The By Request Collection. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ was a hobby, but he knew full well if she ever opted out of the real estate industry, she could turn pro without fail.

      Graham swallowed. Whatever she’d called him here for had to do with that old bastard. Talk about a mood killer.

      When she didn’t say anything, Graham surveyed her spacious office overlooking the city. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed off a brilliant Chicago skyline dotted with lights. As he turned, he noted the built-in bookshelves on the far wall were full of books, mostly on photography and real estate. When Eve was passionate about something, she put her whole self into it. He could attest to that.

      But the fact that he admired and cared about her hobbies was even more dangerous than having his physical desire escalate. Getting too personal meant setting down roots. He wasn’t about to set down roots with any woman. Ever. Let alone a woman whose family bitterly rivaled his.

      Graham walked back to the desk, setting his hip on the edge beside her chair. The picture she’d homed in on now was of a smiling Sutton surrounded by his daughters. This had to have been taken recently. Eve wore that killer red suit she’d had on a few days ago and Sutton wasn’t looking well. But he actually smiled in these pictures. Graham didn’t want to see his old rival as a human being capable of such emotions.

      “I’m almost done,” she told him, without turning. “I have a few more to upload.”

      Graham didn’t want to see Sutton’s face on the screen another second, especially not with Eve smiling back from the picture. Guilt twisted the knife in his chest. He had no right to hate the relationship between Eve and her father. He had no right to...what? Be jealous? No way was he jealous. That was absolutely...

      Damn it. Maybe he was jealous. How did a man like Sutton deserve love and loyalty from someone so caring and trusting as Eve? Sutton was a bastard and that he’d managed to raise three amazing women was a miracle.

      Sutton may have been a conniving jerk, but he’d made the right choice putting Eve in charge of his company. There was no one better to run Elite Industries. She had a vision, something fresh that would drive the company into the next several decades. She was brilliant, independent and charming. She had all the traits that would make Elite expand in the exact ways she wanted it to because she refused to take no for an answer, and she refused to fail.

      “I saw my father today.” Her soft words cut into the silence. “Grace and Nora happened to be there at the same time. Dad knows I always have my camera on hand, so he wanted family pictures in case...”

      Graham didn’t like that vulnerable, lost tone in her voice. Selfish as Graham was, and as much as he loathed Sutton, he wasn’t going to let Eve grieve alone. The loss of a parent was still too fresh, too painful for him. Nobody should have to face such emptiness on their own.

      Squatting down beside her chair, he gripped the arms and turned her to face him. Finally, her bright green gaze landed on his. “It’s good you have these pictures. Many family members don’t get to say goodbye, let alone capture the final memories.”

      Moisture gathered in her eyes as she nodded. When one lone tear slipped down her cheek, Graham reached to swipe it away. But his hand lingered on her cheek, his thumb sliding across the darkness beneath her eye.

      “You’re tired,” he said before he could catch himself. “Maybe you should go home and rest.”

      “I’m fine. It’s only seven. I wouldn’t sleep now, anyway.”

      Stubborn. Hardheaded. So much like himself, he felt as if he were looking in a mirror. Still, he wouldn’t let her work herself to death and that had nothing to do with their intimacy. He wouldn’t want to see anyone this exhausted and worn down.

      “What time did you come in today?”

      She pursed her lips and looked away. “I think five. Or maybe it was five yesterday and six today. I can’t remember right now.”

      He clenched his teeth and counted backward from ten. She was pushing herself too hard and someone needed to intervene.

      “You have spreadsheets scheduling your bathroom breaks at work and you can’t recall when you came in or how long you worked today?”

      Eve’s sharp gaze collided with his. “So?”

      “You’re working too hard. You’re going to break if you don’t slow down.”

      Narrowing her eyes, Eve stood up, but Graham didn’t get out of her way. “That’s the second time today someone has said that to me. My apologies if I look tired. I’m in negotiations with a company we want to take over, my sister is pressuring me to bring a date to some silly costume party and my father is dying. I’ll try to look less exhausted tomorrow and double up on concealer.”

      Her words sank in and Graham got to his feet and reached up to cup her shoulders. Closing the miniscule gap between them, he brought her body flush against his.

      “I’ll be your date.” Because no way in hell was another man going on her arm.

      Eve blinked away her unshed tears. “You can’t be my date. Nora and Reid are hosting the party at my dad’s. You think they’re just going to let a Newport onto the Winchester estate?”

      Graham shrugged. “I’ll wear a mask and a great costume. Introduce me as whoever you want. But I’m your date.”

      “No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ll go alone.”

      So long as no schmuck was escorting her, Graham was fine. Still, part of him wanted to go with her, but she was right: that was ridiculous thinking. They weren’t a couple, so why pretend to be one? He hated how his instant go-to idea was to be with her as her date. They didn’t date. Sneaking around after dark, parking their cars where they couldn’t be seen and sending texts in code was not dating.

      Circling back around to the original topic, Graham asked, “What are you doing to yourself?” Sliding his thumbs beneath her eyes, he let out a sigh.

      Eve blinked but remained silent. Something was going on with her. He wasn’t sure what, but he wasn’t leaving until he knew. Maybe it was the stress from her father’s illness and from buying another company, just as she’d said. But could it be something else?

      “If you want to end things, just say so.”

      Her eyes widened as she shifted back slightly. “What?”

      Graham dropped his hands. He couldn’t touch her and not want her, but he’d be damned if he begged. “If you want to bring this arrangement to a close, that’s fine.”

      The color drained from her face. She started to step back, but hit her chair and lost her balance. Graham reached around to grab her, but she pushed away. Struggling out of his hold, she ended up moving around him and putting a good bit of distance between them.

      “That’s fine?” she repeated. “If you’re that detached from this...whatever this is, then leave.”

      Careful of his next words, Graham slid his hands into his pockets. Eve was clearly on edge and his blasé words hadn’t helped. He hadn’t expected her to be so upset. Still, this was useful information to have. Clearly she wasn’t calling him here to break things off.

      He closed the gap between them, СКАЧАТЬ