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“Fuck off,” I tell her, moving into Easton’s office.
He glares at me, livid, and then Weston turns to me. Beside him are familiar broad shoulders and messy hair.
Everything feels like it moves into half speed when Asher turns around and his golden-brown eyes meet mine. Confusion and betrayal settle in my expression, and I’m hurt.
My jaw clenches tight as I look at the three of them. Asher sees the folio in my hand and tenses. My brothers see the rage swirling in my eyes. I’m ready to explode, a ticking time bomb full of rage.
“I told you not to interfere in my life. You refused to respect my wishes,” I say, my voice steady.
I am the calm before the storm, the one where I decimate them entirely off the planet.
“Billie, what is your fucking problem?” Easton spits out just as Stormy enters behind me.
My nostrils flare, and I realize no matter how many times I’ve asked them to leave me alone and not meddle in my business, my brothers have never listened. They’ve always done whatever they want, playing by their own game.
“You’ve continued forward with controlling me and my business whether I was on board or not,” I say, whispering. “For the last fucking time, I don’t want any of your help.”
“Billie,” Asher says behind me as angry tears stream down my face.
“Don’t talk to me,” I bark out, needing to escape the suffocating room.
I step onto the elevator, and he chases me inside. The doors slide closed, and when I look into his eyes, the elevator feels like it’s free falling.
I need air. I need to breathe. I need to calm down.
“I can explain everything,” he says, slapping his hand against theEmergency Stop button. We’re suspended by nothing more than wires and time. “You’re in your head.”
“I don’t want to hear another one of your fucking lies,” I say, acting cold, like the Ice Queen he believes I am.
He takes a step forward and smirks, like he’s enjoying it.
“The very last thing you should be doing right now is looking at me like that. This isn’t a joke.”
He gives me a cocky grin, amused. It makes me angrier.
“On a scale from one to ten, how fucking enraged are you, Ice Queen?”
“One billion.”
“Ah, luckily, I can work with billions,” he says, cupping my cheeks in his hands and sliding his warm mouth against mine.
I instantly relax and melt into him; my body has always been a traitor when it comes to him. It still is.
He’s a traitor.
I push away from him. “You can’t just kiss me like that. You tricked me into falling in love with you.”
He bursts into laughter. “Yeah, right. Give yourself more credit than that. Falling in love with me wasn’t a trick, princess. It was a full-ass treat.”
“You’re enjoying this too much,” I say between gritted teeth.
“Ah, you know I love seeing you at your limit. It’s my kink. Your heart rate climbs, and your breasts rise and fall with each ragged breath. That, combined with the swirling disdain in your eyes that drown me each time I look into them, is almost too much. And that mouth. Mmm. Fuck, that smart-ass mouth of yours. You know, the other day, I was wondering if the ruthless Ice Queen still existed. Thanks for confirming she does. You’ll need to let this version of you appear when we’re in London.” He shrugs, unbothered by me and my eternal anger.
“I am not seeing you in London.”
“How many shit sandwiches do you want to eat? I’ll see you inLondon because you can’t fucking resist me, Billie. The heart wants what it wants,” he says, way too confident.
“Yeah?” I step away from him, creating much-needed space. “And what does your heart want, Asher? More under-the-table favors from my brothers?”