Page 16 of Rulebreaker

I scowl.

I hate it when she calls me that—something she knows because her green eyes dance with humor and her lips tip up at the edges.

“I just had a thought about the Donovan contract,” I lie.

“Oh yeah?” she asks, calling me on the blatant—at least to the woman who’s become my right hand over the last few years—lie. “Tell me.”

“It’s late,” I say. This isn’t a lie. She needs to get home to her daughter—and my goddaughter—Frankie. “I’ll run it down and fill you in if you need to take care of anything else on that front.”

She studies me closely.

Does it long enough for me to grit my teeth so I don’t fidget.

“You haven’t been the same since you dropped Lily off in Denver last week.”

She’s right.

Because for a moment I felt like I held the world.

Then she walked out of my life without so much as a backward glance.

“Things are busy,” I say. “And Banks and the guys are too busy being in love for us to get on the ice and work off some of the frustrations that come with negotiating with Titan Capital.”

Truth. And also truth.

Just…not all of it.

She winces—because she’s dealt with the Titan Capitalnegotiations more than anyone else in the company. They—and their CEO, Jean-Michel Dubois—are ruthless and capable.

A deadly combination.

What’s worse? Jean-Michel is a good guy. He won’t fuck people over who’ve earned his trust and he has a strong moral code that I can’t help but admire.

But fuck if the man won’t squeeze every penny, every concession out of a negotiation.

“That’s part of it,” Briar agrees. “Everyone else is busy—Banks is worried about Aspen, since the baby will be here soon, and Jade and Royal are traveling and playing shows. Even Willow booked that movie and since Dash is her personal bodyguard, they’re preoccupied too.”

“Yeah,” I agree.

“But that’s not all of it.”

It’s not.

Not by a fucking long shot.

But what am I going to tell her?

I got my feelings hurt because I had the best sex of my life and the beautiful woman who gave me that just walked the fuck away?

Yeah, I’d rather have my right nut surgically removed without anesthesia, thank you very much.

“You’ve been off for months,” she says.

I open my mouth.

But don’t so much as get a word out.

“You hide it well, and the guys have been too distracted to really hold your feet to the fire and demand an explanation.”