Page 56 of The Billionaire in Her Bed

“One of my companies. Hearthstone is another.”

“Let me get this straight.” Brooke tapped one toe on the tile floor. “You own Hearthstone.”

“Right.”

“And Hearthstone is buying Candy Court.”

“Right.” He folded his arms across his chest then stuffed his hands in his pockets then let them fall to his sides, uncertain of how to stand or what to say. He was fucking this up, damn it, and he didn’t know how to fix it. “But…”

“How long?” she asked, cutting him off sharply.

“What?”

She took a step toward him in their already tight quarters, eyes blazing. The Wonder Woman power pose was back, not that he blamed her. “How long have you been planning this? From the night we met at Flotsam and Jetsam? The day you walked into the tenants’ meeting?”

The guilty-as-charged look on his face must have given her the answer because her eyes went from hot with fury to ice cold and her lips flattened into a hard slash across her face. “You bastard.”

“I…”

“You were one of us. We accepted you, no questions asked. Hell, David and Chris had you in their wedding. Mrs. Feingold treats you like a son. And I…” Her voice caught, and she blinked back tears. “I fell in love with you. And the whole time you’ve not only been lying about who you are, which I could understand and maybe even forgive given the circumstances, you’ve been secretly plotting to buy our building out from under us and throw us out on the street.”

His heart twisted like she’d plunged in a knife. A long, rusty knife with serrated edges that continued to rip and tear with every breath he took.

“It’s not like that.” He reached out a hand to her, but she smacked it away. The knife plunged deeper. “Please. Listen to me. Wait until you hear what I have planned…”

“I don’t care about your plans. There’s not one damn thing you can say that will make any difference.” She pushed past him and jerked open the door. “Fuck you, Eli Ward, and the D-train you rode in on. I’ll see you in court.”

She stormed out, leaving Eli standing among the cleaning supplies and toiletries. Numbly, he bent to pick up the roll of toilet paper she’d knocked over. Only then did it hit him.

She’d said she loved him.