Page 26 of Earned Husband

Hell, we didn’t even know if it was going to happen, and even if it did, Jane and I had a plan. One that did not involve being rescued like a damsel in distress. If this old man honestly believed that the company wouldn’t survive without him, he had another thing coming.

“What doyouactually want, Basel?” I asked straight out, dropping thesirin favor of treating him more like an equal now. “Is it access to Thayer’s manufacturing network or is there something else? I’ve been led to believe that you were in need of state-of-the-art facilities that could be converted and that this deal makes sense because both companies could benefit, but I’m not interested in the games that are being played right now.”

The man eyed Khaled for a moment before he nodded when he turned back to me. “I appreciate your directness, but there are no games, Colin. To put it bluntly, I think your company has a market overseas and I want to be part of it. I also want you to head it up.”

He paused for a beat, not moving his gaze away from mine. “The way I see it, this wouldn’t just be a merger, but a union of two powerhouses. GlobalStar would take Thayer international.That’swhat I want.”

Stunned speechless for a second, I finally managed to speak again when I realized that neither Alex nor Khaled seemed to have known the extent of Basel’s plans. “This conversation shouldn’t move forward without Jane in the room.”

Basel glanced at Khaled again, but he did seem impressed that I’d mentioned my sister. When he looked back at me again, he didn’t argue. “That’s fine. I’m in town for a week and I’ll have my people get in touch with yours. There’s much to discuss.”

I got the feeling that this entire conversation had been about sizing me up, but I had no idea how I’d fared when Khaled suddenly strode toward the door and opened it for me. After saying my goodbyes, I walked into the hallway and Khaled stayed in the room with his father, shutting the door behind me.

All by myself, I waited for a beat before I walked through the house without him, deciding to just see myself out. I was almost to the foyer when I heard Deja call my name. “Colin! Wait up.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see her hurrying down the stairs to meet me, still dressed in the outfit she’d had on earlier, but her eyes were brighter. Worried, perhaps.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I think so,” I said slowly. “Hey, uh, do you know about what’s going on?”

She started to say something, but before I could make sure we were on the same page about what exactly I’d been referring to, my phone rang.

Alex’s name popped up on the screen and I groaned. “It’s almost ten p.m. This can’t be good news. I should take it, but I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

On an instinct I didn’t even realize I should fight at first, I grabbed one of her hands and tugged her closer, about to kiss her goodbye before I remembered myself. Immediately letting go, I took a step back and tried not to notice the fact that she was just a little breathless—and looking at me like she wouldn’t have been opposed to the kiss.

“I had a great day with you,” I said briskly, then saw Basel coming down the hallway over the top of her head. “Goodnight, Deja.”

She smiled at me, but it was pinched now that we could both hear her father’s footsteps behind her. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Colin.”

There was so much more I wanted to talk to her about, but Basel was now watching and my phone started ringing again, so instead, I just turned and walked out of their house, my head spinning after everything that had happened today.

It’d been a good one, for sure, but after that conversation with Basel, I had a lot more to think about than I’d been expecting, and honestly, I had no idea how I was even going to begin telling Jane about his proposal.

CHAPTER 12

DEJA

As soon as Colin shut the door behind him, I turned on my heels and marched back into the house. My father was standing in the hallway just off the foyer with a calm, sort of satisfied expression on his face that made me want to grab him by the shoulders and shake.

“What was that all about?” I asked, crossing my arms to keep from acting on the impulse. “You cornered him.”

A slow, amused smile spread on his lips. “I did no such thing.”

“You demanded he go to your office and you interrogated him.” I stood my ground, looking up into his eyes before I gave my head a firm shake. “Khaled was excited about the potential this deal held.”

My brother was hovering at the entrance to the kitchen with Ashanti, but he immediately lifted his hands up and turned his palms out. “Leave me out of this. I’m innocent.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, you are. You’re just the guy who got Colin into that office to begin with.”

“He’s a big boy, Deja,” Khaled said. “He can handle himself, and if he wants to work with us, he’s going to have to learn how to deal with Dad sooner or later anyway. Don’t stress about it.”

My dad sighed. “I was perfectly pleasant with him and he did just fine. It was a meeting, sweetheart, not an interrogation or a torture session. And Colin Thayer is no pushover. That meeting just showed me that.”

Dad pulled me into a hug. I was still irritated, but when his arms closed around me, some of the tension evaporated from my shoulders. Dad had always been this way, demanding, protective, stubborn, and yet somehow, still so affectionate with his family.

He kissed the top of my forehead. “Get some rest, sweetheart. Everything will be fine.”