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He was never going to be fine again because she wouldn’t look at him the same way. She would never smile his way or look up at him with eager eyes. She wouldn’t call him Master in that sweet tone of hers, wouldn’t turn that saucy mouth on him.
Fuck, he was going to miss her.
He managed to get the key in the door and turn it. He struggled to open it. He hated the fact that Eric had to move into the doorway so it opened wide enough for him to get the wheelchair through. Eric was carrying his legs.
God, he was such a freak. At least Tiffany didn’t have to see him like this.
He wheeled himself through and then stopped.
Tiffany was standing in the middle of the room, her pretty face frowning his way. She loomed over the room, her arms crossed under her breasts.
Eric stopped beside him.
“I thought you would be gone by now.” He had to play this cool. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and wheel himself right back out of the apartment. “Do you need additional help?”
His tone was properly chilly. He couldn’t afford to look any weaker than he already did.
“No, I’m fine,” she replied, her voice cold as well. She kept her eyes steady on him. “Eric, why don’t you give those to me and then let Sebastian and me have some alone time. We have some things we need to work out.”
“Don’t you dare.” Panic made an appearance. It started low in his gut. What was she planning? What the hell was her game? “Tiffany, you will leave now or I’ll have to do something neither of us wants me to do.”
Tiffany took a deep breath, seeming to forcibly settle herself down. “Sebastian, are you worried I’m going to treat you like a helpless invalid? Are you so afraid I’ll see you in a different light that you’re willing to burn down everything around you to keep me at arm’s length?”
That was pretty well put. “I want you to go. Do you not understand that?”
“Sebastian, is there any way that you think you might be able to love me?”
This was it. He could cut this shit off at the pass and never have to deal with her again. That one tremulously worded question gave him the out he needed. He’d miscalculated with her. He hadn’t expected her to see him as a challenge. “It won’t work.”
It was all he could manage. He couldn’t look at her and break her, couldn’t say those final words that would make her hate him.
“That’s not a no,” she said with a long sigh. “So this is all about you being too stubborn for words and not accepting help from anyone.”
He was fully aware that Eric was standing there, his head swinging back and forth like he was watching a tennis match. He hated it, hated the fact that Eric was standing with his prosthetic legs in hand and he was relegated to this hated chair looking to all the world like an invalid.
And yet she was here. She’d given him an in. Was he really so stubborn that he would shove her away for the crime of seeing him fall, seeing him at his lowest?
Maybe, just maybe he could salvage this, but first he needed to get her out of here so he could rest and try to heal. Hell, he might heal faster if he knew she was waiting to resume their relationship.
“Tiffany, if you’ll leave now, we’ll talk again in a few days and perhaps we’ll negotiate a new contract. I do have feelings for you, but this can’t work if you don’t respect my authority.”
“Oh, Sebastian, you lost all rights to your authority the minute you became too vain to take care of yourself.” She was standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, a look of monumental disappointment on her face.
So that was her game. He’d hurt her and she’d come here to get a little of her own back. She was going to have her scene and then storm out, likely letting him know how much he was missing. Too vain? That was a ridiculous claim. “If you’re no longer interested in maintaining a relationship, you should leave. I notice you haven’t moved your things out. I’ll wait in my room and Eric can help you with packing.”
“I can?” Eric sounded a bit chilly himself.
Tiffany’s whole face turned, her smile becoming a gracious thing as she moved to Eric. “Not at all. Eric, I can’t thank you enough for helping my stubborn boyfriend. It’s my turn to take over. I’m so sorry you had to give up an afternoon of your precious time to do my job. I’ll take those now.”
“I told you what I wanted.” Why wasn’t she listening to him?
She didn’t bother to look his way, simply took his freaking legs from Eric and walked back to his bedroom.
“I think Tiff’s gone insane.” But there was a smile on Eric’s face.
“I need you to remove her.” He didn’t want to do it, but he couldn’t have her staying here. “Haul her out of here physically if you have to.”
One brow arched over Eric’s eyes. “Really? I think I’m done taking orders from you today. I’m a little sick of watching you fuck up everything in your life.”
