When her palms sweep over my back, I’m done waiting.
I angle my lips, inhaling her breath. I need more. I need her.
All of her.
But just as my lips brush against hers, the air shifts. As our breath mixes, and I know I’ll finally get to taste her mouth, she angles her head away from me. Then, she says two words I didn’t think I’d hear.
“Benji, wait.” It’s a sigh. A whisper. A trembling breath.
I freeze, backing away a fraction of an inch.
Rae’s eyes drag up to mine, conflict swirling in them. Little flecks of gold glow in her dark brown irises, her face pinched in regret.
“We can’t do this.”
Her voice might be barely above a whisper, but I hear it loud and clear. Rae’s hands drop from my back, and she places them gently on my chest. She pushes me softly, curling her fingers into my shirt.
“It’s not that I don’t want to.” She huffs, drawing her brows together. “I want to. Trust me. I…” Sucking a breath in, she shakes her head. “I just…I can’t do that to Sawyer. You’re his friend. You know him. I just…can’t. Not until I see him. He’d never forgive me, ever.”
Her eyes plead. Her fingers stay curled in my shirt. I place a palm over hers, letting out a heavy sigh.
I nod. “Okay.”
“I like you, Benji—”
“You’re right, Rae,” I rasp. The words tear out of my throat, not wanting to be spoken. There’s steel in my pants. My heart is racing. Every cell in my body is screaming for Rae. Begging for me to change her mind. To show her what she does to me.
My body fights me, but my mind wins. I pull away, clearing my throat.
Rae turns away from me, her shoulders sagging. After a moment, she straightens herself up and steps to the side. The distance hurts.
When she drags her eyes up to mine, regret howls between us. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. When Rae’s eyes flick to my lips, I know she feels what I feel.
She wanted me. Still wants me. Her body is fighting her, too.
But she’s choosing her brother over me. She’s putting her family first, and how can I be mad at that? Rejection stings, but I know she’s right.
Rae pinches a smile at me, then ducks her head and walks away. I listen to her footsteps fade, then let out a sigh and close the garage door. The flashlight stays forgotten on the hood of my car, and I leave the scene of the crime without looking back.
When I get inside my house, I pull out my phone and fire an email to Sawyer. I know he’ll see it. He told me he’d check his messages.
I don’t say much. Just six words: I think you should come back.
I hit send and stuff my phone back in my pocket, feeling betrayal swirl in the pit of my stomach—but I’m not exactly sure who it is I’m betraying.
Rae is in the office when I get to work. Through the window, I see her on the phone, dragging her hands through her hair. She pinches the bridge of her nose, then lets her shoulders drop.
I turn away from the sight, not wanting to feel the pull in my gut that always seems to drag me toward her.
Oliver walks through the garage door, smiling at me. “What’s on the schedule today, Benji?”
“The Aston Martin,” I say, jerking my chin at Rae’s car.
Oliver’s eyebrows jump up, but he says nothing, and we get to work. It takes a few hours for us to get Rae’s car running again, but when it purrs to life in the shop, I let out a satisfied nod.
I wouldn’t mind taking this thing for a drive. It’s a ten-year-old model, but it’s a beautiful car. Rae has good taste—I can admit that even if I judged her when she first drove in.
Taking the keys out of the ignition, I head for the office. When I stand outside the door, I hear her voice.
“I don’t want the board position, Dad.” She sighs. “You know I’ve always wanted to start my own business.”
I freeze.
I’ve never thought of myself as the type of guy who would eavesdrop, but her words stop me in my tracks. I lean toward the thin door, angling my ear toward her.
“What? Why are you checking my accounts, anyway? How did you get access to them?” Pause. “Well, I need to fire my accountant then, don’t I? Yes, I’m sure I don’t want your money. No, I won’t tell you what all the expenses are or who I’ve been transferring money to.” I can hear her frustration rippling through the door. “I already told you, I don’t want to be on the board. I’m on vacation. I have to go. Goodbye.”
My eyes are wide. Just the other night, I refused money from my own father. I thought Rae stayed behind to live off her parents’ wealth? I thought Sawyer said that was the whole reason she stayed behind was to use their support and live an easy life.
If she’s taken their money before, why would she refuse it now? How does that make any sense?
I lift my fist to knock on the office door just as it’s ripped open from the inside. Rae yelps, her eyes wide.
“Oh, Benji.” She sighs. “It’s you.”
I search her face, looking for some hint as to what her conversation was about. Rae just looks tired.
I hold up the keys to her car, giving her a tight smile. “Running like a dream now.”
Her fingers curl around the keys, carefully avoiding any contact with my skin. She gives
