Page 56 of Her New Billionaire Bosshole

A cynical voice in the back of my head says,Once again, everyone else knows before you.

On the screen, Elliot stands up, sets the microphone on the table, and walks right out of the video. I only realize my mouth is open when the screen goes to commercial, a bear dancing around and telling me the benefits of great toilet paper.

“He’s not selling?” Molly asks, her gaze shifting to me, volume rising as she repeats it, “He’s not selling?”

“I guess… not.” I’m stunned, still staring at the screen as it changes over to a candy commercial.

“Sophie Kendall!” Olivia calls from the screen, waving her hand emphatically. “You need towake up!Go and find that man!”

“Olivia,” I hiss, bringing the phone closer to my face like that will keep anyone from hearing her. I glance at Molly, but she’slooking at me with a coy expression, like she already knows exactly what Olivia is talking about.

Turning back to the phone, I say, “Just because he wants the team doesn’t mean he wants me. And it doesn’t mean I want him! He was going to sell without telling me, and he’s a grade-A asshole?—”

“You’re right.”

I actually gasp when I look up and see Elliot in the doorway, looking like he ran all the way here to get across town, his tie askew, his face flushed. Molly lets out a sound and steps back, and Olivia squeals from the phone.

“Oh myGod, is that?—”

I tap the button to end the call and Molly takes the phone from my limp hand, sliding along the wall toward the door.

“I’ll just be going,” she whispers, but I can’t look at her.

I can only look at Elliot, who’s staring at me like I’m the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Sophie,” he says, taking a step into the room, his eyes never leaving mine. “I know I fucked up. Big time. I realize now that— well, I realize what agrade-A assholeI was being. Even if I wanted to sell the team, I should have talked to you about it.”

I cross my arms over my chest, defensiveness rising in me. “Why would you want to sell the team? I thought that you were coming around to it. To Dallas.”

My sentence conveniently leaves out the last, and most important part:to me.

“I was,” he says, taking another step toward me, and I smell a rush of his spicy cologne. “Iam,” he amends.

“So then why sell?” I hate the way my voice sounds choked. He’s already apologized for doing it behind my back, but I want to hammer the point, make him understand how much it hurt me.

“Because,” he says, voice low, gaze still locked on mine. “I want to be with you, Sophie. And I thought that, with me owning the team, and you being the coach — I knew you wanted to keep things between us quiet. And I don’t want that. I want to have you. Publicly. So I thought that selling might be the best thing for both of us.”

“But what if the team went to an evenworseperson?” I ask, before realizing what that sounds like. “Well, not that?—”

“No,” he laughs, holding up his hand and letting out a breath. “I know what you’re saying. And you’re right — that’s almost exactly what was going to happen. It was… turns out it was my dad who made the offer.”

I suck in a breath, eyebrows shooting up. “Your dad… who you were trying to make proud?”

“Right.” Pink splashes over his cheeks, and my hands itch to press against those spots, see how warm they are to the touch. “Well, yeah. Turns out, he would do anything to get me out of this business. I’m starting to think it has less to do with him hating sports and more to do with him having control.”

“I’m sorry, Elliot.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” he says, finally rounding my desk and coming to face me. Reaching down, he takes my hands and pullsme up out of my chair, his eyes skipping back and forth between mine. “I’m here to apologize toyou.”

“Right. I really don’t like that you went behind my back, Elliot.”

“It will never happen again. You have my word.”

“You said publicly… does that mean you don’t want to befriendly colleagues?”

“Sophie,” he breathes, shaking his head. “Ineverwanted to be your colleague. I’ve just… I don’t have much experience with relationships. I was so caught up in making money, in my businesses being the most important thing to me, that I thought I couldn’t make it work with you. That it would be better to let you go before I got too deep.”

He smells so good, and his palms are warm against mine, and it’s hard to think clearly when he’s this close to me. Without meaning to, I glance over at my desk, at the exact spot we were in two weeks ago.