Cocky Romance: Chapter 10

I have to give it to Dawn Banner.

She’s the only woman who can drive me to both fury and soul-crushing anxiety in equal parts.

Especially when she does stupid things like try to sacrifice herself to a mob of blood-thirsty tabloid reporters who feast on the carcasses of their news subjects.

I’d like to know why she ignored my calls and intentionally disobeyed my orders to go home after the racetrack. And I’ll make sure I string Hadyn by the toes for not doing a better job of keeping her away from this mess.

But first, I have to get her to the car without being trampled and getting a microphone stuck down her throat.

“This way,” I hiss, dragging her across the lawn of the garage.

The journalists are practically breathing down our necks. I can hear their sneakers pounding the grass. Can practically smell the desperation to spin this scoop in the most scandalous way. As long as they can suck out all the profits from it, they don’t care about the shambles they leave behind.

Yeah, I’ve seen what they’ve done to people like Vanya.

And I’ll detonate all over this blasted city before they do the same thing to Dawn.

Black Beauty is waiting on the street. Sunlight glints over the sleek black paint job and the gleaming silver rims.

“Hurry!” I growl into Dawn’s ear. Quickening my speed, I drag her along. Jefferson stretches his body to the back of the car and pries the door open.

I half-throw, half-prod Dawn into the backseat and dive behind her. She lets out a gasp of—surprise? Pain? I don’t know and I don’t have time to check because cameras are getting flung at the windows.

“The hell are you waiting for?” I bark at Jefferson. “Drive. Now.”

He slams his foot on the gas pedal and the reporters lurch back, narrowly avoiding getting their toes crushed. The car bounces roughly as Jefferson speeds over the sidewalk and crashes into the street.

I grab Dawn and hold her next to me to keep her from smacking her head into the window. She fits. Damn. She fits like a glove against me and the moment she pushes me away and flees my side, it leaves a hollow ache in my chest.

Dawn scoots away. Turns. Flings me a dirty glare. Her hair’s billowing into a voluminous afro and the tight curls tremble in the wind. She looks like an ancient warrior about to skewer me at the end of a harpoon.

She sticks a crooked finger in my face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Me?” I bark at her. “I’m supposed to be asking that question.”

“Excuse me?” Her jaw drops.

“What were you planning on saying to the reporters, Dawn? Do you have any idea how brutal they can be? You’re the face of Stinton Auto. You’re not allowed to say anything we don’t approve first.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I can say what I want. Secondly, I wasn’t going to say anything incriminating to the reporters. I was just going to defend myself.”

“You think that’s better?” I snap. “Without a plan, they would have chewed you up and spit out your bones.”

“Is that why you came crashing into the scene like you were filming some kind of action movie?”

“I had a feeling you’d do something stupid, so I had Jefferson turn the car around and take me to the auto shop instead. And it was a good thing I did.” My nostrils flare and my voice goes quiet. I don’t yell when I’m pissed off. My voice gets tighter and tighter like someone’s squeezing the life out of it.

Jefferson nods. “It’s true. He was worried.”

Dawn scoffs. “Worried my—”

Digging my fingers into my palm, I spit, “What exactly were you trying to prove by heading to the auto shop when I told you to go home?”

“You can tell me anything you want. I am not obligated to listen.”

This infuriating, obstinate woman. I grit my teeth. My heart is rushing through my ears. “The contract—”

“Screw your stupid contract.” Her eyes are on fire and if there was any leaking gas in this car, it would probably cause an explosion. “Do you think I care that Mila Dubois is bad-mouthing Stinton Group? I don’t. I know you and your family’s army of crooked lawyers can make any little problem go away.” She slams her hand against her chest. “This is about me. This is about my reputation as a mechanic. My name is attached to that incident at the train track.”

“We have people on it.”

“I don’t care about your people.” She scowls at me. Gets right up into my face. “Someone could have died today. They could have died, Stinton. That would have been on my head.”

“Dawn.”

“Turn the car around. I’m going back.”

“Like hell you are,” I grind out.

She surges forward. “Jefferson.” Clamping dark fingers into the head rest, Dawn commands, “Stop the car this instant.”

Jefferson gives me a nervous look in the rearview mirror. “Boss?”

“We’re taking her home.”

“Max!” Dawn whips her head around and glares at me. Those eyes are spitting daggers, but I’m made of steel and all those spears can do is bounce off my chest.

I turn away from her.

