“I can’t.” He kicked off the sheets and got out of bed. He was in a pissy mood like he was last night, before he apologized to me. He obviously didn’t remember that conversation at all.
“Why not?”
“I’m meeting with Ariel.”
I hoped it wouldn’t lead to another fight that would send him to the bar. “You guys work it out?”
“No.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he stood upright, looking sexy completely nude and with an impressive morning wood. “She’s leaving my company.”
I stopped thinking about how hot he looked. “What? She quit?”
“Yeah. Now I have to buy her out for her portion. It’s really a meeting between lawyers.”
I hopped out of bed. “She’s quitting because of me?”
“She’s not your biggest fan.” He walked into the bathroom and got the shower running.
I followed him inside. “Do you realize how stupid that sounds? I have nothing to do with your partnership.”
“I agree. But she doesn’t trust my judgment anymore.” Crewe acted like he didn’t give a damn, like we were talking about what color we should paint the bedroom, but I knew that was just a front. They’d been working together for nearly ten years. They were more than just business partners—they were family. He grabbed a towel and hung it on the rack outside the shower door.
“That’s not fair.”
He shrugged before he stepped inside. “I did just fine without her once. I’ll do fine without her again.” He shut the door and stood under the water, his ass muscles thick and tight.
I didn’t have much time to think about my actions before I did them. I threw on jeans and a t-shirt before I left the room, knowing Crewe wouldn’t realize I was gone for at least ten minutes. She might not be there yet, but since she was so punctual all the time, she probably would be early.
I walked into Crewe’s office and saw her sitting on one of the sofas, accompanied by a man in a black suit.
When she looked at me, it was like she saw right through me. She was indifferent to my appearance, as if I was a cloud of air she couldn’t see. She turned away as soon as she saw me, examining the bookshelf stored with old classics.
I shut the door and took a seat on the opposite sofa, not backing down despite her attempt to ignore me. “Ariel.”
She turned her gaze back on me, giving me a look colder than winter. “Will Crewe be in shortly?”
“He’s in the shower and doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Oh, good,” she said sarcastically. “This should be fun.”
I didn’t have time to be sensitive to her insults. I had an objective. “Ariel, I don’t think this is a good idea—for either of you.”
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the concern.” Her lawyer sat there in silence, watching our interaction with little interest.
“Are you really leaving because of me?”
“Yes.” She adjusted her glasses before she looked down at her folder. “I can’t trust a man who behaves this stupidly.”
She could insult me, but not the man I loved. “He’s not stupid, Ariel.”
“How does that saying go? Stupid is as stupid does? That describes him pretty well.”
“That’s not true, and you know it. Things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to. I didn’t mean for Joseph to come here. I didn’t mean for Crewe to get shot. I didn’t mean for anyone to get involved in this. I was going to speak to Crewe about our situation and ask him if I could have my freedom. But I never got the chance.”
“But you had the chance to call Joseph?”
I gritted my teeth. “To tell him he didn’t need to ambush Crewe, that I had a better plan to get out of here.”
Ariel stared at me without blinking.
“Joseph and his men came to the distillery opening in Edinburgh.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“He was waiting until Crewe left me alone before he could snatch me. I didn’t want that to happen, so I stuck to Crewe’s side like glue. When I saw Joseph in the hallway, I pulled Crewe inside another room so he wouldn’t get shot. I could have betrayed you before, but I didn’t. I always tried to protect Crewe and Joseph at the same time, while trying to get myself out of harm’s way.”
“Crewe isn’t harm’s way.”
It was like she didn’t listen to anything else I said. “Ariel, I don’t have any ill will toward Crewe or anyone else he interacts with. Joseph won’t be a problem ever again. I told him how I felt about Crewe, so he’ll never touch a hair on his head. I wish Crewe and I started out differently, but it doesn’t change the way we ended up. When I say I love him, I mean it. Why else would I be here?”
“I don’t give a damn how much you think you love him. That man has been to hell and back, and he doesn’t deserve any kind of disloyalty. You betrayed him—stabbed him in the back.”