Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80943 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Money. Power. Ambition. She married me because of my career.
Brody suddenly stopped mid-stride, as the truth of his own stupidity hit him. He’d thrown away the woman he loved because of his career. Because he was scared that being associated with her would affect his image, his contract negotiations.
Who gave a shit about a contract when he had Hayden?
He loved her. He wasn’t sure exactly when it had happened, but he couldn’t deny what he felt for the woman. He’d fallen for her.
Maybe it happened when she first strolled up and proceeded to wipe the pool table with him. Or maybe it happened the first time they kissed. Or the first time they had sex. It could’ve been the night she put on a pair of skates and stumbled all over the ice, or the day she dragged him around the museum talking passionately about every painting on the walls.
He didn’t know when it happened, but it had. And instead of clinging to the woman whose intelligence amazed him, whose passion excited him, whose soft smiles made him feel more content than he’d ever felt in his life—instead of hanging on to her, he’d pushed her away.
And why? Because he’d been implicated in a crime he hadn’t committed? Because his family never had money when he was growing up? So what? His parents loved each other, and their marriage had thrived despite their financial difficulties. What did money and success really matter when you didn’t have someone to share it with? Someone you loved?
A loud laugh suddenly slipped out of his mouth, and he noticed the receptionist giving him a funny look. Releasing a breath, he crossed the lobby toward the hallway and walked back in the direction of the conference room. Fuck, he was an ass. He’d been searching for a woman who’d look at him and see past the athlete, and he’d found her. Hayden didn’t care if he was a hockey star and she didn’t care how much money he made, as long as he was there for her.
He wasn’t willing to lie to protect her father, but he should have told her he’d stand by her no matter what happened with her dad. His relationship with the team owner’s daughter might throw a negative spotlight on him, but it was worth it if it meant keeping Hayden in his life.
“Brody?”
He almost tripped when he saw Hayden standing at the end of the hall, right in front of the conference-room door.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” he asked, quickening his pace.
She stepped toward him, and he noticed her red-rimmed eyes. Had she been crying?
“I came to talk to my dad,” she answered. “And then I remembered that you were being interviewed, too, so I thought I’d find you before you had to go in…” Her voice drifted, and she cleared her throat.
The pain in her eyes tore at his insides. He hated seeing her this way, and he knew why she’d been crying.
Resting his hand on her arm, he slowly pulled her away from the conference-room door and led her to the end of the hall.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said gruffly.
Confused, she tilted her head to meet his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut in before she could.
“But I want you to know that just because I won’t lie for Pres doesn’t mean I won’t be there for you. Because I will, babe. I don’t care what the blogs write about us. I don’t care how my career is affected. I don’t care about anything but you. I’ll stay by your side. I promise I’ll be here for you, as long as you need me.”
He blew out a breath, waiting for her to reply, praying she didn’t say, Well, I don’t need you, asshole. It was just a fling.
But she didn’t say that. She didn’t say anything, in fact.
Instead, she burst out laughing.
“Seriously? You think it’s funny?” he said in annoyance, raking both hands through his hair. “Remind me never to make a romantic speech again.”
She giggled. “Sorry. I only think it’s funny because I came to tell you I’ll stay away from you until the investigation is finished. That I’m willing to do anything to keep you in my life, even if it means staying apart for a while.”
“What?”
“I respect your decision. So if you want to lie low until this blows over, I’ll do that.” She curled her fingers over his arm and looked at him imploringly. “But I don’t want it to be permanent. I don’t want us to end, Brody.”
His features softened. “Neither do I. And I also don’t want us to lie low.”
“Are you sure?”
He moved closer, bending down to plant a kiss on her mouth, right there in the hallway. He didn’t give a shit if anybody saw them. All he cared about was kissing her. Because he hadn’t kissed her in days and he was fucking hungry. They both made a noise when his tongue slid past the seam of her lips and toyed with hers. He was semi-hard in seconds, desperate to drive the kiss deeper, to touch every inch of her body.