Page 46 of Tender Offer (Chance at Love #3)

Madison

O nly a man who ignored me for over a week would cross an ocean to play in my face.

My grip on my phone is the only reason Preston isn’t modeling an imprint of it on his forehead. His audacity is tempting me to test my luck with an assault charge.

The nerve of him to stand here and smell good.

Preston’s smile falls, taking the dimples I love with it. He’s smart enough to know I wouldn’t welcome him with open arms and an invitation to fuck me through a headboard.

I snatch my clutch from his hand and sneak another glance at the frown knitting his thick brows, the teeth sinking into soft lips. The goatee that prickles my thigh.

Another second, and I’ll ride him first and ask questions later.

Reroute .

I stab the elevator button and say a quick prayer of thanks when the doors open immediately. Nine more floors until a warm shower and a soft bed soothe my resentment for the night.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Preston says to my back. The buttery murmur coaxes the hairs on my neck to stand at attention. He steps into the elevator and stuffs his hands into his jeans with a sigh. “You didn’t answer any of my calls or texts. What did you expect me to do?”

I shrug. “Not ignore me in the first place.”

Is it a petty response? Of course.

Do I care? Absolutely not.

The elevator music is no match for my heartbeat, which is pounding under Preston’s stare.

He’s silent, his head tilted to track my every move.

Anyone who faces off with him in the boardroom must have a superpower.

He swapped out his suit for a cable-knit sweater pushed up to his forearms and relaxed-fit jeans over toffee brown high-top sneakers.

It’s his eyes that have me sucking in a gasp. The haunting cognac gaze is daring me to keep it up.

So I do.

Liquid courage.

“Are you sleeping with her?” If he is, he can keep his tender offer and whatever feelings he has for Bellamy.

The look he aims my way traps me in a silent eternity.

“How could you ask me that? I love you, Madison. I want only you, and I’m not pursuing or sleeping with anyone else—KD included.

” Hurt laces his voice, as if I offended him.

Maybe I did, but what am I supposed to think when Bellamy has gone out of her way to stake her claim?

“How do you not see it? She’s in love with you, Preston.”

“I’ve never felt the same way.”

“But that doesn’t stop someone from loving you!” I toss up my hands. Duh! “It takes a special kind of pressed to seek me out. Did she tell you she saw us at Ravenous? Watched us?”

That gets his attention. “What?” He frowns.

“She also canceled some time I booked on your calendar in Paris.”

Confusion swims through the haze of emotions contorting his face. He runs a hand over his goatee and shakes his head. “I—she’s never acted like this.”

“Because no one ever made her feel threatened. Don’t you think it’s weird that your phone magically put itself in airplane mode when you were in the office?

You’ve seen Bellamy as a friend and colleague, but not for who she is: a woman in love.

” I hesitate to ask what I already know. “Have you slept with her in the past?”

His “yes” is low, filled with regret and fear.

I knew it.

The elevator opens to my floor, granting me a pathway of aqua carpeting for the somber walk to my hotel room.

Part of my leaving Paris was to ensure I had the strength to do it should I ever need to leave Preston for good.

I’ve starred in enough mess, and I won’t play myself entertaining some Dawson’s Creek situation between childhood friends.

Joey ended up with Pacey . And after how many seasons of heartbreak?

Exactly.

“We had an arrangement, to make ourselves available if we were in the same city. It didn’t happen every time, but I won’t lie and tell you it was infrequent.”

That explains Bellamy’s willingness to run behind him. The heat from Preston’s desire causes fourth-degree burns. Aside from loving with all the space in his heart, he’s a giver—his tongue being a primary vessel of choice.

“Please don’t shut me out, Puff,” he says against my hotel room door, desperation choking his voice.

“In all my years knowing KD, she’s never acted out or been jealous.

Work is our only relationship. I spoke to her, and I’ll enforce stronger boundaries.

We won’t communicate unless it’s absolutely necessary. Tell me what you need to feel okay.”

For you to toss her into exile.

The sensor submits to my key card. I step behind the door, unsure what to do or how to feel.

That last part is a lie. I feel angry, sad, and scared.

We both have pasts, and we both have to interact with people who know us intimately.

The only difference is that his is present, not in history where it belongs. A coworker he relies on to close deals.

“Do you have any idea how it felt to stay up night after night waiting for you? Wondering why it was so easy for you to ignore me when you were with her?” I draw in a heavy breath.

“I already put myself into some half-assed love triangle once, and I won’t do it again.

You and Bellamy have decades of history that predates me. ”

“Fuck history,” Preston spits. “You have my heart. You’re the only woman I ever loved, the only woman I’ll spend the rest of my life loving. KD is a confidant in business, but us knowing each other since we were kids doesn’t give her—or anyone else—the right to disrespect you.”

“Except she already did, and she’ll do it again!”

“Please trust me, Puff. KD knows this is the first and last time she’ll cross a line. Nothing will happen between us.”

“You can’t promise that.” My voice cracks. “I know what it’s like to hold onto something that isn’t yours.”

Preston lifts my chin. “I know what I’m fighting for, baby. Please trust me. I don’t want to lose us.”

“I’ve played second for too long. I’m tired of being an option,” I whisper.

“You’re my choice. The only one,” he says, sealing his promise with a kiss that knocks the air from my lungs. Then the door clicks shut, and I’m hoisted into his arms. The slide of his tongue against mine ignites a groan that swirls freely to the pit of my stomach.

“I love you” is his chant as Preston moves us to the bed. We shed our clothes, his name an incantation for the magic his tongue stirs between my thighs. Skin to skin, I come undone at the suction of his mouth.

“Tell me when to stop, Puff.” Preston’s mouth travels up my ribs, outlining the tips of my breasts with each lick.

“I want you,” I moan at his fingers fondling my G-spot. I meet him thrust for thrust and explode from the orgasm, curling my pedicure into the fitted sheet.

Preston lifts his head to search my eyes. “Are you sure?” At my nod, he lines himself up with my entrance and pushes into me. The slow burn of his tip steals my breath. “Stay with me, Puff,” he whispers.

I whimper as his hips roll into my center. Images of Preston with Bellamy overwhelm me. Their moans mixed with pleasure, her smirk spread into a smile.

Riding him.

Tasting him.

Savoring intimacy now reserved for me.

“Stay with me, Puff. Please.” Preston thrusts deeper, pinning my knee to his side. Tears form as I watch his hooded gaze trace over my face. “It’s me and you, baby.”

“Me and you,” I repeat. My voice is raw in a fight to cling to this moment. To us. “I love you.”

“I’ve always loved you, Puff.”