Tempting the Enemy--A Sexy Billionaire Romance by JC Harroway

Author:JC Harroway
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-03-09T12:56:07+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Sterling

I WIPE MY fingers on a napkin and place my tray on the nightstand, a sense of calm satisfaction radiating through me. Astonishing after dealing with a string of irate calls from Josh today.

‘I was a teenager the last time I ate French fries in bed,’ I admit with a grin, trying to forget the demands of my stepbrother. My feeling in any way light-hearted being here—in Chicago, a city that connects me to Marcus, dealing with the dissolution of his company—is a testament to the power Ava holds. Not, as I first assumed, over my business decisions where Hamilton’s is concerned, but over weakness of a different kind: my weakness for her and for this connection I can’t seem to ignore or get enough of—the reason I asked to stay a while.

Being forced to remember the past, and Marcus’s role in my life, makes me forget who I am and what I’ve achieved in the years since I was a boy under his control.

Ava swallows a bite of her burger and wipes at her mouth. ‘I can’t imagine a teenage you doing anything quite so...mutinous as eating junk food in bed.’

Mutinous...? I guess it was pretty rebellious in Marcus’s household, by his standards, by which I’d been forced to abide.

Discomfort grates at my skin; rebellion is exactly the emotion I’ve battled today. Rebellion against the urge to capitulate and hand over Brent’s to Josh. Let him wade through the consequences of his father’s poor management, underinvestment and years of neglect. It’s about time he woke up to the man his father really was, the man he could be when driven by jealousy and tyranny over another man’s child. Even discussing Marcus’s business draws me back to a time in my life I hate reliving. A time of powerlessness. Impotence. Rejection.

But exposing Marcus to Josh means exposing Marcus’s true nature to Mom. I don’t want to be responsible for her pain by blackening his name—it’s my job to protect her, and she likely knew his worst side anyway.

Except the vengeful part of you does want her to know everything.

No, I won’t stoop to his level. I’ll never be like Marcus. Instead I’ll make something successful and positive out of Brent’s. Move on. Help Mom to do the same.

‘Why can’t you imagine my wild side?’ I ask.

Her stare washes over me, hot and desirous. ‘You’re just so...neat and poised and ruthless. You need only compare our offices to see who loves minimalism and who thrives on organised chaos. I guess I assumed you must have always been that way.’

We share a smile that feels good: a ceasefire of sorts that began when she sent me that seemingly inconsequential text earlier. It contained nothing that couldn’t have waited until the morning. It made me think that she wanted to see me, which was convenient because I’d wanted to see her.

‘You’re right—I wasn’t much of a rebel.’ I grew up showing absolute compliance with Marcus’s rules. For the few short years that he lived with us, Josh seemed to take delight in feeding Marcus ammunition.

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