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''Why is there still no papers I asked for? God damn, do you even do anything or I pay you for nothing?'' I shout at my assistant, who's fairly new, not that it excuses anything. When I hire someone new, I expect efficiency from them. If you don't have that, you can't work with me. Because I only work with the best.

''Mrs. Peterson is still working on them. She said she's going to mail them to you soon, sir,'' Amber, the young assistant, says uncertainly. Her posture is straight, but her body is rigid, and even though she tries to look unaffected and confident, I see her hands shaking.

I scowl at her. ''Tell her to work faster. The clock's ticking,'' I bark. ''And where the hell is my coffee?''

Amber's lips straighten. ''I'll bring it right to you, sir,'' she says obediently and continues standing there with her head lowered.

I raise my eyebrows. ''Go get my coffee, I don't have all day,'' I order her, sighing deeply.

''Yes, sir.'' Amber hurries out of my office, almost running out of it as if her feet were on fire.

I rub my temples, the first traces of headache showing. That's the cause of barely sleeping these past days and then working too much.

I go back to work, clicking through the important e-mails and reading the reports and other documents that were sent to me. But minutes later after Amber left, my door opens without the person knocking first and I look up annoyingly.

Michael, my partner and also a man who I trust the most with my business, comes in, smiling from ear to ear. He really chose the wrong day to spill grins.

''What is that I hear about, boss? The whole building starts shaking in fear at just a mention of your name. Bad week?'' Michael teases, plopping himself in the chair in front of my desk as if he would've been invited to take a seat.

''Please, sit down for a chat,'' I say dryly, pointing my palm to the seat he's currently on.

Michael puts his foot over his leg and leans back on the chair, making himself comfortable. ''Thanks, man. You're so nice.''

I roll my eyes at him and flicker my eyes back on the screen. I don't have the patience to deal with this today.

I hear Michael chuckle, but I still don't look at him. ''You seem pissed about something. Trouble with your pretty woman?''

My temper rises unbelievingly high at his words. I grip the desk, debating if I should stand up and go over to him, but I change my mind the last second. ''Keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about, Downing. It's going to get you in trouble.''

Michael doesn't seem bothered by my words – he even chuckles louder than before, clasping his hands behind his head. I want to throw him out of my office. Why the hell is he even in here?

''So it is the infamous Miss Warren, huh?'' He leans forward then, clasping his hands in front of him, putting his foot down on the floor and resting his forearms on his thighs. ''Tell me, what did you do now?''

My eyes narrow. ''Why do you think it's me who did anything?''

Michael lifts his eyebrow in an arrogant way and shakes his head. ''Come on, now. I've known you for years, Campbell. I know how you are with women. Now tell me, how did you screw it up this time?''

I smile coldly at him and it's now me who leans over the desk. ''Guess what? It's none of your business. What I do with anyone is no one's concern and I am under no obligation to explain my private life to anyone.''

Michael keeps shaking his head. ''You wouldn't recognise a good thing if it hit you in the head.''

It's like he didn't hear a word I said. ''What's that supposed to mean?''

''You'll see when you lose her.'' Michael gives me a cold smile of his own.

My mouth slightly parts. I don't have anything to say in return, so I stay quiet.

Michael stands up and puts the chair where it was before. ''Get your shit together, Braden. If you have problems at home, don't bring them in the office and take it out on the people who don't deserve it. They're all doing their best to please you.'' And with that, he goes out of my office and silently closes the door, leaving me staring at it, numb.

You'll see when you lose her. Surprisingly, that thought doesn't sit well with me. It's the tightening of my stomach and a sick feeling in my throat that tells me that. Just thinking about not having Rory in my life anymore makes me unwell.

And that's what terrifies me.

When Victoria fucked me over, I made a promise to myself – to never, ever care about any woman so deep and give her the power to hurt me. And by having these thoughts about Rory, I'm giving her that power to completely destroy me.

I panicked. I decided to put a distance between us, again. Our relationship is getting deeper and I didn't mean it to happen, but I can't help myself, either.

So I decided to not see Rory for some time, put a distance between us and let this thing that's happening to me cool off.

The only thing that happened is that I made myself live in a pure hell. And even living in hell wouldn't feel like this probably.

I can't sleep because my mind is filled with her face, her smiles, her body that makes me go insane. I keep hearing her sweet voice and her sweet laugh. She's haunting me. I can't eat much, constantly wondering what she's doing, if she's thinking as much about me as I am about her and if she feels the same way being away from me.

I saw her calling me. I saw her missed calls. But she never left any voice mail. I had to put my phone completely on silent so I could resist the urge to answer one of her calls. I had to check it every few minutes for any business calls and every time I picked the phone up, I just wanted to dial her number – which I know by memory by now, by the way – and then ask her how she's been, what was she up to. I just wanted to hear her voice and talk to her and see her and wrap my arms around her.

And that's exactly why I didn't do any of these things. I threw myself into work and worked until I exhausted myself, but even then I couldn't sleep well. I worked really hard, coming up with the new idea I've been toying with for quite some time and now I'm making it possible, so it took me a lot of time and patience.

But I still found the time to think about Rory. It seems like I'm cursed. She did something to me and I'm afraid I can't undo it anymore.

By cutting the contact between us, I put myself in a misery and almost drove myself and all the other people around completely crazy. I wanted to focus on this project and make it happen. I'm also doing this for her and what's best for her. So if I spoke to her or went to see her, it'd break my concentration and determination. I can't let that happen.

