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"That doesn’t work for me" She stepped away, her jaw stiff and her eyes narrowed He thought she was angry until tears started tracking down her face "I don’t want to be your pity friend"

His chest constricted at the sight of her tears, and he quit breathing "Who ever said anything about pity?"

She swiped at her cheeks as her chin quivered "You did You said you were done helping h You said it, and you meant it You can’t take it back now"

"I never said you I said we" He sed hard "You never once thought I h for you?"

Guileless eyes searched his face, wide fro "Why would I ever think that?"

"Because I’m a prostitute, and my dad is a criminal"

Her lips turned down, and she took a step away fros None of that i those things as excuses because you don’t want to hurt me But I want you to know I can handle the truth If I’et over you eventually I don’t want to be coddled or lied to because of what I am I don’t need your pity friendship"

With that, she breezed past him and sailed down the street Her as fast and all business There was no seductive swaying of hips, no grace; this was no runalk He loved it

He loved her

And she was trying to get over hiet over him, she had to have fallen for hi, his financial situation, his education, and his dad, and she still loved hih him He’d been so blinded by his insecurities that he’d pushed her away and hurt her What he should have been doing instead was fighting for her

The fight started now If she could trust and accept him as he was, then he could, too She deserved that kind ofto be that kind of man

He followed Stella from a distance to make sure she made it into her house safely, and then he ran to find Quan He needed help devising a battle plan

Chapter 28

A knock on her office door distracted Stella fro As she swiveled around, the door opened, and an enormous bouquet of calla lilies walked into the room

Their lead receptionist, Benita, a curvy brunette in her early forties, set the vase on the desk and exhaled through her mouth "Okay, that was heavy It looks like you have an admirer"

Stella plucked a card out fronized Michael’s bold scrawl i of you Love, Michael

"I don’t knohat thisin the palm of her hand

Benita craned her head to the side to read Michael’s script and grinned "Michael is the honey you’re dating, isn’t he? He’s quite the looker"

"We broke up"

Benita’s grin turned sly "Looks like he wants to get back together Are you going to give him another chance?"

Before she could reply, Philip stalked past her door After a split second, he reversed and glowered at the bouquet on her table An iht side of his face

"That son of a bitch" He barged into her office, headed for her flowers

She threw herself in front of the to throw those in the Du"

"No, you’re not They’re et you better ones," he said through his teeth "Those have to go"

"I don’t want you to getWe went on one date, and I don’t want another We’re not compatible at all"

Benita pursed her lips and watched Philip with raised eyebrows, obviously enjoying the drama

He approached Stella with tensed shoulders and clenched hands "And you’re coers around the card Was it still compatibility if it was one-sided?