She took his big hands in hers and looked into his eyes. “Every time we talked, I got the sense that there was so much more to you than the papers said—so much more than a millionaire playboy who didn’t care that he’d made his money off the pain and tears of so many people.” Annika smiled. “As soon as you let slip that you were going to resign from Break Up, I knew—”

Hudson frowned. “Resign from Break Up? I never said that.”

Annika chuckled uncertainly. “Um … yeah, you did. Several times.”

Hudson’s frown deepened; a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Like when?”

Annika slowly took her hands away from his and sat up straighter, pulling the covers back up over her breasts. Why was he acting like this was all news to him? “Like on the night we had dinner at my dad’s? You said you were sick of it all, that you didn’t want to be the face of Break Up forever. And you said the same thing on the train last night.”

“Right…” Hudson said slowly. “I meant that I might step aside and take up a secondary role in the company. Maybe let Ziggy take over as CEO.”

Annika waited for his smirk, for him to tell her he was joking, that he was teasing again. But it didn’t come. “Are you serious?” she said, unable to stop her volume from rising. “What about guys like Hedge Fund Harry? What about the fact that this isn’t how you pictured your life or that you’re not even happy when you wake up every day, Hudson?”

“I don’t know!” he said, pushing his hands through his hair and leaving it messy. “I didn’t say all those things so you could pressure me into doing what you think is right!”

“I’m not pressuring you!” Annika shouted. “I’m just repeating back all the things you’ve said to me. And now you’re telling me you want to stay on at Break Up? That’s just not going to work for me!”

Hudson stared at her. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I can’t be with someone who’s willing to run a company like that—who’s willing to do that to other people, to do that to themselves!”

Hudson snapped the covers back and got out of bed. As he slid into his pants, he said, “And I can’t be with someone who wants to change me and can’t understand why I have to do what I do.”

“You don’t have to do it! Why can’t you see that?” Annika flung the covers back and leapt out of bed, throwing on her camisole from the night before. As she thrust her arms into it, her hand hit the sculpture on the nightstand, knocking it to the floor.