”

  “If I do what you want.”

  He frowns. “No. There are no stipulations.” His lips twitch up and his thumb strokes across my jaw. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you in my bed.”

  A small moan builds in my throat, but I manage to suppress it. “I-”

  “I know. You can’t. You shouldn’t You won’t.” He traces the outline of my mouth, gaze dark. “But you want to.”

  “Yes,” I admit. “I want to.”

  His grip tightens and he exhales heavily. “You want to be safe. I understand that. You’ve worked hard for what you have and you don’t want to let anything get in the way of that.”

  “You don’t know anything about me.”

  “Am I wrong?”

  No. He’s absolutely right. I shake my head.

  “I’m not dangerous, Brynne.”

  I laugh at that. He’s the most dangerous man I’ve ever met. Because he’s the only one who’s ever truly held the ability to break my heart.

  I can’t let him do it again.

  “We have different definitions of danger.”

  “Maybe. But I won’t hurt you. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”

  I sigh, shakily. God, I want to believe him.

  “Trust me, Brynne.”

  Trust him? With what? My secrets. My body. My heart.

  “I’ll take you home if you want.”

  No, my body screams. I don’t want to be alone.

  I want him.

  Desperately.

  I need his touch. Even if it’s just one night.

  Chapter Eight

  Harrison

  I’ve only kissed the woman, but I know I’m in deeper than I ever thought possible.

  There’s nothing I won’t do to make her mine - to make sure no one ever hurts her again.

  I brush my lips over her forehead, and let out a low, uneven breath, then tell the driver to take us back to my place.

  Her body is molded against mine, her fingers clenched around my shirt.

  “Harrison?” I hear the mixed emotions in her voice. Fear mixed with want.

  “I’ll take care of you, sweetheart.” I can’t fucking wait to get her home, to tear her clothes off and bury myself balls deep inside of her.

  I need it, and she needs it too. The connection. The release.

  When we pull up to my house, I don’t hesitate taking her hand and guiding her inside, up the stairs towards my bedroom.

  Once inside the room, I pull her towards me.

  “Harrison.” Her eyes are wide, her lips trembling with anticipation and a hint of fear.

  “You’ve got nothing to fear, love.” My hand slip
s under her dress, brushing over her breast, the nipple hardening against my touch. I have to stifle the groan that builds in my throat. “I’m going to take care of you tonight. And every other night from now on.”

  A small whimper escapes her lips, but I can see the disbelief in her eyes.

  “Trust me, Brynne.”

  She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and her fingers move to my belt.

  I capture her wrists. I know what she intends, but I don’t want to rush things. I’m going to take my time. Devour every inch of her body. The primal part of my brain wants nothing more than to consume her, torment her until she surrenders fully, and admits she’s mine.

  Slowly, I undress her. Taking my time as I expose each delectable inch of her skin.

  “So fucking beautiful.”

  For a moment, I’m lost in her beauty and my chest tightens with emotions I’ve never felt before.

  I cup her cheek and run my thumb across her bottom lip. Her mouth parts slightly, her gaze hungry and wanting.

  Need whirls through me like a fucking cyclone. My balls ache and my cock is like steel, ready to dive deep and explode within her, and I have to fight the urge to take her swiftly.

  I travel down her body, kissing, licking, sucking on her neck, breasts, stomach, trailing down to the soft curls between her thighs.

  Her hands are in my hair, and her eyes are half-lidded and slightly glazed when she looks at me, burning with passion and need.

  As I lick her clit she jerks in response, arching towards my mouth.

  “Harrison,” she moans.

  The taste of her is pure heaven.

  I slide my tongue inside her and fuck her with short, rapid strokes. Her body is tight, tense, and trembling with her building orgasm. I know she’s close, I can feel her body quivering with the need of her release.

  As she goes over the edge with a cry of pure pleasure, I can’t hold back the groan that reverberates from my chest.

  My self-control is crumbling. And I know if I don’t take her soon, I’m going to fucking explode.