She growls at me. “The moment I’m on my own, I’m going back there.”

“Like bloody hell you will.”

“Try and stop me.”

“You think I won’t?” I stare her down.

Her nostrils flare and a vein pops up in her delicate neck. “What do you expect me to do, huh? Twiddle my thumbs until Stinton Group gives me the okay to defend myself? What if that okay never comes? How are you going to shut me up then?”

“You sit down and wait. That’s an order.”

Her eyes nearly bug.

Wrong choice of words, but it’s too late.

She lets out an exasperated breath. “As much as you consider me your property, I’m not, Max. I make my own decisions and there’s only so much you can do to control me.”

“We’re handling it.”

“What does that mean?” she hisses.

I run a frustrated hand through my hair. “Dammit, Dawn. It means we’re working on it. The PR team have been alerted. We’re in negotiations with Mila’s agency to arrange a settlement—”

“That’s not enough.” Dawn flounces into her seat, her arms folded across her chest and her gaze burrowing into the windshield. “I want to fix the car.”

“They’re not asking for that. All they want is compensation. If we can settle this quietly, then the public will eventually turn to some new thing to be outraged over—”

“I need to fix that car, Max,” she insists.

I rub the bridge of my nose. “That stubbornness of yours, do you think anyone’s going to applaud you for it? Do you think your sincerity matters to the world? All they want is a villain. No, all they want is a hero they can turn into a villain and burn in front of the nation. We’re in damage control mode now. Fixing the car won’t help anything. We pay Mila Dubois to take down the video and we pay for her to replace the car. That’ll shut them up.”

“That’s what you Stintons default to, isn’t it? Just throw money at the problem and that’ll be enough to make it go away. Here’s where it falls apart, Max. You can only bury the truth for so long. Eventually, no one will dare to trust a company that’s so afraid of being transparent and accountable.” She shakes her head. “You made me the face of Stinton Auto, but you didn’t trust me to actually fix Mila’s car. Now, I’m the one getting rotten tomatoes thrown in my face, but you don’t trust me to fix things my way. You don’t trust anyone, and that makes it impossible to trust you back.”

I chew on my bottom lip.

Holy hell.

Too many feelings tear through me.

Anger, fear, frustration that she’ll get hurt if she keeps flinging her heart down and staking her life on something we can solve with money and lawyers.

Admiration, because there’s no denying this woman practically glows with passion and purpose.

Unease, wondering if the reason I want to give in to her is because she has a point or because it’s Dawn.

And the oddest feeling, that none of it matters if I can’t protect her.

“Get me the car, Max.” Her voice gets softer as if she can see that I’m thinking about it. “Please.”

I clench my jaw and pry my eyes off her. Grabbing my pen from the lapel of my jacket, I flick it around in my fingers and force myself to consider her suggestion—not because she’s the woman who drives me insane, but because she’s the mechanic who should have been in charge of this repair in the first place.

What if I do it her way and build on top of it so Stinton Group and Dawn suffer the least amount of damage? Can I spin this in a way that we bank on the negative press by turning it on its head?

I glance at Dawn’s upturned face. Her eyes are looking earnestly into mine.

It feels like an anvil slams on my shoulders when I nod. “Fine, but you do it my way.”

“Deal.”

“I mean it. We do this, it has to be together. And you stay away from the auto shop until I give you the okay.”

“How long will that take?”

I scowl at her.

She narrows her eyes but backs off. “Fine.” Dawn stretches her hand out to me. “Let’s shake on it.”

I frown. “That’s unnecessary.”

She grabs my hand and her slender fingers wrap around mine. Her hands are clean, but there’s a distinct stain around her nails that hints of a constant contact with oil and engine fluid. There are callouses too. I don’t think I’ve ever felt callouses on a woman’s hand before. Most of the women in my circle wouldn’t be caught dead with them.

Dawn gives my hand a hard and firm shake. It tells me more things about her.

That she’d prefer to come off as firm and aggressive than show her softer side.

That she’s so used to clawing her way forward that it’s become second nature to her.

That she can handle herself. She really can.

And it also shows me that I don’t want her to.

For some strange reason, I wish she’d cut out the tough girl act and admit that she can’t carry everything on those tiny shoulders, no matter how much she wants to prove that she can.

Jefferson slows the car in front of Dawn’s apartment. He cuts the engine.

My phone jumps in my palm.

HILLS: The board is sharpening their pitchforks.

I sigh heavily.

