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“I like the sound of that” In fact, he already had the island

“Don’t even joke” She stuck out her tongue and giggled, but the sory Peck reporter character in this situation You have to walk away alone at the end, and I have to do my duty”

That hurt more than it should “No island?”

“Nope, we’re each on our own Lucky for ot a decade’s worth of experience on that front” She casually sipped her coffee, but there was noin her hands “So, what did you really need to say?”

“You weren’t alone” Shit He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that

She set her uys I went home with You knew about them You said you were at the bar”

Fuck SoMr Smooth “Yes”

She went still and stared at hiulped and shifted on the tall bar stool Here he was, a billionaire poised to overthrow a govern in his seat

“What else?”

Feeling the sharp corner of each guilt-forhed and straightened his shoulders He’d opened the door, noas tih it “It took us alotten to A in Harbor City, so we had a starting point”

“Nine years?” she asked, her voice sharp enough to be considered a weapon “You, the Resistance, have knohere I was for nine years?” She sranite island, her eyes daht I was alone and you knehere I was and never came forward?”

Yep, his stomach was shredded He could take tears He couldn’t take hers, not after he’d seen for hi with all she had in the workout room The stubborn determination not to be pushed into a decision but to choose her destiny herself, for her own reasons That Elle wouldn’t be broken; he’d kill the person who tried But when it ca that had happened before he walked out of the elevator and onto the showroom floor at Dylan’s, he hadn’t had a choice

“The Fjende knew about us and were looking for you If we had made overt contact, they would have found you We were there as much as we could be”

“What do you mean?”

Okay, fuck this For each degree she cooled, he only heated up Maybe it was the guilt Maybe it was because he had done everything he could Probably it was both