The CEO's Seduction (A Hamilton Family Series)

by Diane Alberts

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

  Not in this lifetime.

  Besides, marrying someone would require at least a modicum of emotion, and he wasn’t capable of that. Of caring. He liked his life the way it was. Quiet. Isolated.

  Safe.

  His eyes sought out the few people in his life he’d been able to trust. The only people who loved him. Fed him. Helped him study for finals and for the SATs. All were accounted for—except Anna.

  Where had she gone?

  She’d been strangely distant all night long, ever since he tried to get her to give him the place card. He still wanted to know what was wrong with the damn thing. It hadn’t been an extra letter. The look of relief on her face when Wyatt ripped the card had been palpable. If they hadn’t been interrupted, he would’ve gotten to the bottom of the mystery, even if he’d had to climb on top of her on the floor…

  He tugged on his tie.

  The air in the crowded room was stifling and hot, and that weird sensation he kept having when he thought about Anna struck again, making his palms sweat. Fresh air would help clear his head. He always did his best when he was alone on his penthouse roof, but since he was an hour and a half from home…

  The Hamilton garden would have to do. He smiled at everyone he passed, still unconsciously scanning the room for Anna. He almost made it outside. Almost.

  Eric Hamilton stepped in his path, smiling. “Where are you running off to so fast?”

  “Nowhere. I just wanted some fresh air.”

  “Where’s Anna?” Eric asked.

  Brett raised a brow. “How the hell should I know? I wasn’t with her.”

  “Did you notice she still looks at you like you’re a god?”

  “No,” Brett said automatically. “I hadn’t noticed at all.”

  Liar.

  Eric snorted. “Yeah. Sure. Just stay away from her, okay?”

  “Who says I wasn’t going to?” Brett gritted his teeth. “But if I wanted to be with Anna, you lurking about in dark hallways wouldn’t stop me…just so you know.”

  Eric went stiff. “Is that a confession?”

  “No. It’s a fucking statement.” Brett smiled coolly, annoyed but refusing to show it. “Hey, how did it go in court last week? Did you manage to keep your license, or did they revoke it for too many points on your record?”

  Eric flushed. “How did you hear about that?”

  “I play golf with some guys from the courthouse on Sundays, and they keep me up to date on this stuff.” He rocked back on his heels and tsked. “What were you thinking, doing ninety-five in a sixty-miles-per-hour zone?”

  “I wasn’t exactly paying attention to the speedometer,” Eric drawled.

  “What did your parents say?” Brett asked, knowing damn well they hadn’t said anything, because they didn’t know.

  Eric shifted on his feet. “I’m not a child anymore. I don’t have to worry about what my parents have to say about my driving habits.”

  “So you didn’t tell them.”

  “I didn’t tell them,” Eric agreed, grinning. “And you won’t, either. Mom’ll kick my ass if she finds out.”

  Brett snorted. Mrs. Hamilton was a force of nature, by her own right. “Your secret’s safe with me. Now, if you’ll excuse me?”

  “Don’t do anything you’ll regret,” Eric warned.

  Brett brushed past him without answering, using a tiny bit more force than necessary. If this is how they treated their friends around Anna, then she’d never find a man strong enough to deal with those buffoons. He almost felt sorry for her, but then he pictured her married to some other man…

  And he wasn’t filled with pity anymore.

  How odd.

  When he stepped outside on the veranda, he drew in a deep breath. Something about being back in town on a warm spring night felt pretty damn amazing, even if he did hate this town and the memories that came with it. He ran a hand through his hair and studied the stars. He never could make out any constellations. Anna used to spend hours outside, drawing the constellations and staring through her expensive telescope.

  Did she still like the stars?

  And did she still draw?

  He’d been too busy avoiding her to know what she enjoyed in her free time. It wasn’t too hard to do, considering the fact that he lived an hour and a half away. Most of the time, he succeeded in pretending she didn’t exist. But then, on nights like tonight when the stars were out in abundance, he remembered their nights in this garden, lying flat on their backs staring up at the stars, and he missed her.

