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Then, something hit me on the back of the head, and I caught the bracelet as it fell down my shoulder. I stared at the shells of different shades of white and a lump lodged itself in my throat. Even if I did tell him the truth, there were still a lot of issues there. I’d signed a contract with his mum saying that I’d never be in a relationship with him. If something happened between us again and she found out.... Well, she’d sue me for everything I had, which wasn’t much. Ellis depended on me now, though.
There was nothing in the terms and conditions about sex, however. The thought made me ill. I hated that I still loved him so damned much that fucking would never be enough for me. He was my first great love, the man I’d wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
More honking sounded behind me, and I made the quick decision to pull the car over into a loading zone before I spun around to look at him.
He stared at me, waiting, and all the thoughts crashed into my head.
Lie.
Tell him the truth.
He deserves to know.
He’ll lose his mother.
It’s too late now.
I swallowed as his hard gaze devoured me. It was now or never.
Someone rapped harshly on Judah’s window with their knuckles, and we both jumped. Judah hit the button to lower the window, bringing a man in a black suit and hat into view.
He grinned at Judah. “Mr. Dailey, it seems your new driver stopped a little too early.”
Ah. So, he was the doorman to the building, or at least, that’s what I assumed when he opened the door and stepped out of the way.
Judah glanced at me, waiting, but I shook my head.
“Where should I park the car?”
All I got in answer was a glare. He swept from the car, and I watched, unable to tear my eyes away from his strong back as his suit jacket fluttered behind him. More honking and yelling drew me out of my daze, and I looked at the bracelet in my hand. I slid it onto my wrist, sighing in relief as it slipped back onto its rightful place.
I still had to decide what to tell him, but for now I had time.
7
JUDAH
The window of the boardroom looked out onto the mirrored wall of the Divine Conglomerate building, and I winced as the late afternoon sunshine glinted into my eyes. That place was such an eyesore. The Divines thought they were better than everyone else in New Gothenburg’s business community and just had to flaunt their wealth.
There was a burst of laughter behind me, and I sipped my champagne as I ignored the celebration going on. We’d secured all the money we needed for our newest project. The ice tires were looking like they were going to be a roaring success. We had orders pouring in from all over the country and Canada—and we were in talks with some dealers in the Netherlands. It seemed like we would be the next big thing in the tire world, which moved slowly compared to other industries. What Tav had said about the tires not being mine had dug under my skin. I’d taken a chance on the technology, and I never claimed I created it. I blew out a long breath and swirled the bubbly amber booze in its flute.
Jon Ong clapped a hand to my shoulder, and I straightened, meeting his gaze first in the window reflection, then turning to him with a smile forced onto my face.
“You did a great job with all this.” I gestured vaguely but meant the ice tire project in general. “You all know Jon organized everything except the cash,” I called loudly, and there was applause and laughter.
Jon flushed and winked at me. “This is your day to shine, and you’re over here staring at—” He glanced out the window and visibly cringed. “Well, I was going to say the sky.”
I snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, just thinking about everything else we need to do to keep things rolling forward.”
He nodded seriously but also got that panicked expression of someone trying to enjoy a party who is concerned he’s going to get sucked into more work.
“Don’t worry. We can have too many meetings about it later.”
He bumped me with his elbow. “I’m taking Ella out tonight to celebrate. Do you want to come with us?” He raised his eyebrows. Ella worked for an advertising agency that rented a couple of floors above us, and from what I understood, he’d managed to get her phone number by being charming every morning on their shared elevator ride.
“No. Thanks for the invite, though. You’ll have more fun alone.”
“All right. You know my number if you change your mind.” He smirked as he wandered off.
