“Linc, I’m sorry. Why didn’t you ever tell me any of this?” Jordan asked.
“Nobody knows and I mean nobody. Would you admit you screwed over your best friend?” He could barely look at her now.
She sighed. “Let me ask you a question to put this into perspective. If a man climbed into bed with a completely drunk woman, pretended to be someone he wasn’t, and slept with her, would there be any actual consent? If someone did that to Chloe, would you blame her for sleeping with someone she thought was her boyfriend?”
He lifted his head. “Hell no.”
“Right.” She pinned him with a determined stare, the one she used when she wanted him to think the same way she did.
And when he thought about his sister in his position, he could look at things differently. “I would consider it rape and I’d beat the shit out of the guy.” His hands were already clenched into fists.
She braced her hands on his shoulders, getting his attention again with her touch. “Linc, Jenna set you up. You didn’t want to sleep with her. You didn’t agree to sleep with her.”
He appreciated her not calling it rape. He didn’t think that was something he could discuss or consider. “None of that matters since I did the deed. I slept with Beck’s girl, and now he clearly somehow managed to partner with my father, and if I can’t come up with the money to cover this down payment, Beck will become my partner in my business.”
And the more Linc thought about it, the more pissed off he became.
Jordan squeezed his shoulders before dropping her hands. “Listen. He’s been holding a grudge for over a decade. It’s time for him to get over it. And if it just so happens it was a good business deal? There’s no doubt he saw the upside of sticking it to you.”
Linc nodded, relieved and grateful Jordan was looking at this from a rational point of view and not thinking he was the scum of the earth he’d thought himself at the time. And had for years after. He’d kicked himself so often, he forgot to think about how he missed Beck as a friend and regretted that things had gone south between them and he’d lost a man he’d once thought of as a brother.
“Since you know who it is, can you go see him and discuss possibilities to fix this without losing a piece of the company?” Jordan asked.
Linc winced. “I can try. But we’ve been bidding against each other for years without actually having face-to-face contact. But I plan to see what I can do because Dad owes much more than our liquid assets.”
A few quiet seconds passed and Jordan finally spoke. “Are you okay?”
He rolled his stiff shoulders. Now that she knew everything, much of the emotional burden had been lifted. But the future of his company was at stake, and he’d be damned if he’d let an old grudge stand in the way of keeping it in the family.
“Linc?” She ran her tongue over her lips, moistening them. Tempting him.
“Yeah.” He glanced at Jordan.
She tipped her head to one side, her ponytail brushing her shoulder. “Maybe you can use your father’s dementia to declare the contract null and void.”
“No.” He shook his head. “We agreed to keep the news to the family. If it gets out, any deals he did in the last year, even legitimate ones I knew about, could be undone by someone with regrets taking us to court.”
She visibly cringed. “Okay, I understand. So what do you suggest?”
“Either I get Beck to be reasonable … or I find a way to pay.”
Jordan nodded. “So you have a plan.”
He shot her a grateful look, once again struck by how vital she was to him. How understanding even when he didn’t expect it or think he deserved it. How he couldn’t live without her in his life. “Jordan?”
She looked at him, concern in her gaze. “What is it?”
He drew a deep breath. “Thanks for not judging me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t thank me. I know you, Linc. And there is no way you’d deliberately hurt a friend. Or cheat. Discussion closed, okay?”
He was dying to pull her into him and kiss those soft lips, in much more than gratitude. He leaned forward, unsure what he planned, and Jordan jumped up from her seat.
“I vote we go back to the city. I have a ton of laundry and cleaning to do.” Cheeks burning, she turned away.
God dammit. What did he need to do to ease her into being comfortable with testing the waters of a relationship? He couldn’t stop thinking about their night, their compatibility in all ways, and he wanted to see if they could make a go of things.
Had he done a one-eighty? Yes. But he couldn’t imagine another woman who understood him as well or who he desired more.
Chapter Six
Jordan arrived at work early on Monday with a Starbucks grande chai tea latte for herself and a tall dark roast with milk for Linc. She wasn’t surprised when he strode in a few minutes after her. He, too, always showed up before nine.
“Good morning,” he said, pausing by her desk outside his office.
She smiled. “Good morning to you. Coffee’s on your desk.”
“Thanks. How was the rest of your weekend?”
She shrugged. “Fine. Busy with the usual. Errands, straightening up, laundry. Claire came over Saturday night,” she said of her sister. “We ordered pizza and watched a movie.”
“How is your sister?”
Claire hadn’t spent as much time at Linc’s house when their mom was working. Being older, she’d had a job after school.
“She’s good.” She looked back at her computer screen.
“So I take it you were too busy to return my calls or texts?” He propped a hip on the corner of her desk.
His arousing masculine scent, woodsy cologne mixed with a hint of spice, reminded her of why she’d avoided
