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Nola n

"H ow did you get that?" Her tone was accusatory. As if it was my fault for uncovering their sordid conspiracy.

Even after everything, I still wanted to kiss her again. After that explosive kiss at Kenneth's place, we agreed not to be near each other again. She understood, just like I understood, that the passion between us was too strong and one day it would explode, and neither of us wanted to deal with the aftermath. And it took me all of three weeks to forget that and rush into her arms like a prisoner freshly released. What was worse, I knew her plan and still I fell for it, regardless. In a way, she was right. Her mere presence was enough to make me kiss her. The paint stained overalls made her sexier.

"Does it matter? It's you, isn't it?"

"And?"

I played the recording again. It would be an innocuous conversation if it was just that, but this was the Burgesses we were talking about. Scheming was in their blood. After the recording ended, instead of launching into an argument or plea, she stooped to pick up brushes that had fallen when we kissed.

"Aren't you going to say something?" I asked as she marched to the desk at the south end of the room and threw the brushes headfirst into some solution.

"What do you want me to say?" She went about picking up the ripped papers and throwing them into the trash. She had transformed the room into a quintessential artist's studio. There were light wood shelves filled to the brim with books on the south end of the room, and below was a row of drawers. A door was on the right that used to lead to the closet, but now was a storage room. Aelin took her painting and disappeared into the room. When she came back, she looked sterner than before.

"It's a crime to record people without their consent," she said.

"Tell that to your grandfather. We found this amongst the company's files." Kelly was the one who found it. Kelly checked the files Burgess had given us to ensure everything was present and found that the old man's iPhone was synced to his work computer. And because whoever Kenneth had paid to scrub personal info out had botched the job, this recording, amongst others, was on it. Apparently, Kenneth Burgess had a penchant for recording people without their knowledge.

"Still doesn't absolve you from kissing me first. If anyone is the seductress here, it's you, not me."

"Are you saying you were seduced by me?"

Her cheeks flushed. "Simply pointing out that you're not the victim you claim to be."

"Never claimed to be one. All I want is honesty. Not a woman who's out to trick me."

She blanched. Her guilt was clear on her face. "And yet here you are, molesting me while I'm minding my own business."

"Molesting you!"

She marched over to where I was standing in a storm of righteous fury. "You know what I mean. I don't come into your office and plaster my lips on your face, now do I?"

I stepped back, realizing that I was too close to her again. Her overalls made her look sexy without even trying, and once more, my body was reacting to her with little effort. "It won't happen again," I said.

"It shouldn't be that hard since you hate me so much."

"I don't hate you."

She let out a harsh laugh. "You have a funny way of showing it."

"I just think you are a reprehensible person. But I don't hate you."

"Thanks for the ringing endorsement."She looked hurt, and it made me want to take back my words. If there was anything I disliked about her, it was how she caused a whirlwind of clashing emotions inside me. Aelin side stepped me and marched out of the room. I followed her, my anger bubbling to the surface again.

"We aren't done talking," I called out after her. She didn't respond. Instead, I heard the banging of a door and when I got out of the studio, I saw she had gone into her room. "Are you going to run away like a little girl?"

Silence. A few minutes later, I was ready to give up until she came out dressed in jeans and a tank top. "No," she huffed and stomped past me. If I wasn't in the midst of an argument, I would have found it cute.

"Hey! I followed her and was closing in on her when we reached the kitchen. I grabbed her hand. However, I might have been too harsh, or she stopped a little too soon because instead of stopping her, I swung her into my arms. "I said—Fuck." Her head bumped my chin.I gazed down at her. She cringed and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. "Sorry," I muttered.

Her eyes softened. "It's fine." Her words, barely a whisper. My gaze fell to her chest, noting the way her tight white tank top showed off her cleavage. The room appeared small again. Everything disappearing leaving nothing else to concentrate on but Aelin and I. She moistened her lips. My groin tightened. Fuck. I shouldn't. But I wanted to. Would it matter if I tasted her lips again? If I got lost in that intoxicating haze? We were married after all, I thought as I lowered my head to kiss her.

Something banged and crashed to the floor, making an ear piercing noise that yanked me out of Aelin's cocoon.

"Sorry." Magnus stood up, a pan and a large silver spoon in his hand. Suddenly, I remembered where I was. Aromatic scents of red meat, red wine and spices registered, and I let go of Aelin's hand. I was so concentrated on Aelin, I forgot all about Magnus. She strode away from me and I watched as her sweet ass swayed towards the fridge. She took out a bottle of water and guzzled it down. At least I wasn't the only one hot and bothered.

