The Man Who Has No Heart - Victoria Quinn Page 0,73

I released. “Jesus fucking Christ…” I dragged my hand down and stared at the table.

“I told her I was seeing Tucker, even though I had stopped seeing him at the time.”

I lifted my chin and looked at her.

“And that calmed her down.”

I hated Valerie for a lot of reasons, but now I hated her for affecting my new relationship. She had been a tyrant in our relationship, slapping me in the face if I didn’t give her what she wanted, and then throwing a fit if I stood too close to a female colleague. She was beautiful—but fucking insecure. She could destroy this relationship, make Cleo’s life so miserable that she wouldn’t want to stay.

That fucking scared me.

I turned away and looked at the table again, my palms pressed together and resting against my forehead while my elbows leaned on the table.

“Deacon?”

I was quiet for a long time, like I needed a few moments to decompress. I dropped my hands and straightened again.

“What is it?”

“I’m just worried…”

She waited for me to elaborate.

I stared straight ahead. “I’m afraid if Valerie moves here…she’ll rip us apart.”

Cleo watched me for a while, the silence continuing.

“I haven’t told you the details of my marriage, of all the problems we had, but trust me, there’s no line she won’t cross.”

Her hand moved to mine on the table, and she gently squeezed me. “There’s nothing she could do to chase me away.”

I’d thought I could be in a loveless marriage forever, but with every passing year, the weight on my shoulders became heavier and heavier…and then my back broke. The same thing might happen with Cleo, the hardship and harassment would stop being worth it.

“Deacon.”

I resisted her gaze until I caved. I looked at her.

“Nothing,” she whispered. “Nothing at all.” She squeezed my hand again.

I squeezed hers back, my heart weightless now that I’d finally let her in. I’d resisted for so long because I was afraid to go through hell again, but now that she was in my life completely, I felt at peace, like every fear, every doubt had disappeared. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me…and my son.”

Her eyes softened, staring at me like she never wanted to stop. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me too.” She brought my hands to her lips and kissed the knuckles. “No matter what happens, we stay together.” She repeated my own words back to me. “Alright?”

I nodded. “Alright.”

I sat at my desk at my office, going through the stacks of paperwork that needed my attention. All I cared about was the work we were doing, not running the corporation, but since I owned it, I had to take care of it. Having someone else run operations had been suggested, but I didn’t trust anyone else with the company I’d built with my bare hands…and my mind.

Theresa’s message popped up on my monitor. Cleo is here.

Send her in. I was in the middle of doing something, but now that didn’t seem important. The woman who made my life shine was about to step into my office, and the piles of paperwork could wait until she left.

She stepped inside, holding a thick package as well as a reusable bag. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I got out of my chair and came around the desk to kiss her. I didn’t even give her a chance to put down the items she carried before I moved in and pressed my mouth to hers.

She melted at my kiss, looking at me through her thick lashes, a slight smile on the lips I’d just kissed. “I never get used to that…” She set the package on the desk along with the bag. “Here’s the papers you asked for. I thought I would bring you lunch too.”

I’d thought it would be weird to continue to have her serve me, run my life like my assistant, but since it was the foundation of our relationship, it didn’t feel strange at all. It was the premise to our friendship, the way I learned about her, trusted her, without having to risk myself at all. I believed it was the only way I could have let someone in again, and if I’d never moved in to the building, never met Cleo, I would have been alone forever. “Thank you.”

She took everything out of the bag, revealing cauliflower rice, tofu dumplings coated in breadcrumbs, and some slices of fruit and sautéed veggies. She understood my diet completely, knew I liked to rotate between vegan dishes,