  But he never called her.

  “Still trying to find the Big Dipper?” Anna asked, her voice soft. “Or did you finally figure out what it looked like after all these years?”

  He turned toward her, his heart speeding up at the sound of her voice. Why did it keep doing that around her? It was just Anna. She sat on the stone bench in front of the roses. The deep red petals behind her brought out her light blonde hair, even in the moonlight. Her soft beauty came to life amid the nature and night shadows. Was her skin softer than a rose petal, or her lips as red? Or were her lips—?

  What the fuck was he thinking, going all poetic about her lips?

  He needed to go back to his penthouse ASAP.

  Plastering a smile on his face, he walked closer to her. “No, I gave up on figuring out the stars a long time ago. It’s a hopeless endeavor. Much like me.”

  She shook her head. “You’re far from hopeless.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  She kicked her legs slowly, like she was on a swing. “You’re running your dad’s company. Living in the city. Taking the world by storm. You’ve got everything you always wanted.”

  He laughed softly. It didn’t matter what he thought about his life or his job. No one gave a damn, as long as he handed them their paychecks on time. “Yeah, I guess I am, huh? How about you? You’ve got the job. The apartment. The car. The degree. All you’re missing is the husband and three kids you wanted. Two boys and a little girl, if I recall correctly?”

  She chuckled. “You remember all that?”

  “Of course I do.” He remembered everything about her. Not that he’d tell her that. “I was listening all those nights we lay out here, watching the sky. So, who is he? Do you have a boyfriend? Someone who might make those dreams come true? Another Ivy Leaguer that you met at school, perhaps?”

  If so, you better hide him from your brothers.

  “Nah, no boyfriend.” She stared off into the distance. “But, really, those were the dreams of a kid, not an adult. There’s a lot of things I wanted back then that I’ll never get, so if I don’t get my three kids…then that’s okay.”

  He swallowed hard. Somehow, he had a feeling she was talking about him. She couldn’t really still have her heart set on him, could she? Hell, they hadn’t even seen each other in years. Her childhood crush had to be dead by now…right? And if it wasn’t, what the hell was he supposed to do about that? The two of them would never work.

  He’d never love her like she deserved.

  He lifted a shoulder. “You never know. You might get all the things you want. Time has a weird way of working things out in the end.”

  “I doubt it. Some things just aren’t meant to be.”

  “Maybe so,” he agreed, switching his weight to his other foot.

  She looked up at the sky again. “Look at what you’ve done with your life. How far you’ve come. You should be proud. Your parents would have been, too, I’m sure.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and approached her. His throat inexplicably tightened. Would they have been proud of the man he’d become? He didn’t know, because he didn’t know them. “I haven’t come all that far. Here I am, sitting in your garden with you again, just like I used to.”

  “But you smell much better.”

  Brett choked on a laugh. Only Anna could joke about his childhood like that and get away with it. “Wow. Thanks.”

&nbs
p; “And your clothes are nicer, too,” she teased with a smile.

  Brett rolled his eyes. “Again, thanks.”

  “I hated that they hurt you like that,” she said softly. “That they didn’t care.”

  He swallowed. “It doesn’t matter anymore. It was years ago.”

  “I know.” She sighed. “But I still hate it. And them. But anyway… Come. Sit with me. I promise I won’t bite unless you ask me to.”

  He tried his damned best to ignore that comment…and fucking failed. “Always the tease.”

  “It’s not teasing if you’d actually do it.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” He snorted. “Whatever you say.”

  “I say…” She patted the spot directly next to her. “Sit down and shut up, before you ruin the peaceful moment we have out here.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her. “Right away, ma’am.”

  “At least I know if I order you to stay in my company, you won’t avoid me for a little while.”

  He sat, but on the opposite side of the bench, as far away from her as he could without falling off. He couldn’t risk getting too close right now. Their usual light flirtation didn’t seem so lighthearted anymore. “I’m not avoiding you.”

