She’d pulled away from him so quickly it almost made Dane wonder if they’d even been touching at all. The conference room door was open, his mother already inside and moving to close the door. She eyed them, suspicion flashing in her blue eyes. Shit.

Had she seen them kissing? Dane moved away quickly, but he didn’t know if it was quick enough. Part of him almost hoped she had seen them. It would take the pressure off hiding it. Again.

Jamming his hands into his pockets, he casually said, “Ms. Smith was feeling stressed out by the board meeting. We’re just going over a few things so she’s all caught up.”

“She’s about to be even more stressed out,” his mother said flatly.

His shoulders tensed. So, his mother had seen them together. Which meant things were about to get ten times uglier than they already were. He braced himself to explain.

“Turn on the TV,” his mother barked at Allyson.

He clenched his jaw in irritation at the way his mother spoke to her. As Allyson reached for the remote control, he stretched across the table to hand it over to her. Apparently dear Mommy hadn’t seen them kissing after all.

His momentarily relief vanished the moment Allyson turned on the TV, then to the business network the TV was usually tuned to.

Prescott Global stocks plummet as scandal swirls blared the headline. An anchorman with a grave expression on his face was rattling off numbers. Dane’s chest tightened.

“Insiders suspect that Prescott stock has started to take a hit as businesses and consumers continue to lose confidence in leadership in light of the company’s very recent scandal involving its CEO, Dane Prescott, and a company employee,” the anchorman said stiffly.

A hideous sense of foreboding closed in on him. Stocks had never been that low. And because of a personal relationship? It made no sense. Then again, some things in business never made sense.

His cell phone started ringing. He retrieved it from his jacket. One of Prescott’s most important investors.

“Don’t answer that!” his mother snapped. “Nobody talks to any of the investors until you, your father, and I have an emergency meeting.”

It felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. They all stared in horror at the TV. Prescott stock was still taking a nosedive. He swore under his breath. There had to be a way to calm the market. “We need to make a statement.”

“It can’t be a statement just from the CEO. Especially the one caught in the crossfire,” his mother said. “We’ll release it as a company statement.”

He turned to his assistant. “All—Ms. Smith?”

“On it.” She was already on her cell phone and iPad. After rattling off instructions to the PR department, and having Mrs. Prescott bark out what needed to be said, Allyson turned to Dane. “Now what do we do?”

“A statement buys us some time.” Dane’s mother began pacing. “Now we need to get Ms. Smith transferred to another department and leak that news to the press. Separating you two might help to calm things down. Or make it look worse. We’ll have to take care of this very delicately. Maybe inform the Handels of what’s been going on. They aren’t going to li—”

“No!” Allyson said quickly, her cheeks burning for interrupting. “I think keeping it simplified and quiet within the company might be the easiest. The more people who know, the more speculation there will be instead of the truth.”

“But you agree the two of you need to be separated.” It was a statement not a question.

Dane gritted his teeth in irritation. Even now, with a catastrophe on their hands, his mother was using it all as an excuse to keep meddling. “Allyson’s not going anywhere.”

His mother glared. “Why are you fighting this?”

He crossed his arms, refusing to give in to his mother’s demands. “Because we all told a lie but she’s the only one who has to pay for it. Seems unfair to have senior executives like you and me not face any consequences while Allyson has to shoulder the burden of the fallout.” Dane couldn’t say it, but this was also about his relationship with Allyson. They hadn’t been together long, but he knew that if he didn’t back her up now they didn’t stand a chance. It was his job to protect and defend her. No way was he caving to pressure. No way was he letting his mother or the Handel siblings force his hand. He refused to let them use a disaster like the one Prescott Global was facing now to get what they wanted.

His mother glared at him. “We’re paying, too. Stocks are falling.”

“We’ll bounce back,” he retorted.

“If the investors decide they want you out as company CEO, it won’t matter how much we bounce back,” his mother said sharply. “Don’t you get it yet? Allyson Smith is dangerous for you. Maybe it’s her class, maybe it’s the scandal.” She waved her hand. “Whatever it is, she’ll ruin you.”

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Allyson said softly.

His mother’s eyes widened. It had probably been a long time since a company subordinate had dared to challenge her. “Well, I’m not going to mince words just because Dane is fond of you.”

“I’m not going to mince words, either,” Allyson said firmly. “I respect you, Mrs. Prescott. But I will not be disrespected for taking part in a lie which you had no problem telling as well.”

Dane felt immense satisfaction and pride seeing Allyson stand up for herself. He had no problem protecting her, but watching her stand up to his mother felt damn good. “Allyson covered for you with Dad at the country club,” he reminded his mother.