She glances down. “What?”

“Nothing.”

My phone lights up with an incoming call.

Dad.

A headache bursts to life in my skull.

Just what I need on this never-ending crapstorm of a day.

Dawn squints at my phone and I turn it away from her. Lifting my head, I pin Jefferson with a hard look. “Go to HQ. Tell Hills to send my laptop, tablet, and any files he can get about Mila Dubois and her agency.” I reach for the door and climb out. Looking back at Dawn, I grunt. “Let’s go.”

“Uh, what are you doing?”

I pin my eyes on her. “Babysitting.”

She bristles. “Who?”

“You.” I arch an eyebrow. “I’m babysitting you.”

Her expression shifts to slightly confused. “Me?”

“Jefferson, I’ll also need my flash drives—you know what? I’ll text Hills a list. Bring them back here ASAP.”

“Yes, sir.”

I glance over my shoulder. “Well?”

“You’re not invited to my home.”

I check my watch. “School’s been out for an hour. Which means Beth’s either doing an extra-curricular today or she’s with Darrel and Sunny.”

“How do you—”

“Darrel came and threatened me the other day. He let me know that Beth and Bailey are best friends and I should watch my back if I do anything to harm either of you.” I motion for her to get out of the vehicle. “Hurry up. It’ll take Jefferson a while to go to the office and come back.”

“I’ll be right back, Dawn.” Jefferson gives her a kind look.

I frown at him. “No need to announce that to her, Jefferson. I’m the one you work for.”

He clears his throat and faces forward again. “Yes, sir.”

When Dawn still doesn’t leave the car, I wrap my fingers around her wrist and tug her to the sidewalk with me. Jefferson takes off and I look down at the tiny woman. “How’s your Wi-Fi?”

“You’re not invited to my house.”

“What happened to trusting each other?”

“Says the man who’s literally ‘babysitting’ me because he doesn’t trust me to stay home.”

I also want to keep her off her cell phone—people are saying all kinds of horrible things—but I’m leaving that part unsaid. And I’m definitely not inspecting why protecting Dawn’s feelings matter to me.

I tap my chin. “Maybe I should re-think agreeing to work with you. This doesn’t feel like a warm and hospitable partnership.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re scum.”

“You’ve mentioned that.”

“Follow me.”

Dawn leads me up the stairs, her hips swaying gently in her jumpsuit. I train my eyes away from her backside and quicken my stride so I’m walking beside her.

My phone keeps vibrating in my pocket.

She stops and arches an eyebrow at me. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

It could be dad. Could be Hills. Could be reporters or someone from the board demanding my resignation. It could be the police telling me about their progress finding Trevor or it could be the President himself.

I don’t know.

Don’t care.

For the next hour, none of that chaos exists.

Dawn looks frankly at me. “Well?”

“It’s not important.” I step a little closer to her. “I’m curious about something. Why do you take your mechanic work so seriously?”

She eases back. “What are you talking about?”

“I get being passionate about the job and I also get being passionate about your reputation. You’ve had to work hard to get to where you are. I can see that.” I advance on her until she backs up against the wall.

She tries to run and I surge my arm forward to cage her in.

Her brown eyes widen and lock on me.

“But there’s something else.” I dip my face close to hers and feel the tension surge between us. “Some kind of desperation. Why is it so important to you that no one gets hurt? Why do you think that’s your responsibility even if you didn’t personally work on the car?”

Her eyes dart away and I know I’m on to something.

I can feel her breath on my cheek, teasing my stubble.

“What about you?” She frowns. “Why do you feel the need to take responsibility for the things that aren’t your fault? What’s your obsession with Stinton Group?”

Her head tilts up, her gaze raw and direct.

Electric, luring me closer, making my blood boil in my veins—especially when I ease forward and watch her unconscious reaction. Lashes fluttering, dropping to half-mast as if it can hide her from me.

“I’ll spill my secrets if you go first,” I whisper.

Dawn stiffens. Her glorious lips press down until they’re thin lines. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I disagree.”

“Why are you so curious about me? Getting to know me isn’t a part of the contract.”

“Consider it a by-product.”

“Consider it none of your business.” She bounces into me and stalks up the rest of the stairs.

She might be as small as a mouse, but she’s definitely all lion today.

I have a feeling getting past her sharp claws would be the death of me.

So why do I still want to try?

Dawn lets me into her apartment and gives me a hard look. “Don’t touch anything. I’m going to change into my work clothes.”

