Page 26 of The Temptation (Executive Suite Secrets #4)

PIERCE SUTTON

Time apart fixed nothing. I had never felt so trapped in all my life, and it was a cage of my own making.

I had no idea what to do or where to turn.

Yes, Sebastian, Rome, and Declan had always been there for me, but I was terrified to open my mouth and reveal everything both past and present.

What would they say? How would they react?

It was bad enough that I’d lost Sawyer when we were barely twenty.

Was I supposed to lose my other three closest friends now?

I’d always felt like I was living on borrowed time with them. Eventually, the past would have to come out, and I would lose them.

Yet, I knew Simon was right. This wasn’t simple sexual attraction.

I was falling for him. Everything about him called to me—his smile, his laugh, each crazy thought that flew off his tongue, and his sense of adventure.

Especially that. Nothing seemed to scare him.

He would jump at any insane idea that crossed his mind.

Go halfway across the world to play for a sold-out crowd in Beijing? Sure.

Head off to the African savanna with a team of scientists to see how animals reacted to his playing? Of course.

Flirt with his older brother’s best friend and make him lose his mind? Naturally.

Meanwhile, I was collapsing under the weight of Sawyer’s ghostly glare, wondering if maybe my parents were right. I’d dragged my feet here for long enough. Settling down in Boston, away from Simon, might be my best option if I meant to keep my promise to Sawyer.

Regardless of any promises I might have made to Sawyer, I also didn’t want to hurt Simon. He was precious to me, and I wanted him to be happy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure how I could explain that to him without going into detail, and I wasn’t ready to talk about the past.

When Simon arrived in the afternoon on Monday, I still hadn’t come up with a good approach to handling the situation that we were in. And it took only one look at the scowl on Simon’s face to see that his mood hadn’t improved in the last twenty-four hours.

Marie showed him into my office and offered him something to drink, which he politely declined before glaring at me. She sent me a last questioning glance as if attempting to throw me a lifeline, but there was no saving me from myself as she shut the door on her way out.

“Are you feeling better?” I inquired from where I stood behind my desk. Having bulky furniture between us seemed the safest option. My gut told me Simon was only a step away from slugging me.

“Are you referring to the aftereffects of Saturday or your cruel rejection after we jerked each other off?” Simon’s tone was sharp as he dropped into one of the chairs in front of my desk and folded his hands in his lap.

Ouch , but very deserved.

I sighed. “Both.”

“No.”

“I’m sorry. Truly, I am. It has never been my intention to hurt you. All I want for you is to be happy, and on Sunday, I made a serious error in judgment. I gave in to my desires instead of using my head and thinking about what is best for you.”

Simon’s expression softened, turning almost quizzical as his eyebrows bunched over his nose. “So…what you’re saying is that you care for me?”

“Of course I care about you.”

“And you’re attracted to me,” he pressed.

I bit my tongue before I could stupidly agree. The little shit was trying to lead me by the nose once again, but I wasn’t throwing myself into that trap just to make him happy.

Yet, I didn’t need to say a word. He knew the answer.

Like he’d said, he could feel how much I was attracted to him in every kiss and touch.

I couldn’t hide it no matter how hard I tried.

After all these months of keeping him at arm’s length, Simon had worn down all my defenses and was sneaking past my guard regularly.

“You are. There’s no point in denying it,” Simon continued. “You care about me, and you are attracted to me. I don’t see why we don’t turn this fake relationship into a real one. People have dated with far less to build on than what we have.”

“I’m wondering why you stuck with the violin when you could have gone into law,” I muttered.

Simon smirked. “The only person I argue with is you.”

A surprised bark of laughter escaped me. I didn’t believe that in the slightest. Simon argued with anyone and everyone.

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. You’re the only one I like to argue with. Everyone else? They’re morons.”

“Recently, I feel that we’ve crossed a line that will lead to both of us getting hurt.

I think it would be best if we gave up this charade of pretending to be boyfriends.

The whole idea was ridiculous to begin with.

I’m a grown man. There’s no reason for me to lie to my parents about my dating habits.

I will sit them down and tell them the truth.

We’re just friends, and I have no plans to move back to Boston.