“And I thanked her for that,” his mother said, her voice wavering only slightly.

“Did you?” Dane demanded. “Are you genuinely thankful, or are you just saying whatever you need to say to get what you want?”

“What I want for you, Dane, is your happiness,” his mother snapped. “I mean no offense, Allyson, but keeping you on as his assistant isn’t going to make my son happy. He must remain CEO of the company. He must be seen with women of the right breeding. The world is the way it is. We cannot pretend otherwise.”

“Do you even know what makes Dane happy?” Allyson asked quietly. “Or are you just deciding that Dane’s happiness is wrapped up in whatever you want?”

Liliana spun around to glare at the only other woman in the room. “I think I know my own son by now,” she said forcefully.

“Then you’d know that none of the women you’ve tossed my way have made me happy,” Dane said. “Not one.”

His mother’s shoulders slumped slightly. She shook her head. “Fine. It’s clear you won’t listen to reason. You’ve made your choice. Keep Allyson. But you’ve only participated in a battle. A war is brewing. This merger was supposed to lift us up, and now we’re mired in scandal. If stocks keep falling, the board will force you to step down, Dane. I wonder if Ms. Smith will be as loyal to your replacement as she is to you.” She turned on her heel.

“Where are you going?” Dane asked.

“To get your father,” his mother replied. “We still need to call an emergency meeting to figure out how to get our stocks back up. The entire board is going to have to be called in if we can’t fix this.” She swept out of the room.

Allyson sank into the nearest seat at the conference table. She buried her head in her hands. “What if she’s right? We’ve spent all this time worrying about my job...maybe it’s yours we should’ve been worrying about.”

He walked over to one of the desks in the corner of the conference room. Opening one of the drawers, he pulled out his father’s bottle of brandy and two glasses. Dane almost never drank alcohol at work, but Prescott’s crashing was as good an excuse as any. He set a glass down in front of Allyson and sat beside her. “Drink?”

“Yes, thanks,” she murmured. There was a weary expression on her face. As if the argument with his mother had completely drained her.

“I’m amazed you stood up to her.” He opened the bottle, poured some brandy into her glass, and then filled his.

“I think she’s been counting on me not being able to. She had a lot more power over me with the old contract, but she’ll have a hard time firing me just for standing up to her. She’s probably furious that she now needs the entire board to fire me.” Allyson sighed. “What if they fire both of us?”

“I’ll make sure you have a job,” he promised. He took a swig of the brandy and winced. The strong liquid burned on the way down.

“And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“This is your company. You love this place, Dane. It became what it is because of you. Your father built a great company, but you expanded outside of America. It went global because of you.”

He did love it. Prescott Global was like a baby to him, as crazy as it sounded. No matter what the company went through, the staff had always been like family to him. Dane believed in the company. Believed in making sports accessible to everyone. Believed that nobody should have to be born rich to take part in the hobbies, sports, and pastimes they loved. Through his work he had met so many people who had enriched their lives and their communities through sports. He’d seen kids get off the streets. Watched those kids who would never had gotten the chance to go to college get scholarships because someone had nurtured their athletic gifts. He’d seen communities come together when their favorite teams won. Not to mention the thousands of jobs the company had created and continued to create.

Allyson was right. He loved Prescott. And she seemed to be the only person in his life who understood that. Meanwhile, his mother thought the company was some sort of game. Some shiny toy she could use to force him in whatever direction she wanted.

“I’m not going to let it fall apart. Nor will I walk away from it.”

“What do we do?” She took a sip of brandy. “If the investors are as scared as we think they are, they might be desperate enough to try to force you out. Not to mention your mother’s meddling.”

“And the Handels are still two very big thorns we have to deal with.” Dane reached for his drink again.

“It feels like everything is against us,” Allyson said softly.

Dane wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and soothe her, but after his mother nearly catching them that wasn’t the best idea. Instead of taking her in his arms and giving in to his passion for her, he placed his hand over hers. The sensation of his skin on hers ignited something in him. Every instinct in him commanded him to protect this woman. Prescott Global was his responsibility, and now company stocks were plummeting. She had to put with up his mother, threats from the Handels, and her job was still in danger because of him. If they couldn’t survive the shark tank that was his world in this moment, he didn’t see how they’d survive at all. Giving in now meant giving in down the road. Choosing Allyson meant that so many forces would try to rip them apart. That could not happen. He would never give her up. The only person who could put an end to their relationship was Allyson herself. And she had assured him she wasn’t going anywhere. Which meant it was them against the world.