"Dinner is done, Mr. Nolan," Magnus said. He had put the pan and spoon down and was now removing his black chef's apron, which looked comically small on his meaty, muscular body.

"Thanks. We'll serve ourselves."

He gave a curt nod and arranged the bowls of food on the counter into a neat row before leaving. The mood in the room shifted, now that it was Aelin and I alone again, but that earlier electric energy had dimmed a little. We stood for a long time staring at each other. Daring the other to make the first move.

I was the first to fold."We weren't done talking."

Aelin finished the remnants of her water bottle and tossed the empty container into the bin. "You mean the interrogation?"

"Rich coming from a manipulator."

"Fine." She folded her arms, pushing her cleavage up. "Tell me what to say and I will say it. You want a sorry? Sorry, I spoke with my father about you. Sorry, I wanted a child with you. I am sorry."

I had felt those breasts pressed against me only a few moments ago, and still I wanted to feel them again. Rip that fabric straining against her chest and feast on what's underneath. She should have remained in her overalls. Maybe I could concentrate. But who was fooling? I had practically mauled her while she was wearing one.

"You missed one important thing. Sorry I tried to baby trap you."

"There's nothing in that recording about baby trapping. "

She was right, but that didn't mean that's not what they meant by it. "Gaslighting doesn't look good on you." There was something off about her. About the recording. About this.

"We need to talk."

"I thought that's what we were doing."

The food was growing cold. I strode further into the kitchen and took out two plates from the cupboard. In the distance, I heard Magnus shut the main door. He was gone. "l meant as adults."

She rolled her eyes and left. I thought she was going to her room, but she ventured into the dining room and slumped into a chair. A few minutes later, I finished plating the food and brought it to Aelin. Magnus was an excellent chef and, as angry as we were, we both could not ignore the sumptuous feast in front of us.The fillet mignon was tender and the mushroom red wine sauce gave it an added depth to the flavor. And the buttery potatoes were a perfect compliment.

"So, what did you want to say?" Aelin asked as she assaulted a piece of meat with her fork and knife.

"We have to be honest with each other."

Her meat cutting slowed down to a stop. "Okay."

"First, let me start with an apology."

Her eyebrows shot up.

"I shouldn't have mauled you like a beast. That was not nice of me and I apologize."

Aelin's face softened. "Apology accepted. And I am not trying to baby trap you, regardless of what you heard on that tape." She sighed and let her cutlery fall onto her plate. "You said we should be honest with each other, and I want to be. But there are things about my relationship with my grandfather that I can't tell you."

"I mean, it sounded like you were in on the conspiracy."

Her head drooped. "All I can say is that wasn't the real me on that audio. I tend to… act differently when I am with my grandfather. It's hard not to acquiesce to his aggressive aura."

I suppressed a chuckle. "Sounds like my father."

"Do you have any idea why they hated each other?"

"They used to be in business together. They wanted to do a joint venture, but then Kenneth stole my father's investors and brought them to W. Burgess. Or at least that's how my father told the story to me. That started a series of never ending industrial espionage which ended with us."

"With you buying W. Burgess and marrying me?" She stabbed her fork into a small piece of potato and sucked it off the utensil. My groin tightened.

"My father wanted to buy W. Burgess for a long time and sell it for parts. He could never do it no matter how rich, powerful or bigger he became."

"And is that what you're going to do?"

"Your grandfather almost ran it to the ground all on his own and it would have gone to the dustbin of fashion history if I didn't step in."

"Then why did you buy it? Why not let the company die? Wouldn't that be even better revenge? I've seen the way you speak with my grandfather. You hate that man. And I know little about business and finance, but I do know that the Hawthorneshares he got in the deal will probably net him a tidy profit."

W. Burgess was a white whale that my father chased to his grave. He wanted the company to go under the Hawthorne umbrella at any cost. On his deathbed, he had lamented that he was going to die without getting the company. When I told him I will fulfill his wish for him, he looked at me as though I was a delusional child. I will not forget that look. It said everything he thought of me without him uttering a word. After he died, I made a vow to myself to acquire W. Burgess. I could not explain it, and I doubt she would understand. "I did what my father could not do."

"And you would even marry a woman you hate to prove to your dead father that you're better than him. "

Huh. She was more astute than I gave her credit for. "I don't hate you. I used to, but now that I've gotten to know you, there's something about you that is interesting."

"Oh really? Pray tell."

"You're not what people think you are."

She stared at me as though I had uncovered a secret she didn't want me to find out. Her face was white, drained of all blood. Just as I was about to ask why, the concierge desk ran. I went to answer. We had a visitor. My brother.