22. William

Iwas the biggest idiot in the world.

I shouldn't have kissed her. I shouldn't have taken her shirt off. I shouldn't have taken her bra off and exposed her perfect breasts.

The image of her bare chest invaded my mind as cold water washed over me. This shower was the only thing stopping me from going outside and finishing what I started. I wanted her so much that it was killing me but I couldn't have her.

Sleeping with Jane would only complicate things. We were never supposed to consummate our marriage. I was never supposed to see her the way I did tonight. I knew I would never forget the sight of her body.

It was deeply etched in my mind and it always would be. But at the end of the day, our marriage was only a contract. Nothing here was real but sex with her would be real. It would affect our relationship in a way neither of us would be able to recover from.

Plus Ryan would never forgive me if he found out that I slept with his sister. When Jane and I get divorced next year, I'll explain everything to him and hopefully, we can get our friendship back. If I slept with Jane then all hope of restoring that friendship would go down the drain.

I walked out of the shower and into my bedroom. The memory of Jane lying in my bed on the night she came back in the rain flooded my mind. I wanted her in my bed tonight too but not because she was cold.

I ran a hand through my hair and groaned. At this rate, I would need another cold shower. Why couldn't I stop thinking about her?

The image of a lacy pink bra flashed through my mind and I groaned again. She was right outside this door and yet I couldn't do anything.

I reminded myself that this was for the best. I was saving Jane and me from a whole new world of problems by keeping my distance. It would be stupid to get involved with her like that. It was bad enough that we were in a fake marriage. We didn"t need to complicate things further by sleeping together.

I repeated that until I believed it. This was for the best and when it is all over, I will be grateful I made this decision. Jane would be grateful too.

She probably felt angry with me for walking away but by tomorrow she would realize I made the right decision.

I saved us both.

"What do you mean they're considering working with Hannibal Group instead of us?" I asked. My tone was sharp enough to cut glass. It made Paul, my business analyst, squirm in his seat. He'd just given me bad news which was not how I wanted to start my week.

The company I'd been trying to acquire for months was also discussing with our rival, Hannibal Group. Acquiring this company was what I needed to cement my place as CEO. I couldn't let Hannibal Group swoop in and take it.

Why did problems always have to come in threes?

I was still dealing with the Noble Bank issue and the situation with Jane. Now what would have been the third most profitable deal in the history of this company was about to fall through. I couldn't allow that. I had to acquire Titan Capital no matter what.

"I need answers, Paul."

The young man continued to squirm. His gaze darted around my office as if he was scared to meet my eyes. "Of c-course, sir. I… I think we should consider offering Titan more money."

I scoffed. We were already offering those vultures more money than the entire company was worth. "Why would we do that?"

Panic washed over Paul's face and again his eyes darted around. He was keeping something from me. "Because the…" His voice trailed off. Paul's breathing became more frantic. For a second I was worried he'd have a panic attack.

"What are you not telling me, Paul?"

"Hannibal Group offered more," he said in a rush.

My jaw tensed. "How much more?"

Paul looked at the door like he was considering running away. If he wasn't so good at his job, I'd fire him for not having a backbone. "A million dollars more than we did."

I wasn't stupid. I knew what that meant. Someone had leaked information to Hannibal Group. That was the only way they could have found out how much we were offering.

There was a mole in my company. I observed Paul with a cool gaze. Even when I was calm, he was still squirming. The poor guy didn't have what it took to be a mole.

"You can leave."

"Thank you." He sprung from his seat with the speed of someone who had seen a ghost.

"Send Riley in on your way out."

"Yes sir."

My new assistant knocked before stepping into my office. Riley bowed her head as she approached me. I assessed her demure attitude. At first, I thought it was a good trait but now I suspected it was just a front. She was the newest member of my team so I had yet to fully trust her.

Riley joins my company and now I find out someone is feeding information to Hannibal Group. It was too much of a coincidence. She was the obvious suspect but I knew that didn't make her guilty.

Plus there was someone higher up who had a lot to gain if the Titan deal fell through. Bolton would have a field day if I wasn't able to acquire Titan Capital.

This deal was the only thing that could save me from my grandfather"s threats. If—When I acquire Titan Capital, then he won't be able to take my position from me and give it to the likes of Bolton. The baked members cared about being on my grandfather"s good side, but they wouldn't be stupid enough to support him after seeing what I'm capable of achieving as CEO. They would be forced to support me.

And once I gained their support, I wouldn't have to be married anymore. Jane and I would get divorced.

The thought of divorcing Jane didn't fill me with as much joy as I expected it to. I was supposed to be happy so why did I feel… miserable?

"You sent for me, sir," Riley said as she lifted her head. She looked perfectly innocent but again, it could all just be a front.

At this moment, I couldn't trust anyone. Not even that wimp, Paul. He could easily be faking things too. Everyone was a suspect.

For the first time in my life, I began to understand my grandfather's cynicism. I didn't have anyone I could trust.

I walked into the penthouse and sunk onto the chair in the living room. I was too tired to walk to my room. The plan was to rest for a while but I fell asleep the second my head touched the cushion. I was exhausted.

My eyes opened again when I felt something in my hair. A pair of light blue eyes stared back at me. The shock in them was apparent. Jane's hand was still in my hair but her fingers had stilled.

For a moment we just stared at each other, both transfixed by the situation. She slowly pulled her hand away but I caught it before she could take it away completely.

"What were you doing?" I asked.

Jane blinked. "There… There was something in your hair. I was only trying to take it out."

"Hmm."

"I should leave now," she said. She tried to pull her hand away but I tightened my grip.

A second wave of fatigue washed over me. I had to fight against it to stay awake. "I like it when your hand is in my hair."

What was I saying?

I lifted Jane's hand and placed it back in my hair. Her fingers glided through the strands and I lost the battle to sleep once again. When my eyes opened a second time, Jane was gone.

I sat up and looked around the living room.

I felt strangely disappointed that she wasn't here anymore. I stood up and walked to my room. I'd barely gotten to the hallway when I bumped into a small figure.

Jane gasped. "Two heart attacks in one night," she said as she held something large to her chest.

"What is that?"

"I was bringing you a blanket." Jane lifted it as she spoke.

It was a simple act of kindness but coming from her, it felt like everything. A warm feeling spread over my chest. I couldn't explain why I felt the way I did and I couldn't stop it either.

"I guess you don't need it anymore," she said.

"No, I don't."

Neither of us knew what to say after that so we simply said goodnight. Jane and I walked to our separate rooms. She'd given me the blanket so it hung loosely from my shoulder. I felt an unusual sense of peace.

Somehow, I knew I could always count on Jane.