I will date and find a partner in my own time.

There’s no need for anyone to meddle in my love life. ”

As I spoke, my phone lit up with an incoming call from my father. It was on silent to not disturb our conversation, and I ignored it. I could always return his call after my meeting with Simon.

My fake boyfriend huffed and glared at me. “I agree you should tell your parents the truth, but if you’re in the mood to be honest, I think you should begin with yourself. We already have the basis for a great relationship. Why are you running from it?”

“Out of respect for you and your brother.”

“Bullshit.”

I clenched my teeth and swallowed the desire to growl at him. Simon was skilled at driving me crazy. “It’s the truth, whether or not you like it.”

“It’s not. If you had respect for either of us, you’d give us a chance instead of throwing our happiness away for whatever nonsense my dead brother cooked up.”

My gaze fell from Simon to my desk. While my last moments with Sawyer replayed in my head for the millionth time, another call came in from my father. What the hell was so urgent?

“Simon, I want to continue as friends. I’m afraid that if we push what’s between us any further, we’re going to end up hating each other. That’s the last thing I want,” I murmured.

A long, heavy silence followed, and I lifted my eyes to Simon, who was watching me with what appeared to be pity.

“I think you’re in danger of hating yourself for no good reason.

” He leaned forward, resting his hands on his thighs, his piercing stare never wavering from me.

“Please tell me what happened between you and my brother. I swear to you, I won’t be upset or blame you.

Sawyer was my brother. I’m pretty sure I knew him better than most people.

Plus, I think I have a right to know how he’s still fucking up my life from beyond the grave. ”

The words I needed to say weighed heavy on my tongue.

In a way, I agreed with Simon that he should know his brother’s thoughts and feelings, but I didn’t want to taint his memory of Sawyer.

His older brother had loved him dearly and wanted only to protect him.

Wasn’t it better to preserve the image Simon had in his head of Sawyer than to foul it with my last moments with my best friend?

I was still figuring out what to say when there was a brisk knock at the door a second before Marie pushed it open and crossed the room.

“I’m so sorry for the interruption, Mr. Sutton, but your father called. He said your mother has been taken to the hospital.”

“What?” I lurched around my desk, my heart clenching painfully in my chest.

“He mentioned something about a heart condition and asked that you call him as soon as possible.”

“Did he state which hospital Rebecca has been taken to?” Simon demanded as I was attempting to move past my shock.

“UC.”

Simon extended a hand to me. “Come. I’ll drive while you try calling your dad.”

I nodded, glad to hand over one task to Simon while I focused on finding out what the fuck was going on. After snatching my phone up, we followed Marie out of my office to where our coats were stashed in a nearby closet.

The drive to the hospital was a blur. I tried several times to get ahold of my father, but now he wasn’t answering. I could only assume he was meeting with a doctor.

“Has your mother had heart problems for long?” Simon inquired as we were waiting for a light to turn green. It was a gray day, with heavy clouds hanging low in the sky, threatening to dump several inches of snow on a city that wasn’t very good about handling even a dusting of the stuff.

“No. I think she started seeing a cardiologist in the past year. Something about problems with the rhythm. I’m not sure. She always made it sound like it wasn’t anything serious.”

Simon’s right hand left the steering wheel and grabbed mine, squeezing it tight. “It still might be nothing. This could all be a precaution. That’s all.”

I stared at his hand holding mine. He was wearing my gloves. When I lifted my eyes, it was to find that the scarf I’d wrapped around him a week ago was draped about his neck. Such a small thing, and it caused my throat to tighten, making it hard to swallow.

“Simon, I’m sorry. This…”

His hand tightened on mine. “Stop. We’re friends first, right? The other stuff doesn’t matter right now. We can talk about that later. Finding out what’s going on with your mom is the important thing.”

Part of me hated myself for grasping the easy out he was handing me.

We needed to talk. I needed to put some space between us, but nothing could have made me release his hand at that moment.

My parents had always been healthy. I’d never given much thought to the idea that they were getting older, let alone that they could be nearing death.

Sure, my father was going to retire soon, but my stupid brain didn’t equate retirement with the end of life.