Page 95 of When We Ignite

“When are we getting back?” I asked Ari, feeling some of Ethan’s restlessness rubbing off on me.

“Twelve days.”

I sighed deeply. That was longer than I’d thought, especially with the damn clock ticking away at our time together. “And we leave again?”

“You have two days before we head to Sonoma.”

“When’s the Fernandez meeting?”

She checked her tablet. “End of July. You’re staying for ten days.”

I hummed. “Be sure to let Ethan know about that too.”

She nodded reluctantly. “Sebastian, can I say something as a friend and not your assistant?”

“Of course.”

“This is a lot you’re putting on the line. Oliver’s here now, and I’m not sure if you’ve given much thought to what would happen if this got out.”

I gave her a wan smile. “Trust me, I have.”

“Oliver asked you not to, and even if he hadn’t, you know him. He doesn’t have the stomach for these things, and that’s his wife’s little brother. If this got out, your dad would be furious, and so would the board. But the worst part of it all is he would turn on you. Oliver would turn on you, Ash. He wouldn’t support you through this. You’re drawing a line between your brothers over afling.”

She wasn’t wrong. That same thought had been circling in my head all along. I’d tried to resist Ethan when we’d talked on the phone that night, but my desire had won.

The truth was, I didn’t want to deny myself this. I knew the consequences, but I couldn’t hold myself back. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wanted something to be mine—over the company, over our father, over them.

It was liberating in ways I hadn’t realized I craved.

It also made me feel incredibly guilty, because they were always supposed to come first. Oli and Henny always came first.

“You’re smarter than this,” she said, her voice softer now. “It feels like…”

“Go on.”

She hesitated. “It feels like you’re doing it on purpose.”

A stone dropped in my stomach because…wasn’t I?

I planted a fake smile that I knew she could see through. “Have you considered maybe I’m just a sucker for a pretty face? This might just be my Achilles’ heel.”

Her expression didn’t budge. “You’re not this reckless.”

I huffed humorlessly. “My father would beg to differ.” Sighing heavily, I added, “Ari, it’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be smart about it.” I tilted my glass back and finished my drink, turning my gaze to the window.

“Elena García requested a meeting with you.”

I nodded absently.

“Off the books,” Aria added.

I glanced at her, one brow arched. Letting the silence hang for a moment, I considered it. I knew why she wanted to talk. With all things considered, it couldn’t hurt.

“Set it up, Ari,” I said, noticing the faint curve of her lips.

Aria nodded and returned to her tablet.

Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the horizon.