Chapter 24

Bonnie

I couldn’t believe the audacity of this man to smile at me! Did he think he could manipulate me again?

But of course, Nash Preston’s proximity had its immediate effect on my body. He was in a suit again, indicating that he was clearly at a meeting earlier. His gray eyes looked soft in the sunshine now, and his sharp jaws were peppered with that two-day stubble that I still couldn’t explain. His hair was shaggy and dark, and he hadn’t styled it too neatly today so that a few unruly chunks of jet-black hair fell over his forehead and his right eye. He had no tie on, just a plain white shirt and a deep navy suit. He looked good enough to eat. But my mind was wavering again.

“I’m serious. I’ll be here all night if I need to be. You might own this building now, but I can still protest the demolition,” I said, jutting out my chin at him. I could feel his large hands on my shoulders still. They had a tingling effect on my skin. He was standing too close to me, looming over me, looking down at my face. I could smell him, his peppermint breath, that musky masculinity oozing from his body.

“You don’t need to do any of that, I’ve stopped it now, Bonnie. It’s over,” he said with that same self-assured smile on his face. The one that made me want to melt into his arms, the one that was so confident that it instantly assured me that everything was all right. But I wasn’t falling for it this time. I knew I’d said that to myself like a hundred times already, but I was determined now.

“Why didn’t you stop it when you said you would, Nash? Why did you let it come to this?” I spat the words out at him. I could feel my nape reddening. He still had his hands on me, which was making it difficult for me to concentrate.

The smile dropped from his face, and he licked his lips. His hands were slowly withdrawing. He looked guilty, almost apologetic again.

“I’m sorry, Bonnie. I didn’t officially stop it, but I did text Sera about it. I was taking my time because I thought the scheduled date for the demolition was at least ten days away. I thought I had plenty of time,” he said and stepped away from me, giving me my space.

I finally extracted my arms away from the wall, breathing in deeply. Could I believe what he was saying? Was he fooling me again?

“I spoke to Sera; she said she didn’t get any orders from you,” I said, crossing my arms over my breasts now. Was he throwing his secretary under the bus to get another night with me?

Nash’s brows furrowed; he seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

“That’s strange, because she always reads my texts. She’s always on top of everything. And now that you mention it, she never replied to that one,” Nash said, pursing his lips.

I gulped, I didn’t want to overreach, like Sera had warned me. Maybe she was right to point out that I didn’t know her place in Nash’s life.

“I think she did this on purpose, Nash,” I said, with a quivering voice. The last thing I wanted was to turn into one of Nash’s jealous crazy women. That just wasn’t me. So out of character to fight over a man. But was I really fighting? Or was I fighting back? And I wasn’t even sure how Nash would react to those words.

“You’re probably right. She might be trying to jeopardize my relationship with you,” he said and relief flooded my limbs. Those were the last words I expected to hear from him.

“Is she jealous? Has she done this before?” I asked, stepping closer to him. Who was I kidding? There was no way I could resist those wide shoulders and that rock-solid chest.

“No, but that’s probably because I’ve never spent this much time with a girl before,” Nash said, wrapping one hand around my waist. He pulled me close to him. We were smiling again.

“You got here just in time,” I said, flinging my arms over his shoulders, and Nash leaned his face toward me, knocking our foreheads together gently.

“I wanted to see you again. I missed you already,” he said and I bit down on my lip.

“So, does this mean I can still work here?” I asked.

Nash kissed my forehead. “Of course. This is your office, your team. Those are your codes,” he replied and I felt giddy with happiness.

I had to give him another chance. Even if this was a game he was playing, Nash Preston was definitely the best player there was. Who was I to deny my body what it wanted? Wherever this was headed, I knew that nobody else could make me feel the way he did. And I deserved a shot at happiness the same way he deserved another chance. And really, what more did I have to lose now? He had my company, my building and my body. Now he was offering me my old job, my old team and a chance to be with him. I mean, how stupid would I have to be to say no to that?

I rose on my toes, reaching for a kiss, when I heard Peter clear his throat behind us. I was so lost in thought, that I had completely forgotten that we were still in that same spot, with all my employees, Peter, and the demolition men staring at the scene that had been unfolding.

“Does this mean that the building is not going to be demolished?” Peter asked, when Nash and I turned to look at him.