I sighed and rested my head against the back of the sofa. “Maybe. Honestly, I’m so mixed up around him that I couldn’t say for sure. He’s not the same man he used to be, but something about him gets under my skin anyway.”

Sage hummed in thought. “Perhaps you shouldn’t fight it.”

I opened my eyes and stared at her. “Excuse me?”

She shrugged. “The universe is trying to bring you together. Maybe you ought to go along with it.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. Sage liked to think we were all part of the universe’s master plan and that there were reasons for everything, but I didn’t necessarily share her view. “Not a great idea.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

I didn’t even have to think about it. “He could play me, screw me over, and go forward with the takeover despite our deal.” Then I might lose my most powerful connection to Dad.

“Hmm.” She sipped her tea and watched me over the brim. “Don’t you think your dad would want you to be happy more than he’d want you to have the company?”

“Oof.” The question knocked the air out of me. “Well, yeah, but there’s no guarantee I’d be happy. Like I said, it could end very badly.”

“There’s no guarantee of anything in life. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take risks.”

I sighed. In principle, I agreed, but knowing that and acting on it were two different things. I’d dedicated years to the company, and I’d protected my heart for much longer. I’d had my first taste of men using me for my money when I was only eighteen, and even though I was no longer rich, it was difficult to unlearn that lesson. Emotion burned the back of my throat. Sage seemed to know what was going on in my head because she placed her mug on the coffee table and put an arm around me.

“You don’t have to do anything now,” she said. “Just take each day as it comes, okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed, but even that seemed like a big ask.

Chapter Eleven

Ronan

I checked the time on my phone as I hurried out of the King’s Security building and onto the steps that led down to the street. I was running late for a meeting with a client. I hated being late. I glanced up just in time to catch sight of the top of Willow’s head before she bowled into me.

“Oh!” She dropped her bag and stumbled backward, her heel catching on the edge of the stair. She teetered for a moment, but I hauled her toward me before she fell. She flopped against my chest. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“It’s okay. No harm done.”

I should have let her go, but instead I held on for a few moments. She smelled of vanilla again. But the way she smelled was nothing compared to how wonderful she felt in my arms. Soft and supple, her slender curves pressed against the hard planes of my body. Having her there seemed right. As if she belonged.