“Work clothes?” I frown at her. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I work on my car on my off-time. Since Beth is at the farmhouse with Darrel and Sunny, this counts.” She swings her arms. “Did that explanation suit you, my liege?”

My lips curl up. “Can I have some water?”

“I’m not going to get it for you.” She gestures to the fridge. “This isn’t a hotel.”

I laugh when she’s gone and look over her small but tidy apartment. So this is how Dawn and my niece have been living over the past few years. The contrast of feminine and utilitarian is extremely apparent. The curtains are a heavy navy blue, but there are frills at the end. The sofa’s a black leather couch with no pillows, but a vase of plastic flowers gives the sparse decorations a softer touch.

I draw near to the frame on the stand. It’s of Dawn and Elizabeth smiling into the camera. My niece has light brown skin, hazel eyes and curly hair.

A twinge of guilt pricks me when I realize that she almost didn’t make her debut in the world because of me.

“Sorry about that,” I murmur to the frame.

My phone vibrates again.

Whoever’s calling is insistent.

I pluck it out of my pocket and balk at the number of missed calls from dad. He must be fuming. I know I’m setting myself up for a verbal smackdown when he finally gets in touch with me, but I can’t worry about that right now.

Ignoring dad’s calls, I dial Hills.

He answers on the first ring. “Max, where the hell are you? Everyone’s absolutely panicking over here. The board has been calling your office asking for you. Mila Dubois’s agency is playing hardball. They’re asking for a ridiculous settlement—”

“Tell them we’re not settling.”

“What?” Hills’s outburst nearly shatters my eardrum.

I pull the phone away from my ear, wince and then put it back. “We’re going to fix her car.”

“Why? They’re not even discussing taking down the video, whether we pay the settlement or not. Mila’s been known to exaggerate things. They can’t afford for those allegations to pop up again.”

My mind whirs. I was banking on them taking down the video. This is getting a little more complicated.

“Why are you suddenly thinking about fixing the car? It’s an unnecessary gesture of goodwill and they’re not even asking for it.” Hills chokes. “Is it because of Dawn?”

I stare at the picture of Dawn and my niece again.

You don’t trust anyone and that makes it impossible to trust you back.

Focus on business, Max.

“Don’t tell me that’s why you’re not at the office. Are you with her right now?” His voice climbs to that irritating volume again. “Are you insane? Stinton Group is literally falling apart thanks to your little plan and you’re off galivanting with the woman in the center of this mess?”

I flinch. “Is Jefferson back yet?”

“What?” Shuffling erupts in the background. “Yeah. He just walked in.”

“He’s got a list of the things I need. I’ll be in the office later.”

“Later? What time is later? And what should I do about the board?”

“Tell them to trust me.”

“Trust…” He barks out a laugh. “They don’t even trust each other. And they hated the idea of Dawn as the face of Stinton Auto from the start. You really think—”

“I don’t care what they think. Just pack up everything I need and send it with Jefferson.” I pause. “Also, send some guys down to the auto shop. Tell Clint that they shouldn’t do any interviews and that I’m personally taking care of Dawn. That’s why I’m not allowing her to go in.”

Footsteps patter in the hallway.

Dawn’s coming.

I hang up on Hills and turn around.

We lock eyes. I almost falter when I stare into hers.

Hills’s words run rotations through my head.

What am I doing here? I should be at Stinton Group. I should be with my team doing damage control.

“Did you get the water?”

“Huh?”

Her eyes fall to the picture of her and Elizabeth. She firms her jaw but doesn’t make any comment about it. Gliding across the floor, she heads to the fridge and opens the door.

I watch her every movement with a kind of fascinated awe. Her body’s wrapped in loose, faded overalls. She’s got her hair pulled back into a bun with a bandana over the front. Black sneakers complete a look that would look frumpy on any other woman but takes my breath away on Dawn.

She purses her lips when she catches me staring and the sight of that plump mouth pulling in makes my bones ache.

I want her way more than I want that glass of water in her hands.

Her eyebrows hover low over her eyes and she flicks her tongue out to wet the seam of her mouth that never quite closes. The quick swipe leaves behind a wet shine.

I feel my poise crumble even more when she tilts her chin up as if we’re in some kind of national staring competition. Sunshine falls over her dark brown eyes and picks up the lighter tones often hidden by shadows and fury.

Have mercy.

Even when she’s at home and on edge around me, she’s so unapologetically herself and it’s devastatingly sexy.