  “You might not be trying to,” she said. She eyed the gaping distance between them. “But at the same time, you are. And that’s fine.”

  He stared down at his hands, which were curled into fists. “It’s not easy coming back here, to this town. The memories of them piss me off.”

  “I know.” She reached out and grabbed one of his hands, squeezing gently.

  When she pulled back from him, he had the insane urge to flip his hand over and catch hers so she wouldn’t let go. He looked up at her, meeting her soft gaze. She was giving him that look again. Instead of making him uneasy, this time his heart skipped a beat. He inched closer to her. “Remember that day I came to school and didn’t have any shoelaces?”

  She stiffened. “Yes. That awful Matt boy was teasing you, but you threatened to kick his ass, and he took off running like the pansy he was.”

  “Do you remember what you said about him after?”

  “I think it was…” She pursed her lips and looked up at the stars. He longed to run his finger down her perfectly smooth cheek. To find out if she was as soft as a rose petal or not, once and for all, stupid poetry be damned. “I think I called him a loser, and said you’d be his boss someday, so ignore him.”

  His lips twitched. He would never forget that day, or the way she looked when she got all defensive about him. Eyes blazing, hair flying, little fists clenched when she tried to go after him. He’d stopped her with a hand on her arm and a few soft words he couldn’t remember. But, ah, he remembered her, and the way she looked.

  Would she still want to fight for him?

  He forced his attention back to her. Anna watched him with a wrinkled brow, waiting for him to continue on. “Guess who is the custodian at Ross-Handler Inc.?”

  “Matt?” She burst into laughter at his nod. “Oh God. I love that. You totally just made my day…heck, my life.”

  He smiled at the musical sound of her amusement. Something about her laugh set him free. Or some other stupid romantic crap like that that he shouldn’t be thinking or trying to put into words. “He really needed the job, though, to feed his family, so as much as I’d like to have said no…”

  She met his eyes. Hesitantly, she reached out and traced the line of his jaw, touching his skin. Much like he’d wanted to do to her—only she wasn’t afraid of the consequences. And she wasn’t bound by a blood oath made as a kid.

  Flexing his jaw, he pulled away her fingers. “Anna.”

  Her smile drifted away, and she dropped her hand back to her lap as she took a sip of wine. “Sorry. It’s just…”

  When she trailed off, he frowned. “It’s just what?”

  “That’s one of the few times I’ve seen you smile tonight,” she said.

  He raised his brows. “Maybe you need to look closer, then. I’ve been smiling a lot.” So damn much his fucking cheeks were aching. Who the hell smiled as much as these people? They couldn’t be for real.

  “No. Not really. You’ve been smiling.” She turned back to him, her eyes crystal clear to him even in the darkness. “But not the smile I know and…love.”

  He flinched at that word. He couldn’t help it. “I think you’re worrying too much about me, like usual.”

  “And I think you don’t worry enough.”

  He snorted. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would someone want to worry? What good does it do?”

  “That’s not what I meant. What I meant is…” She bit down hard on her lower lip and looked away from him. “Never mind. Forget it.”

  “No. Tell me.”

  “It’s nothing. I just worry about you because life can be lonely sometimes. You live alone in Atlanta, and you’re trying to fill the void with—” She pressed her lips together, as if she wasn’t certain she wanted to continue the thought. “I just know you, and you’re not happy right now. Not really.”

  How did she know that when they’d barely spent any time together?

  How could she be so damn sure about his emotions, when he didn’t think he really had any anymore? Scooting closer, he grabbed her chin and turned her face back to his. His pulse leaped at the contact. “I’ll be honest. Sometimes I’m scared of what you might see when you look at me, because you never see what everyone else does.”

  “I see you.” Her eyes were all wide, and her lips were parted. “The real you, not the one you want everyone to see. And you’re lonely, even if you won’t admit it.”

