Dirty Sexy Alphas (Twenty Book Box Set) - Hannah Ford Page 0,94

the battered old dresser and pulled out a camisole and an old pair of cotton gym shorts. A long, hot bath was in order, and then I was going to be early. Maybe Ben was right, and a clearer head and a new day would bring clarity to the lab results.

And maybe if I slept hard enough, the dreams of Landon wouldn’t plague me.

I was walking to the bathroom when a knock came on the door. I glanced at the table, checking for my purse, but it was hanging from the little wooden chair. I must’ve left something in Ben’s car.

I crossed the room, yanking the door open. “Be—“ I froze. “Not Ben,” I said, swallowing.

“Not Ben,” Landon repeated, his gaze slicing straight through me. “Though I was glad to see you refuse him.”

I raised a brow, hoping my look rivaled his own. “You’re following me now?”

As if to emphasize my words, his eyes swept over me, lingering between my legs before returning to meet mine. That one look made me hot, and I hated him for it. “Just watching out for you,” he said.

“I can’t do this. I won’t. It’s over. I can’t wait around for you anymore.”

I stepped back and tried to slam the door on him, but he put a foot through the doorway before I could, and the door bounced open once more.

He didn’t say anything, just kept staring at me, as if to wait for me to say the words he wanted to hear.

“Your life is too complicated,” I said instead. “There’s no room for me in it. You have your company, and your wife—“

“It’s all gone,” he said.

I stilled at the tone in his voice, an emotion I couldn’t name.

“What do you mean?” I asked, studying his expression. I was confused. And suddenly my heart was pounding in my chest, as if my body already knew what my mind couldn’t yet grasp.

“Alexa signed the divorce,” he said.

I felt like I was holding my breath. “Why? How?”

“I gave her everything.”

I gripped the doorway. “What is everything?”

He stepped up to the threshold, and I turned, my back to the door jam, the two of us in this impossibly small space. “I gave Alexa my company. Complete ownership.”

“Why would you do that?” I said, still not believing him. “She only was asking for 52 percent—“

“Because I knew that she was going to push and push for more and draw it out. The only way to end things quickly was to give her a better deal than she could ever have imagined. I figured I’d rather give her the company then work for her or work with her in any capacity. And I put a deadline on the deal, gave her less than twenty-four hours to sign and finalize the divorce settlement. She moved fast,” he said, his eyes staring at me the entire time. “You’d be surprised how fast someone can move when they really want something, Taryn.”

I was, for the first time, truly speechless. He’d given up everything. Everything. For me.

“Landon,” I started, my breath catching.

“I did it all for you,” he said, as if reading my thoughts.

All for you.

All for you.

His words echoed in my head, an accusation. Landon had just given up everything he’d built because of me. Because I’d given him an ultimatum and forced him to do something he’d never wanted to do in the first place.

My heart was torn in two.

“Now what?” I breathed.

“I have no idea,” he said. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

And then he came inside.

END OF BOOK 5

Part VI

Filthy Love (Second Chance With My Brother's Best Friend, Book Six) by Paige North

Chapter 1

I couldn’t stop staring at him, wishing the words would come. He searched my eyes for my reaction, but I just stared back, numb.

I swallowed, trying to find a way to breathe again. I stepped back, as he walked into the apartment.

He looked so out of place, with his finely tailored clothes. His polished shoes had probably never seen carpet this outdated. My world was at odds with his.

And yet somehow he’d decided to give his world up, rather than let me go? He was insane. He’d regret this.

“I never wanted you to give up your company,” I finally said. It should’ve been a crushing blow, should’ve made him second guess his decision, but his expression didn’t change. He was unyielding, confident in his choice.

“It needed to be done,” he said. The words were so simple, like he was talking about laundry that needed