Page 167 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

He stares at me with a pained look. Then he closes his eyes. “Do you what you must, Paisley.”

Just like that, he’s given up.

I don’t knowhow much time has gone by, but Hercules has finished his hot dog, and I’m almost done. We’ve been eating in silence. I still love being in his presence. As of right now, that odd connection we’ve always shared doesn’t want to let go, so we don’t.

“What made you say that I’ve always been a good guy?” he finally asks.

I freeze, momentarily taken aback by his question. It came out of nowhere. “It’s just”—I shrug—“ever since I’ve known you, I noticed that you care about the people others shun.”

He grunts thoughtfully as his frown is replaced by a more curious and open expression. That clues me in that he needs me to elaborate.

“Like Chase Creed, for instance. Remember him?”

Hercules nods slowly. “Yeah, I do. He was a smart guy.”

“They used to pick on him.”

“I know.”

“They stopped, though.”

“I know,” he said. “I made it a point to have several conversations with him at his locker, so they’d stop.”

My smile builds slowly. Gosh, if he weren’t engaged, my lips would maul his. “What the hell. Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“I’ll help you.” I shrug. “Max and Leo will definitely not like it. And my parents might disown me, but I’ll do it.”

“Your parents won’t disown you, Paisley.”

I sigh. “I know, but they have Jedi mind tricks that’ll make me feel disowned. But I can deal with them if need be. Also, I can’t be an employee. I’ll do it for free.”

Hercules shakes his head unwaveringly. “No. I have to pay you.”

I cock my head to the side. “Come on, Hercules. Do I really need the money?”

After taking a moment to think about it, he chuckles. “I guess not. Your family is the richest crop in the world.”

“Well, they are, but I live off of my own money. I’m the one who created Killer Firewall, and I’m the one who got TRANSPORT to work. Therefore, I’m paid royalties for both.”

Hercules’s butt jumps to the edge of the bench. “No shit?”

I nod. “Yes. I have more money than I know what to do with, so I don’t need a salary or payment. Also…”

His wide eyes make me think he’s still processing and probably calculating how independently wealthy I am.

“I want to get in on you helping Benny?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head adamantly.

“Why not?” I whine.

“Because I don’t need your money, Paisley. And you can’t work for me without being paid.”

I huff as I narrow an eye.So, Hercules is proud. That’s something new I learned about him. However, I grew up among nothing but proud men. He’s dealing with a pro. “Sorry, Herc. Those are my terms for working with VTI. I get to help Benny. And you can’t pay me a dime.”

He grunts thoughtfully as his brooding frown intensifies. “How about you work for me, and I’ll put your salary aside until we can figure out what to do with it.”