It shouldn’t make me so off-balance. I’ve seen her in jumpers at practically every meeting. And I’m not the kind of man who likes his women to hide their curves in excess fabric.

But it’s Dawn.

And I’m starting to realize that she’s the exception to every single rule.

She curls her fingers over the water. “You realize how creepy that is, right?”

“What?”

“The staring without blinking.” She looks ready to fight me even as she continues the no-blinking contest. “Tell me. Honestly. Are you an alien?”

I break my gaze because laughter pops out of me without my permission. “No.”

“Oh.”

“You’re disappointed?”

She scrunches her nose. “It would explain a lot of things.”

“Like?”

“Why you’re so cold-blooded.”

I chuckle again and walk over to her. She doesn’t shy away this time, keeping her gaze locked on me. Reaching out, I wrap my fingers over hers and take the cup, noting the way she trembles when I touch her.

“Thanks.” I knock the glass back and try to quench a thirst that water won’t fix. No, only Dawn can do that.

And it’s such a dangerous thing to admit.

She put a spell on me.

I don’t even recognize my own thoughts anymore.

Her eyelashes flutter and she retreats with hurried footsteps. “If you’re done, let’s go downstairs.”

I follow her to the apartment garage and watch her unlock a bright red toolbox. When she pries it open, the top expands to reveal three giant shelves. Tools are nestled neatly inside. So is a bucket of lollipops.

Dawn grabs a lollipop, shoves it into her mouth and plucks a spanner from the depths. She swings around, sees me looking at her and frowns. “I’m not going to offer you one, but you can come and get it yourself.”

“I’m fine. Thanks.”

She moves to her truck and pops the hood.

I fold my arms over my chest. “You consider this fun? Fixing cars?”

“I wouldn’t have dedicated my life to it if I didn’t.” She’s so small that it looks like the hood is eating her alive when she bends over to look at the engine. “Plenty of better-paying, less dangerous ways to make money.”

“Dangerous?”

“Anything can happen when you’re working with a three-thousand-pound machine made of metal and moving parts.”

I frown at the thought of Dawn getting hurt. Maybe I should get her some kind of protective gloves…

What are you thinking, Max?

She slides back to the ground and wipes her hand against her pants. Plucking the lollipop out, she wields it at me. “This is much more fun than living in an office chained to a desk twenty-four seven.”

“Who told you that? Hadyn?” I shake my head. He and Vanya insist on tag-teaming me.

“By the way, I’m not going anywhere else with you if you dump me without an explanation again.”

I cover my mouth to hide my amusement. “Noted.”

“Did you intentionally ask Hadyn to drop me home so he could put in a good word for you? It felt like an ambush.” She walks over to her toolbox.

I can’t help a short bark of laughter. “Ambush?”

“Oh, come on. You’re not above paying someone to put in a good word for you. You’d do that and more.”

“No one can pay Hadyn to do anything he doesn’t want to. Believe me. His parents have been trying and failing to get him more interested in the company for years.” I smirk. “If your opinion of me is improving, that’s all your own.”

Her gaze flickers, rolling to me and then gliding away. Her mouth opens, but she doesn’t speak.

I don’t mind. I enjoy hanging on her every word, waiting—lounging really, in the silences and imagining a world where these comfortable moments of quiet came more often.

I also wouldn’t mind a world where those silences were because her lips were doing something a little more interesting than just gaping at me.

What would her delectable mouth feel like working its way up my—

A horn beeps outside.

“Jefferson must be here.” Dawn rubs the back of her neck and canters back to her truck.

I leave the garage to collect my things from Jefferson and then bring them back to where Dawn is working on her truck.

“Look, I’m not going to run.” Dawn frowns at me when I start setting up in a corner. “Besides, Darrel and Sunny are bringing Beth back in a few hours…”

I hear the so you better get lost at the end of that statement. “I’ll be gone by then.”

“Then you might as well go now.”

“I’m keeping an eye on you. The auto shop closes in,” I glance at my watch, “one hour. Relax. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Do whatever you want.”

I do.

While Dawn works on her car and the scent of gas fills the air, I type out emails and strategize with my marketing team over the phone. She plugs in earbuds when I get too loud and I lower my voice so I don’t disturb her flow.

The clank of her wrench creates a sort of drum beat for my fingers that fly over the keyboard. When I glance up again, the sky’s changed from bright blue to a dark velvet night, littered with sparkling stars.

