no sense."
"You know I am." Edward’s lips quirk, "Hand on heart, ask yourself what it is that you must do in this situation."
"Haven’t I been asking myself that all along? Would I be asking you this question if the answer was at all clear to me?"
"You’re the business man here, Weston. Your gut knows what it wants; your heart simply has to fall in line."
"You’re not shoddy in the business space yourself." I crack my neck. "You’ve held your own in all of the business decisions we’ve made thus far."
"Don’t change the topic," Edward admonishes. "What is it that your gut says you should do now?"
"What if it’s not clear to me for the first time, huh?"
"Wrong answer," Edward snaps. "You’re beginning to piss me off."
I blink. Edward angry? It never happens. That he swore at me? I can count on my fingers the number of times he’s done that. "I am not sure what to say," I rasp.
"You don’t have to say anything, and you do know what you have to do. Your stubborn-ass head is getting in the way. You’re trying to think about this along rational lines, when you know what you have to do."
I laugh, "Have you been spending much time with Saint?" I ask. "You’re speaking in riddles."
Edward shakes this head, "Stop deflecting; it won’t work." He frowns, "You going to follow your gut and your heart on this? Or are you going to spend the rest of your years regretting the one decision you should have made, which would have changed the course of your life, but you didn’t because you were too much of a pussy?"
I stare at him. "I can’t believe you said that." I shake my head. "You, of all people, should know I don’t shy away from hard decisions."
"But this is much more than that." He tilts his head, "It’s, perhaps, not your decision to make. Perhaps this time, you have to allow the circumstances to wash over you, and go with the flow?"
I laugh. As if I would ever do that? I haven’t come this far in life to bow before events, not if I have my way. "I’m not sure what you’re implying but—"
The screen pixelates and my voice echoes back at me. Huh? Bloody technology, always fails you when you need it the most. The connection restores.
"Hey man." Damian peers back at me from the screen.
Arpad jerks his chin. "Still here for my sins," he grumbles.
"Where’s Edward?" I frown.
"Seems he dropped off?" Damian mutters, "Perhaps he’s had enough of you acting like a fool, and decided to cut out?"
"Yeah, well, fuck that." And fuck him. My heart begins to race. "Not my decision to make, huh? We’ll see." I toss my head.
"You coming out to London for the New Year’s party?" Damian asks.
"I’ll be there."
"Are you bringing her?"
"That’s up to her." I frown. The hair on the back of my neck rises and a tingle runs down my spine. "I need to go, guys."
I hang up and turn. My gaze widens. "What are you doing here?"
37
Amelie
I tip up my chin and march into the room. What the hell am I doing here? Why had I allowed Kirsten to convince me to stay? He frowns as I walk past him to the bar, and pour myself some sparkling water. Yeah, I need my wits about me. I’m not going to fuck this up, or give the alphahole the time of the day either.
I glance around the beautifully furnished living room. The painting above the fire place is definitely an original, the settee in the room is made of plush leather and strewn with cushions, giving it a homey look. The wooden floor gleams, no doubt, polished every day by minions. I take in the corners of the room, the other walls—no clocks. Of course, not. Is his family aware of Weston’s trigger? Had they done away with all time pieces? Of course, they know about his affliction, right?
Footsteps sound behind me as Weston prowls over, "I thought I told you to leave?"
A ripple runs past my nerve endings. Don’t show how nervous you are. Don’t let on how much his nearness affects you.
I turn, glance around him. "Hey, Kirsten," I wave at his sister.
"Come on over, babe, you gotta see what Phe has drawn for you."
"Coming." I march past him, head high, spine straight, my heart booming in my rib cage. He locks his fingers around my wrist.
I squeak.
"Don’t ignore me," he growls under this breath. That harsh