Chapter 18

He froze lips a hair's breadth from hers. She felt his body stiffen and she jerked back, scrambling from his lap and reaching for her phone.

She looked at him apologetically, but his eyes stopped the words in her throat. He’d seen the display of her phone, he knew who was calling and the lust that had darkened his eyes was gone, replaced with the cold hard glint of a stranger.

He stood and stalked away as she swiped the screen to answer the call.

Fucking cock is blocked by his stepbrother.

Brian strode from the room, away from Cassie and her hot little body that he’d only been moments away from sinking into. Seeing Nathan’s name on her phone, seeing the way she had jumped instantly to answer it was like a cold bucket of water being thrown over his lust. His erection deflated and all the soft, sweet feelings he had towards her shattered.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He’d thought that tonight had meant something to her. He’d thought that maybe she was seeing him as more than just a convenient body, but her instant reaction to Nathan’s call killed any hope he had. He would always be her second choice.

“Fuck,” he growled under his breath as he looked at himself in the mirror above the sink in the bathroom.

He was delusional if he thought there could ever be anything real between them. He’d been lulled into a false sense of security by the easy way they had clicked tonight. He’d fallen under her spell as she’d leaned on his shoulder and snuggled in under his arm. He’d been held in her thrall as her breathing had lengthened and her body had softened against his.

And he’d lost his fucking mind by the small sounds she made as she slept.

But it was all an illusion. None of it was real. She didn’t feel the same way about him, and would probably never feel the same way. They had a crazy sexual attraction, but that’s all it would ever be for her. She was in love with Nathan and there was nothing he could do about it.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

What manner of sick joke was the universe playing on him to bring into his life the one woman he could never have? Brian wasn’t the typical playboy billionaire, if anything he was a serial monogamist. He’d had only a couple of relationships and they had always been long-term. He’d had his moments of casual sex and one or two one-night stands, but they were few and far between. He didn’t get off by sticking his dick in as many women as he could.

No, his desires ran deeper than that.

He wanted to find that one woman that he could truly connect with. Like his father had connected with his mother. His parents had been in love, right up until the end. That’s what he wanted. And that’s where he could see himself heading with Cassie. Except she couldn’t see him as anything more than a poor substitute for his cock-sucking stepbrother.

Fuck.

“Get it to-fucking-gether,” he growled at his reflection. “Stop being a pansy-ass pussy bitch.”

God, he wanted to punch something - preferably Nathan - but in the absence of his stepbrother, anything would do. But that wasn’t his style. He didn’t get where he was in business by letting his emotions rule his head. He could compartmentalize this just like he did with every other disappointment that he had in his life. He didn’t fall apart when his father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he didn’t fall apart when his father suffered through the demoralizing effects of chemotherapy and he did not fall apart when his father died, a shadow of the man Brian had loved. He’d lost not only his father but his best friend and his mentor that day and if he could live through that then he could live through this too.

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. Cassie wanted Nathan and he had promised to help her get him. It didn’t matter that he thought she was making the wrong choice. It was her choice, and hers alone, to make. It was not his place to pass judgment on who she wanted to spend her life with, even if that person was the spawn of Satan.

He pushed down all his disappointment and hurt and closed the lid on the box. Compartmentalised, he could do that.

He opened the door and strode back out into the living room. Cassie stood by the couch, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and a lock of her rose gold hair wound tightly around her finger. He’d almost lost his shit earlier in the evening when he’d opened the door to see her standing there in form-fitting yoga pants and an oversize hoody. It was so casual and comfortable and it had looked adorable on her. Now it just looked like disappointment.

“That was Nathan,” she said, not meeting his eyes.

He didn’t answer. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared her down giving her his best don’t-fuck-with-me stare.

“He wants to see me, to talk,” she said, still avoiding his gaze.

“At eleven-thirty at night?” he growled, his reserve broken. “Come on Cassie, you’re not that naïve.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she spat at him.

“You know very well what it means,” he said hotly. “You’re a fucking booty call.”

“Shut the hell up, Brian,” she yelled at him. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. You don’t even know me.”

“I know you better than you think,” he yelled back. “I know that you are throwing your life away on a prick like Nathan. He can never give you everything you need.”

“And you think you can?” she asked.

“I know I’d be a damned sight better choice than him,” he growled. “At least I’d be faithful to you, at least I wouldn’t fucking marry someone else and try to keep you on the side.”

The crack of her palm hitting his cheek broke the tension. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands before stumbling towards the door. She wrenched it open and ran into the hall. His cheek burned and he stood there, stunned until the door slammed shut. The noise spurred him into action.

“Cassie!” he called, pulling the door open and following her into the hallway. “Cassie! Come back. I’m sorry.”

The elevator doors opened and she stepped in, turning to look at him with sad, glassy eyes.

“Please Cassie,” he said, walking towards her, his hand outstretched, begging her with his eyes to give him another chance.

The elevator doors closed leaving him standing in the hallway alone.

Fuck. So much for compartmentalizing. He was a fucking moron and he had just chased her into the arms of the one person he was trying to save her from.