Page 539 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Can we get out of here and talk?” James asked. “Please?”

There was an edge in his voice that almost sounded like begging.

Didn’t matter. My guard was way up.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing you can say that will change things, James.”

Now it was his turn for his mouth to drop open. “What? Seriously, Natalie?”

I crossed my arms and hoped that my resolve would last. “It doesn’t matter what you want to tell me, my mind is made up.”

His face turned stormy. “So nothing I say to you will matter. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“I don’t see how any words can undo what you did.”

The air between us sparked with static. I could almost feel the heat wafting from his body. As much as I wanted to put distance between us, I held my ground.

His beautiful face looked tormented, with his brows drawn down and his mouth twisted into a frown.

“Do you want to know the truth?” he demanded.

I shrugged. “Go ahead, if you want.” You always do what you want anyway.

His expression softened a little, and his eyes searched my face. I refused to give him any indication of what was going on inside of me. That the tiniest flicker of hope had ignited deep within me.

“I fell in love with you, Natalie,” he whispered. “That’s what I need you to know.”

My eyes filled with tears at his confession.

It was exactly what I wanted to hear…and it didn’t change a thing between us.

I cleared my throat and swallowed the lump in my throat. “You know what? It doesn’t matter that you think you love me. You’ll always love Branson Designs more. We both know it’s true. And I’m sorry, but when it comes to love, I will always put the person I love first—and I won’t accept him doing anything less for me.”

I clenched my teeth together and stared back at him as his face fell. How I wanted to break down and cry, but I wasn’t about to show him that kind of vulnerability. I didn’t trust him with it anymore.

His entire body sagged as he seemed to process what I’d told him.

“But I….” He gestured between us wordlessly. “You mean you don’t…”

I straightened my back, summoning the last bits of my reserve. “I’m sorry, James. You made your choice, and there’s no room for me in your life. Not in the way I deserve. Trust me, us saying goodbye now is for the best.”

I moved to my desk to collect my things, because I was seconds from an ugly crying breakdown. I wasn’t going to let him see just how badly I was hurting.

“Goodbye, James,” I said over my shoulder.

He stood behind me silently, as if he still couldn’t understand what was happening, then I heard his footsteps retreating from the room.

The moment the door shut behind him I dropped my head and let the tears flow.

29

JAMES

I’d fucked up. Nothing had gone according to plan.

It was a first for me, in the worst possible scenario.

I stared out the window of my apartment, trying to make sense of what had gone wrong with Natalie, grappling with the unfamiliar sensation of failing. Even worse, there was a dull ache in my chest that flared every time her beautiful face drifted into my mind.