Page 46 of Rebellious Hearts

“Back to my room. This is bullshit.”

She started walking away from me. I didn’t want her to go. I touched my hand to her arm.

“Please,” I said, but I wasn’t only asking her to stay. I didn’t know what else I was asking for, but I felt so empty sometimes when she walked away from me.

She glared at me. “I can’t give everything when you’re giving nothing.” Her voice was hard.

“I know. I’m trying.”

She snorted. “You’re not trying anything. You’re just getting everyone else to do the heavy lifting for you so that you don’t have to do the work, but when we go home, your name will be all over the project and I’ll just be the little ol’ employee who happened to have come along.”

I was suddenly furious.

“That’s not how it will be.”

“No? You’re not going to put on any report that we’re equals and that we figured this out together. It will be the success of Ben Blackwood, one of the brothers who opened another factory. My name won’t even be mentioned.”

I shook my head, but she was right.

“Well, why would I mention your name if you’re not willing to work with me?” I countered.

I knew it was a dumb argument, but fuck, she had me cornered and I had to say something. She was about to leave, and I didn’t want her to go.

“Sofia, I need you.”

The words were out before I could stop myself.

She turned to me, frowning slightly. Her face was a mixture of anger and confusion, brows knitted together, and those perfect lips parted slightly.

I looked into her eyes, the color of pure mercury, and I said the words again.

“I need you.”

The atmosphere shifted and something passed between us. Something I couldn’t put my finger on but it wasn’t the anger that she’d spewed a moment earlier.

“You’re a Blackwood,” she said, but the fight had left her voice. “You don’t needanyone.”

I shook my head. “That’s just not true.”

She paused for a beat, and it looked like she was going to give in and we could talk. Or something.

But she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ben. This is just too much.”

Shit, she was going to tell me no. This wasn’t going to work. Without her, I couldn’t get the project, and then I’d look like a failure.

“Sofia, please.”

“I’m not going to—”

Before she could say anything else, I grabbed her and kissed her and everything fell away. The reason I was doing this. The deal I didn’t want to lose. I was wrapped up in Sofia, lost in her, and I couldn’t help but feel like this… wasright.

Sofia pulled back, her eyes stormy again.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.

14

SOFIA