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“That’s not what happened. I told Bernard I couldn’t agree to anything without you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up, and I was momentarily distracted by the vision of burying my face between them. “How is it that you were even in a meeting with the man alone, Jason?”
I knew she wasn’t going to let me off the hook easily when she said my full name. She never called me Jason unless she was pissed at me.
“He turned up without warning and insisted on speaking to me on the spot because he had other offers on the table for the apartment. I know how much you want it, so I reluctantly agreed to see him.” I reached out and wrapped my hand around her arm gently, but she shook it off.
“He’s probably bluffing and you know it.” She was right. I had suspected as much, but hadn’t wanted to take that chance.
“Yes, he probably was, but I didn’t know for sure. I didn’t want to risk losing the apartment because I know you love it.”
Her expression softened a little, but then hardened again. She didn’t answer, instead turning on her heel and heading toward the stairs. I followed behind her and we climbed one floor in silence. She stormed down the hallway and into her office, walking past Marian without saying a word. Our assistant looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and I sighed.
“Oh dear. She found out about your meeting with Mr. Wilkinson.”
I nodded. “She and the marketing team came out the same time we did.”
“She’s angry with you.”
“Yep.”
Marian opened her mouth to say something, but fell silent when Emilia reappeared, her large tote on her shoulder.
“I’m going home, Marian.” She pointedly ignored me. “I don’t wish to be disturbed. Please hold all my calls until tomorrow.”
“Of course, Emilia. See you then.”
I was tempted to follow her but knew her well enough that it was best to leave her be to cool off. She’d come to realize I was telling the truth, but until then she’d want to be alone.
So I went back to my office after telling Marian to divert all of Emilia’s calls to me and spent the rest of the afternoon trying unsuccessfully to put our argument out of my mind and concentrate on work.
I left the office earlier than usual, my soul uneasy. I hated fighting with Emilia, not that we did it often. The idea that she was angry with me didn’t sit right with me.
When I got home, she wasn’t in any of the rooms on the top floor, nor was she on the rooftop. Not that I’d expected to find her there, since it was cold outside. She also wasn’t in any of the rooms on her floor, which surprised me. I thought she’d be in her bedroom, but there was no sign she’d been there.
I went down to the bottom floor and found her sitting on the window seat in my bedroom, which was really our bedroom now since she slept there with me most nights. Her back was against the frame, her knees drawn up toward her chest with her arms wrapped around them.
She’d changed out of her business attire and had slipped into something more comfortable: an old tee and leggings. The heat was on, ensuring the entire penthouse was at a comfortable temperature, so there was no need for a sweater.
Emilia was gazing out the window, staring out over Central Park in the dark. The twinkling of the lights of Manhattan at night were easily visible from where I stood, and I watched them along with her for a few moments.
“Hi, Em.”
Her head lifted up and she looked at me through my reflection in the glass. “Hi, Jase.” She was quiet, her tone sad, and my heart ached. I knew she was no longer angry at me, and I was relieved, but I needed to make things right between us.
I crossed the room until I was at the window seat and eased down onto it, sitting with my back to the window facing her. I didn’t speak, waiting for her cue, and when her hand slowly slid across the seat toward me, I took it. Our fingers entwined together automatically.
She breathed in, her chest heaving, before exhaling shakily. “I’m so ashamed.”
My heart began to thump heavily. “Ashamed? Why?”
Finally, she looked at me, and the tears swimming in her eyes made me want to hold her close. “Because I believed him. Just for a little bit. I honestly believed you’d agreed to a deal without talking to me first, and it hurt so fucking much I wanted to throw up.”
“Oh, Em. I’m so fucking sorry, sweetheart. I should have refused to see him until you were free. I was just worried he was telling the truth and would sell the apartment from underneath us. I didn’t want to lose it for you.”
“I know, and I love you for it.” Her fingers tightened around mine and squeezed. “I overreacted. Wilkinson just pisses me off. He’s such a pompous ass.”
“Yes, he is.” I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed it. “And just for that, we’ll negotiate his price lower and hit him where it really hurts.”
