Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Parker and Samuel had joined us for that morning’s meeting, and Morgan sat across the conference table from me, facing the screen she’d set up for her PowerPoint presentation as she talked through the new product launch schedule for the next few months and her marketing ideas, her tone all business. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, bringing my attention to her pretty face and features. She wore a navy blazer over a white blouse, looking every bit the competent marketing director. Polished, confident, and well put together.
Despite my best intentions, every time she spoke my eyes drifted to her lips, remembering the taste of her mouth when she’d leaned across the console in my car and kissed me. Of how she’d climbed onto my lap like she belonged there. How goddamn hard it had been to pull back instead of following her upstairs and losing myself in her for the rest of the night.
Driving away had been the hardest decision I’d made in years, even if it had been the right thing to do. We had this investment deal hanging over us, the launch timelines, the whole business partnership. Screwing that up wasn’t an option. Neither was hurting Morgan again with a rash decision that was based solely on lust and desire.
“…and for the influencer rollout, I was thinking we could tie in some user-generated content to build buzz before the official drop,” she said, pointing to the slide on the screen.
I nodded in agreement, as did Samuel. “Sounds solid. What about the timeline for the beta testers?” I asked.
She dove into the details with enthusiasm, outlining the various phases, but I was only half listening. My thoughts kept circling back to her. To us. It wasn’t just the physical chemistry, though that mutual attraction was impossible to ignore. It was the connection we had made during our sushi dinner when we talked about our families, and how comfortable I was with her when neither one of us had our guard up. It was the way she’d look at me after our conversation in the car, understanding in her eyes when I said we needed to slow down. There had been no drama. No demands. That kind of maturity drew me in deeper and made me wonder if she could be something more. Something real.
And just like our first night together, that possibility scared the shit out of me.
I was quickly realizing that Morgan Starling wasn’t someone I could handle with detachment like I was used to. She was already so much more than that. She represented a possibility. A risk. A door I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to open and step through. And if I was honest with myself, I was afraid of what might happen if I did.
My last relationship had imploded because I hadn’t been enough. Ivy hadn’t said it that way, but with distance came clarity, and I knew that was truth. She’d been lonely. Neglected. Relegated to whatever scraps were left after twelve-hour days and the nonstop grind of Wall Street had drained every ounce of energy I had. She’d gotten the rushed, distracted version of me. A quick dinner here and there, half-assed conversations while I constantly checked emails, cancelling plans because work always took priority. And romance, well, that became non-existent because I’d been too exhausted to nurture that part of our relationship.
So, she’d sought affection elsewhere. And yeah, I knew that decision was wrong and on her. She’d lied, cheated, and shattered what trust we had. She should have talked to me instead of jumping into bed with someone else.
But I wasn’t completely innocent in creating the cracks that had formed in our relationship before she’d strayed. I hadn’t listened. I didn’t notice her unhappiness. I hadn’t shown up the way a partner deserved. I should have seen the signs before it all blew up in my face. So, upon finding her with another man, my anger had been tangled up with guilt because I hadn’t been blameless in the situation.
Despite everything, the breakup left me shattered. Guarded and unwilling to risk that kind of pain again. But Morgan…she was different. Smart, driven, with a quiet strength that matched mine. But if I dove in too fast, I feared I’d repeat the same mistakes—burying myself in work, leaving her with leftovers, and watching it all fall apart.
I didn’t want to hurt her like that. Hell, I didn’t want to get hurt again, either. So, if I was going to pursue her, I needed to make sure I was doing it for all the right reasons. That I was able to make her a priority without risking the business investment Simon and I had made with GalvaTech.
As she wrapped up her presentation, I forced myself to tune back in.