I sat in the spare office in my brother’s home hunched over more paperwork. We decided to go with the more expensive building in Switzerland for our headquarters that required the least amount of renovation. The views were stunning, not to mention we had built quite a reputation for our real estate acquisitions in the country. Switzerland had been the first place I attacked when we launched our international brand, so to stick our headquarters there and bring jobs to the country made it feel like we were giving back to a country that had opened its arms to us. I was excited to get the documents signed and notarized so we could finalize the purchase.

But I needed more coffee to keep trudging forward.

I slipped out of the office and went to make myself a cup, then I started wandering around the house. Things had been eerily quiet between Clay and Callie since the proposal interview. Outside of the initial explosion and me declaring I’d come stay with them, nothing else had happened. At least, nothing I was aware of.

I walked into the library and found Callie curled up in a chair with her nose in a book. I leaned against the doorway, studying her while she read. Her knees curled into her chest and her hair thrown up in a messy bun on top of her head. Her beautiful eyes moving a thousand miles a second across the lines of the pages. She was entranced by whatever story it was, and judging by the cover it was some sort of sci-fi fantasy novel. I watched her chew on her lower lip. I watched her eyes grow wider. Her toes began to curl into the cushion of her seat and her grip grew tighter on the cover of the book.

Out of all the moments I’d ever witnessed Callie in, my favorites where when she was reading. How she got into the characters and lost herself between the pages of her books. It was the most vulnerable I’d ever seen her, and I adored every second of it. The way she panted when things got stressful. The way her cheeks flushed when things got heated. The way her lips moved with the words of the page when she was trying to speed through to the end.

I was entranced by her.

The sound of vibrations hit my ears and I watched her jump. It ripped her from her trance and her book went plummeting into her lap. She looked down at her phone before her eyes whipped over to me, and she seemed shocked to see me standing there.

“Hello,” I said.

She wrinkled her nose before muting the phone call she had coming in.

“Don’t ignore it on my account,” I said as I sipped my coffee.

“I’m not. It’s not an important call,” she said.

I chuckled as I took a step into the room.

“Who called?” I asked.

“Do you make it a habit of standing in doorways and watching people read?”

“Maybe,” I said, grinning.

But I did notice that she didn’t answer my question.

“What are you reading?” I asked.

“Ender’s Game.”

“Is it good?”

“Oh, yes. I’ve read it four times already.”

“Sounds like a hell of a book, then, to capture your attention like that,” I said.

“You should read it if you have time. It’s worth the ride.”

“Then maybe I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“You can borrow it once I’m done,” she said.

She smiled at me and it tugged me closer to her. Our eyes connected, and I wanted to reach out and brush the wispy strands of hair away from her forehead. I gravitated towards her before rerouting my course. Instead of sitting next to her on the very small couch she had acquired for herself, I sat down in the chair next to it. Enough distance to where I couldn't touch her, but close enough to feel as if I could be a part of her world again.

Then, that look crossed her face. The look of worry I’d become so adept at reading in her features.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked.

“You’re not going to like it,” she asid.

“Try me. You know I’m here if you ever want someone to talk at.”

She sighed before her eyes fell to the wall in front of her as she unfurled her legs.

“Would it really be so bad if I sat and talked with Matthew?” she asked.

I felt my body stiffen as I clutched my mug of coffee tight. Was that asshole still calling her? Still harassing her? Had he said something to her? Threatened her with something I didn’t know about?

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean, just talk. You know, sit down face-to-face like he wants and tell him face-to-face, calmly and collected, that it’s over.”

“It depends,” I said.

“On what?”

“On whether you can stand your ground with him while you’re face-to-face.”

“What does that mean?”

I watched an unreadable expression come over her face before fire ignited behind her eyes.

Shit. I’d pissed her off.

“Whether or not you want to admit it, your heart is on the line right now. Your emotions are out in the open, and it’s easy for a man like Matthew to manipulate that if he thinks the cards lay in his favor even for a second,” I said.

“Do you think I’m an easily-manipulated person?”

“No. But everyone can be when emotions are running high.”

“I can stay strong, Colt. I’ve always been strong.”

“I never said you weren’t strong. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him. I don’t want you getting yourself into a situation where you begin to make excuses for his behavior.”

“I’ve never made excuses for him,” she said.

I knew I had offended her, but I didn’t care. Everyone makes excuses at some point in time for people they love. And the truth of the matter was that Matthew and her had been together for years. I was concerned she’d throw her choice out the window because of the little mind game he was playing with her. I was scared she’d take him back, and I didn’t know if I could handle that happening. I didn’t know if I could handle going to bed at night after having her and knowing another man’s hands were on her body.

Call me selfish, but the thought made me sick.

“Despite the weakling you apparently think I am, Colt, I’m capable of having adult discussions without my mind being poked and prodded at.”

“Callie, I never said--.”

“You said it perfectly. You think I’m capable of playing mind games with myself when it comes to purchasing property for my practice, but you don’t think I can defend myself against a mind game when it comes from some pathetic boy?” she asked.

“I know you’re upset with me--.”

“Upset? I’m not upset, Colton. I’m hurt. Offended. I’m a psychology major, for fuck’s sake. I know when I’m being manipulated. I know when my leash is being tugged on. And I know how to manipulate back. I’m good at it. I know how to address Matthew in this current circumstance, and I thought you would have known that about me.”

I watched her shoot up to her feet as her book tumbled to the floor. Current circumstance? What the hell was she talking about.

“Thanks for the support,” she murmured.

“Callie, who was it that called you earlier?” I asked.

“What?”

“When your phone vibrated. Who was--?”

But the ringing of the doorbell interrupted my train of thought. I watched Callie pick up her cell phone and her book before making her way to the front door. I stood to my feet, abandoning my coffee in the library as I followed after her. She padded her way across the foyer as I stood in the doorway of the library, watching as her hand fell to the doorknob.

“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

But instead of answering me, she merely swung the front door open and rolled her shoulders back. And the voice that filled the foyer sent my blood boiling in my veins.

“Can I come in?” Matthew asked.

Him.

That little piece of shit.

Matthew was the guest at the fucking front door.