My eyes seek out Dawn first. She’s inside her vehicle, a scanner on her lap and a serious expression on her face as she inspects whatever’s on the screen. Every so often, she sets her foot on the gas and the engine will roar. Her gaze sharpens a little more on the scanner whenever that happens.

The strange, choppy feeling returns, knifing me in the gut.

She’s gorgeous even when she’s scowling, but she practically glows when she’s doing auto repair. It’s incredible.

Her eyes lift at that moment. Something good must have happened with her truck because she smiles triumphantly.

That smile rips me open.

I want to share in her victory.

I want to wrap my arms around her and pat her head and tell her she did a good job—whatever that job was because I don’t understand much about a car besides the cosmetics, the horsepower, and how to change the tire.

Her smile widens as she steps on the gas and the vehicle vrooms in response.

Why does it feel like I could work to keep that smile on her face forever?

I breathe in slowly and force my thoughts back to reality.

This is the kind of crap that causes empires to fall. All the great warriors of the world won thousands of battles for their empires but, in the end, one woman could ruin a dynasty.

I’m not stepping into that pile of quicksand.

No matter how beautiful Dawn is.

No matter how beguiling her smile.

No matter how much she makes me question my cold and empty life.

“Yes.” She scrambles out of the car. It’s still running, the engine rumbling cheerfully. “I finally got the CTS sensors to switch at the right temp.”

“Translation.”

She laughs charmingly. “My engine’s as close to optimal as I can get it.”

My lips twitch. “Congratulations.”

“Uh. That was so fake.” She chuckles good-naturedly. “This is why it sucks talking to people who don’t get it.”

“I don’t need to get it. It’s enough that you do.”

She smiles.

My lips curl up in return.

In the quiet, my phone buzzes.

It’s Jefferson asking if I’m ready.

I text him back and tell him to head home now. Since he worked so hard today, he can get off early. I’ll catch a cab home.

Dawn nods to my laptop. “Did you accomplish everything you needed to?”

“More or less.”

“I’ve never seen anyone type that fast or hold a virtual meeting like he was actually there.” She pauses and tilts her head.

“You have an observation?” I prod, stretching my arms and rotating my neck. Being stuck in one place for that long locked up my muscles.

“You like barking orders.”

“I don’t have time to waste.”

“Yes, no time for manners. I remember that speech.”

I stare at her. “And?”

“You’d get a much better response if your employees weren’t afraid of you.”

“Are you afraid of me, Dawn?” I erase the space between us.

She narrows her eyes at me. “Like a ghost in a horror movie. If I had some holy water, I’d have chased you out by now.”

I laugh.

Her eyes twinkle and I realize she’s teasing me.

It makes me want to grab her by the waist, hoist her to the wall and claim that mouth like the world’s ending tomorrow.

She half-smiles.

I look down at her hands. “Did you get hurt?”

“No.” She lifts her stained fingers. “The CTS sensor is mostly wiring and—”

I capture her hand and inspect it.

She snaps her mouth shut.

Keeping my eyes on her fingers, I growl, “I got Mila’s people to agree to bring the car.” We had to double the settlement money and drop our requirement for a retraction. The car was the least of their worries. They’re willing to give it to us because it was headed for the junk yard anyway. “Don’t get hurt when you fix it tomorrow.”

Her breath hitches.

I glance up and stare into her eyes. “These hands belong to Stinton Group.”

The shocked look drains into one of annoyance. She rips her fingers out of my grip.

I hold my chuckle in and step back. “Stay off the internet. Tell Elizabeth to avoid social media too.”

“Of course.” She tilts her chin up.

I step back even though I don’t want to.

I leave her garage even though it feels like I’m ripping my heart out.

On the way home, I promise myself that I’ll get over these feelings for Dawn Banner the moment our business relationship is through. I’ll keep helping her and my niece from the sidelines, from the shadows, but up close—

“Hello, son.” Dad’s voice jars me from my thoughts when I step into my condo.

I freeze, my hand on the doorknob and my heart clawing at my throat.

He steps out of the darkness and stares me down with blue eyes that look exactly like mine. “You want to explain why you’ve been avoiding my calls?”

“Dad.” My voice is a croak.

“Or,” his stare hardens, “you can tell me about Dawn Banner and that secret she’s hiding.”

My heart sinks like a stone.

Did dad find out about Elizabeth?

“Come inside.” He frowns at me. “We need to talk.”