Tempted Heir (The Heirs #7) - Michelle Heard Page 0,3

up miserable and alone.”

I lift an eyebrow at her. “Again… you have me.”

Dash lets out a sigh as she rests her cheek on my chest again. “Yeah, but I want to get married one day. I want a happy marriage like my parents have. I want kids.”

When she’s had time to heal from this, I’ll talk to her about the stupid pact we made. There’s only one problem. If Dash can’t love me as more than a friend, I’m fucked.

“That doesn’t mean you have to settle for a piece of shit,” I say, my voice tight from the residual anger.

“When I started dating Josh, I didn’t know things would turn out this way. He was nice in the beginning,” Dash argues.

Too fucking nice.

“Look at Danny, she’s twenty-seven, and she still hasn’t met the right guy. What if they just don’t exist anymore?” she voices her worry.

Dash is a lot like my older sister when it comes to love. They were both raised as princesses, believing there’s a fairytale waiting for them.

“If you don’t meet a decent guy by the time you’re thirty, I’ll marry you,” I mutter, trying to be subtle about a relationship between us.

Dash’s head pops up, and then she glares at me. “Don’t even joke about that.”

Fuck. Not the reaction I was hoping for.

Steeling myself for the blow of rejection, I say, “I’m not joking. If we’re both single, why not? Honestly, I’d marry you in a fucking heartbeat if it saves me from wading through the gold diggers and drama queens out there.”

My comment makes a burst of laughter bubble over her lips. Then she nods. “Okay. When I’m thirty, and we’re both single, then we call it quits on dating and get married.”

It’s a start.

Grinning at her, I say, “Deal.”

She snuggles against my side, then murmurs, “All joking aside, thanks, Christopher. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out,” I whisper as I close my eyes.

Chapter 2

DASH

Dash 25; Christopher 27

Pressing Christopher’s extension, I wait for him to answer.

“Yeah?”

“Are you ready?” I ask. We still need to get dressed before heading over to Tristan and Hana’s place for the Halloween party they’re hosting.

“Ten more minutes,” Christopher grumbles.

Letting out a sigh, I turn off my computer before I get up and walk into his office. Where Christopher’s office is totally closed off for privacy, my office has glass partitions, so I have a clear view of the hallway seeing as I’m not only a director at Indie Ink but also Christopher’s PA.

He glances up, then mumbles, “I said ten minutes, Dash.”

“And we both know that’s bullshit,” I call him out. Reaching over his desk, I close the folder of our latest deal. “We’re already late. Let’s go.”

I walk to where his jacket is hanging, and taking it off the hanger, I hold it open so he can put it on.

Christopher lets out a huff, but at least he gets up. When he’s done shrugging on his jacket, he mutters, “You know I’m the CEO, and you’re the PA, right?”

I don’t get offended by his words because I know he’s overworked and tired. Between Danny, Christopher, Ryker, and myself, we practically run Indie Ink. “Yeah, and it’s part of my job to make sure you don’t work yourself to death.”

Christopher and I have a deal that what happens in the office stays in the office. We don’t let our work relationship affect our friendship.

Adjusting the lapels of his jacket, I glance up at him. “It’s already past seven. We still need to get ready.”

He takes a deep breath and luckily doesn’t argue with me.

The office is quiet as we leave, and once Christopher is driving us to our apartment block, I say, “You haven’t taken any time off since you started at Indie Ink. You’re going to work yourself into an early grave.”

Christopher shoots a glare my way. “You know taking a break is out of the question. With Tristan starting his own business, we’re down one person.”

“Delegate the work then,” I argue.

“Stop worrying about my workload. Besides, it’s only until Jade graduates.” Jade is the daughter of a close family friend. She’ll be taking over bringing in new business once she joins Indie Ink.

I shake my head, muttering, “That’s another two years.”

Christopher parks the car in our building’s basement. Once we’re out of the vehicle and walking to the elevator, he says, “I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

The doors slide open, and we step inside. I swipe my keycard and press the buttons for