  Goddamn.

  She had him all figured out, didn’t she?

  He trailed his pointer finger over the curve of her cheek. She drew in a shaky breath, her eyelids drifting shut. It would be so easy to close the distance between them. To brush a soft kiss against her lips. So easy and yet…

  So fucking wrong.

  “I’m not alone most nights, Twinkletoes.”

  She reared back, pain coloring her eyes. “Yeah. I heard.”

  For a second he was ashamed, but it was best she found out what kind of man he was now. His hand tightened on her jaw, and he leaned in. “You know how much I care about you, right?”

  “Yes.” She blinked up at him. “Of course I do. You think of me as your little sister.”

  He gave a slight shake of his head, refusing to drop his hold on her. He couldn’t have her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think about it every once in a while. Like right fucking now, out here in this garden, just like old times. “Not quite true. I mean, yeah, but still. I don’t really know how to—”

  “Hey, guys,” Christopher said, his words casual but his voice lethal. “What’s going on out here? Got something in your eye again, sis?”

  Brett closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.

  Of course he should’ve expected to be interrupted. And of course he would get caught red-handed and looking guilty as hell, again. But damn it, he kind of was guilty, wasn’t he? If he was being honest with himself, he wanted to kiss Anna. He wanted to taste her lush mouth and have her clinging to him, begging for more.

  Too bad he couldn’t have it.

  Or her.

  But still. It would be nice if, for once, he could actually have a whole conversation with Anna without one of the Hamilton brothers interrupting.

  He dropped his hand back to his leg, gripping his thigh. “Nothing’s happening, Chrissy.” He used the childhood nickname on purpose to throw his best friend off. “We were talking. Nothing more.”

  “I told you not to call me that anymore.” Christopher clenched his fists, his stare pinning Brett down. “And last time I checked, talking doesn’t require touching.”

  “Funny. I thought it did,” Brett said.

  His best friend turned red. “Oh really? Then come closer so I can ‘talk’ to you. I’ve got a few things to say.”

  “Calm down
. She’s not a damn child anymore,” he said, flexing his jaw.

  Anna shot him a look, scooting imperceptibly closer.

  “Excuse me?” Chris asked, his tone deceptively soft.

  “You should really stop treating her like a kid. She’s allowed to talk to men she’s known practically her whole life,” Brett said, refusing to back down.

  He wanted to say something sarcastic about Christopher treating him like an asshole looking to take advantage of Anna, too, but he knew better than to start another fight on top of this one. The famous Hamilton temper was about to come to a head, and it was directed at him for the first time in years.

  Actually, the last time he’d seen Christopher this angry at him had been when he said Anna was pretty. He’d been fifteen—and he’d walked away from the encounter with a broken nose and a blood promise to never touch her. A promise he still stuck to, minus one small moment of weakness years ago.

  When Christopher remained silent, he sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. “Look, man. We were just talking. You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. We’ve already talked about this a thousand times.”

  Chris’s hands relaxed a fraction. “I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m on your side. I would never touch her.”

  “Well, then.” Anna shot him a look that stabbed him straight in the heart and stood. “Glad that’s settled, and I’m safe from being ruined tonight.”

  Christopher shook his head. “You don’t get it. Men are—”

  “Assholes? Pigs? Chauvinistic maniacs?” She looked mesmerizing in the moonlight, her eyes shining with fury. “Yeah. I agree. You two are the worst of them.”

  Brett stood, too. “Anna, I didn’t mean to—”

  “Don’t.” She held a hand up. “I expected more from you.” Though she didn’t raise her voice, her words hit Brett as if she had shouted them in his face.

  Chris narrowed his eyes. “Why the hell would you expect—”

  “And you?” She whirled on Christopher, her back stiff and her hair blowing in the breeze. “Brett has been your best friend for as long as I can remember. Give him a little bit of credit and stop accusing him of climbing into bed with me every time we’re alone together. He’s made it very clear he never will, so back off.”