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Sadly, he probably meant what he was saying.

“That sounds like the last, valiant declaration of a man about to lose his heart completely,” she scoffed.

Instead of brushing her comment off or picking up the challenge, he gave her that steady, unblinking look she was beginning to understand meant that his mind was set to his course. “Maybe,” he answered.

More on the subject was interrupted by the food arriving. Delicious as it looked, Lil couldn’t imagine putting anything into her churning stomach. She finally toyed with a piece of beef enough to bring it to her lips.

“Move in with me,” he said calmly.

Lil dropped the fork to her plate with a loud clatter along with the meat she hadn’t tasted. “We discussed this.”

The strong set of his jaw and the proud look in his eyes told her that he wasn’t going to let her brush the topic aside. “Not because you might be pregnant. Move in because you want to fall asleep in my arms at night and wake up next to me each morning.”

Lil hedged, “I have Colby…”

He said, “Don’t hide behind her. You know I could more than take care of both of you. She would have the best of everything.”

Except his love and what kind of life would that be for either of them? “For how long?” Lil asked.

He shrugged. “If you’re looking for promises, I don’t have any. If it’s your financial future you’re worried about, I’ll have my lawyers draw up some sort of settlement to remove that concern.”

There’s the Jake I know. Lil tossed her napkin onto the table and stood. “Wow, you’re about as romantic as my car service plan.”

“Sit down. Lil,” he said in a tone that probably worked on people who cared about pleasing him.

Lil was unimpressed. She leaned one hand onto the table and looked him straight in the eye. “No, I will not sit down. Did you seriously just offer me a settlement to ease my pain on the day-whichever day you choose-when you throw me out?”

His explanation was lacking. “It’s quite common to think about…”

Lil gathered her purse, took her baby stroller by the handle and started to leave. So as not to disturb Colby, she lowered her voice, but her tone remained angry. “Maybe it’s common in your world. Not mine. I’m one of those poor sops, I suppose, who has nothing better to believe in than…than…”

He blocked her exit. “You can’t even say the word and you think I’m the one with the problem?”

She sucked a breath in harshly, her hands flexing on the handle of her stroller. “Fine. You’re right. I’m too screwed up to accept your offer. Luckily for you, there are probably a hundred women within yelling distance who would jump at your offer. Ask one of them. Now get out of my way.”

“I don’t want them.” His jaw set, he planted his feet and continued to block her path. “I want you.”

Lil could be just as stubborn. “We all want things we can’t have, Jake. That’s reality. Now, seriously, don’t make me ask someone for help to get past you.”

He stepped aside. “I’ll drive you home,” he growled.

“No,” she said and held a hand in front of him. “You’ll give me my keys and find your own ride to wherever you’re going – hopefully New York.”

Smooth Jake was struggling to contain his growing frustration with her. Impatiently he dug the keys out of the front pocket of his shorts, but did not immediately give them to her. “If you’re sure that is what you want.”

Lil simply maintained her stance. What she wanted didn’t matter; she knew what she had to do. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, tell him everything, and accept his pitiful offer. She wanted to believe that despite what he said, he was already half in love with her. And against all common sense, she wanted to think that he could forgive her if she told him the truth.

Wanting wasn’t enough.

And it certainly didn’t make his last offer any less insulting.

“Lil,” he said and paused as his cell phone rang. He checked it quickly. “I have to take this.”

Unable to stop herself, she said, “Maybe it’s your lawyer and you can tell him to leave the name blank for now on that settlement form.”

His phone rang again. He answered his phone, but mouthed to Lil, “This is not over.”

Yes, it is, Lil thought. I’m not doing this again.

She was almost through the roped area that led to the rest of the museum when she heard Jake completely lose his cool for the first time since she’d met him. His voice boomed through the courtyard. “What the hell? I thought you’d beefed up our firewall in anticipation of something like this. I’m absolutely coming back-right now. And I’m going to find out how this happened.”

Lil stepped up her pace.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This was exactly why he didn’t believe in acting impulsively.

He should have been in New York, in his office, on top of the situation and keeping his team on high alert. There was absolutely no excuse for something like this happening, but there was an explanation.

He’d let his lust for Lil cloud his judgment and distract him when he most needed to be focused on saving Corisi Enterprises.

I’m no better than Dominic. We both deserve to be flipping burgers next year if we screw this up.

What was it about those Dartley women?

For just a moment, he entertained the possibility that they could have been planted by the competition. Did Stephan’s initial plot against Dominic include gaining their trust and then taking both men out of the picture via the oldest trick in the book?

No, not only were Lil and Abby likely the most thoroughly background checked women in the country, but he pictured Lil putting him in his place the very first night he’d met her and smiled. Lil would make an awful mole. She said whatever was on her mind. She might be frustrating as hell-but she was no liar.

The weight of responsibility lay squarely on his shoulders. He’d watched Dominic check out of reality after he lost his father over a month ago and there was no sign that he’d be checking back in any time soon.

Getting involved with Lil right now was irresponsible, ill-advised, and all he’d been able to think about this past week. Why couldn’t she just move in with him and remove the fascination of it all? Familiarity was the most likely antidote to what was beginning to feel like an obsession.

Mentioning the settlement had been a mistake. She was wavering until he’d tossed that tidbit into the ring.

Maladroit comments were out of character for him. So was asking a woman to move in with him; never mind practically begging her to.

What was happening to him?

He wasn’t sure how to move forward with Lil.

He had no idea how to make Dominic see how close they were to losing everything.

But there was one area he was still certain of. He was going to find out who had hacked into his personal computer and whoever it was he was going to crush them financially, and quite possibly, physically. Never before had he understood the lure of violence, but right about now the urge to punch someone was surging within him.

Pulling up to the building that housed her new apartment, Lil decided that it was too beautiful of a day to hide away inside so she handed her keys to the valet and took her daughter to a local park. She was pushing Colby lightly back and forth in one of the baby swings when her phone rang.

She almost didn’t answer it.

What am I afraid of? Really, how much worse could today get?

Alethea’s voice exploded from the phone as soon as Lil answered. “Lil, I’ve got good news for you.”