“Everything is against us,” he said. “Nobody knows we’re together and they’re still trying to drive us apart.”

“It’ll only get worse when they know the truth.” Sadness flashed in her green eyes.

That tore at him. She was suffering through this chaos, yet she was still by his side. Allyson deserved better than all this. Deserved better than to have her job put in jeopardy. Deserved better than to be threatened by a spoiled brat like Katherine Handel. “We need to fight them,” he said. “No more reacting to whatever they throw at us. We have to hit back.”

“The best way to fight them is if you still have your job as CEO,” she pointed out.

He raised an eyebrow. “You think I’d jeopardize my job?”

“I think you’d do just about anything if you thought someone was a threat to me.” She took a sip of her drink and met his gaze. “That’s what scares me the most, Dane. That you’ll do something you’ll regret just to protect me.”

“The only thing I could regret is losing you.”

“And you have me.”

“So, there’s nothing to regret,” he said firmly.

“Your job is important,” she insisted. “Prescott is important. You can’t put your position at a billion-dollar company at risk just for me. You might not regret it, but I would. Losing your job isn’t a win against your mother, or the Handels, or the press.”

“What are you saying?” His brows pressed together. “That I can’t have both? That I can’t have you and this job?”

She frowned. “I’m saying it’s best to be careful. Things are so crazy right now. If you make too many enemies, you might not be able to survive all this. Nobody cares about the staff the way you do. If you’re not the CEO, the staff will be at the mercy of whoever takes over.”

“Maybe we need to start making some friends then,” he said.

“Oh? Like who?”

“Like my father.” He took a sip of his brandy. Allyson had been right when she suggested they try to get his father on their side. “But if we tell my father like you suggested, we’ll basically have to tell him that we’re actually together. And there’s no way he’ll keep that from my mother.”

She chewed on her lower lip. That made his eyes fall on that soft, kissable mouth of hers. With her around it was a miracle he’d ever been able to get any work done. Allyson was the most tempting distraction in the world. Which was why the idea of his mother tearing her away from him rankled so much. A day away from Allyson was like an eternity. He had never felt like this about a woman before, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let anyone come between them.

“Basically, if we try to get your dad on your side, we’ll end up making your mother even angrier.” She let out a loud sigh. “At least your father will be happy.”

“Yeah, after he gets over the shock.” He couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “But it’s the right thing to do. The right move. A business shouldn’t be balanced on the personal interests of the CEO. It shouldn’t matter. We’re doing nothing illegal.”

“Then we should tell him after the meeting,” she said. “I think it’s better to tell him in private, away from your mother’s influence.”

Relief hit him hard. Him and Allyson being on the same page would make things easier going forward. He couldn’t stand it when they argued. Especially if it was over something his mother had caused. Their relationship had gotten off to a rocky start, but maybe there was a way out of that. Having his father’s blessing might help to make things more official for their relationship. Maybe even bring them closer. Even just one family member on their side could take things to the next level between them. And Dane wanted that. He was tired of hiding his feelings for her.

“Good point.” He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of which, where are they? My mother should have gotten him up here by now. She’ll want us to discuss before calling the board in.”

Allyson reached for her phone and dialed a number. After a long pause she said, “Your mother’s number goes straight to voice mail. I’ll have to go find out where they are.”

“I’ll go get some files from my office while you’re at it.” He downed the last of the brandy and followed her out of the conference room.

A large group of staff had gathered down the hall. Dane frowned. No doubt they were reacting to the news about the company stock falling. Which meant getting his father on their side was important now more than ever.

“I think I see your mother’s assistant,” Allyson said, turning her attention to the crowd. “I’ll go ask her.”

Before Allyson could head down the hall his mother’s assistant, Zelda Monroe, pulled away from the crowd and rushed towards them. As she got closer, Dane noticed that her face was streaked with tears.

“Mr. Prescott!” Zelda cried out. “Mr. Prescott, your father!”

Terror gripped him. “What about my father?”

“I thought someone had already called you with the news.” Zelda started sobbing.

“What news?” he demanded desperately. “Is he okay? Where is he?”

Zelda started shaking. “I saw your father collapse in the lobby. It was awful. The way he clutched his chest. It must’ve been a heart attack.”

Zelda’s voice began to fade away as the blood rushed in his ears. Dane felt like the world had suddenly broken.

No.

No.

No. He wasn’t ready. Zelda was wrong. Not his father. Not the giant of a man who had made him what he was. Not now.

“Zelda,” he said, his voice sounding eerily calm. “What happened to my father?” He swallowed, his voice breaking. “Is he... is he still alive?”