I don't know how long I'll be able to survive this.

The knock on the door takes me back to reality. I zoned out when I should be working. I sigh and rub my temples again, willing the headache to disappear. ''Come in,'' I call out.

Amber comes in, looking like a frightened animal. She puts the coffee on my desk. ''Anything else you need, sir?'' Her hands can't stop trembling.

I stare at her for a few long seconds just to see her squirm. She doesn't give away much, but I can still smell fear on her. ''No, that will be all. Thank you, Amber. You did an excellent job. Now make sure no one disturbs me for at least half an hour. I'm going to lunch,'' I announce.

Amber nods abruptly. It seems like she stood up taller at my praise and her eyes sparkled a bit, a more confident look replacing her eyes. ''Certainly, sir.'' She makes her escape.

I lock my computer and take my suit jacket, going through the door Amber flew out of just a few seconds before.

***

''Holy shit, stop bothering me already. If you want to know how she is, call her. Or, did you lose her number maybe? In that case, I have a better solution for you; go and see her before she sets her eyes on someone else!''

I pause and stop walking. ''Has she set her eyes on someone else?''

Brooke grunts. ''She's going to. She probably already forgot how your face looks like, seeing that she hasn't seen you in days. You're an asshole for that, by the way.'' Ah, Brooke. Always saying what's on her mind.

I wince at her words. I am an asshole for that, and someone else confirming it just makes it more real.

You'll see when you lose her.

I start walking again because people are crashing into me from every direction. ''I won't correct you. But is she alright? I need to know, Brooke.''

Brooke scoffs. ''Ask her yourself. Why in the ever loving God are you ignoring her and then calling me all the time, asking me about her? It makes no sense, Braden. Get your shit together already and stop playing her.''

Yeah. Get your shit together. As if it's that easy when I have a war in my mind. ''You're awfully protective of her. You two got really close in the short time you know each other, huh?'' My voice is questioning, no hidden meaning behind.

Of course Brooke will reply with sarcasm. ''Yeah, you should really talk about getting close to her. By the way, I'm not protective, I'm looking out for my friend, who's also an amazing and sweet woman. It's not my fault my naïve brother can't realise that.''

Brooke is the second one to say this to me today. What is it with everyone? Rory might turn out just like the rest of them, but people seem awfully quick to trust her.

''Are you done insulting me now? I'm still waiting to hear my answer,'' I growl.

Brooke tsks. ''I'm not insulting, I'm speaking the truth. You take it as insults, I see. And I already answered it; if you want to know, ask her. It's not that hard. She speaks English, so she'll make it easier for you to communicate.''

I roll my eyes at her making fun out of the women I 'dated' in the past who were not native English speakers. Brooke doesn't forget these kind of things and she always finds the right time to throw them in my face.

''I see I won't get anything out of you today. It was pleasant talking to you, sister,'' I reply in my own sarcasm, the frustration of this week showing at its maximum today.

''Glad to hear you only call me for one reason and that is for me to tattle on my flatmate. It's not happening.'' Brooke laughs, finding my grim mood funny.

I sigh. ''It's nice to see how much you care for your brother.''

Brooke chuckles even harder. ''I do, but only when he doesn't act like an idiot. Which, lately, is a lot of times. Now stop bothering me and go get her back,'' Brooke orders.

I crack a smile. ''Maybe I will.''

''You better. Bye, Braden.''

''Bye. See you around.'' I hang up the phone and call my driver immediately.

''I'm near Brooklyn Square on New Prospect road. Come pick me up.'' I hang up.

My phone vibrates in my hands.

Brooke: Btw, did you and Rory have a fight? She's been a little ... down lately.

I stare down at the phone, gripping it tightly. I immediately call her.

"What's with your text?" I ask her straight away.

"Hello, dear brother!" she replies back cheerfully.

"Brooke," I say seriously, not in the mood for one of her games.

"Did you and Rory have a fight?"

"Not that it's any of your business ... but no. Why are you asking?"

"Just wondering," she says casually.

"Did ... something happen? Did she say anything?" I ask curiously and also nervously. What's up with my girl?

"You know, you're right. It's not my business to say anything anyway. Nice talking to you!"

"Brooke!" 

She hangs out and I look at the phone with disbelief, contemplating throwing it out of the window.

But I come to one conclusion - I'm going to get my woman back in bed with me again tonight. It's time I put an end to this misery.

***

I wait for her in the hallway that goes to the changing room. My nerves are strained and my palms are actually getting sweaty. What the hell is it with me, acting like I'm meeting with a woman for the very first time in my life? This is getting ridiculous.

I almost change my mind and go back home and forget about this, but then Rory appears, just getting through the door from the bar, not noticing me.

She goes past me, but I stop her by wrapping my arm around her midsection and pull her back into my body. I put my hand over her mouth so she doesn't attract any uninvited people with her screaming. She doesn't recognise me and she struggles against me, kicking out with her legs and writhing around in my hold. I drag her into a dark corner.

''Ouch! Rory, dammit, it's just me!'' I hiss close to her ear, removing my hand just a bit from her mouth and see if she's going to scream.

She gets out of my grip and pushes me away from her, then walks a few steps back. She's breathing hard and her whole body is shaking. ''What the hell, Braden?!'' she cries out, her voice shaking. ''You scared the crap out of me, Jesus Christ!'' She puts a hand over her heart. She takes some deep breaths and I stay where she pushed me, not wanting to scare her even further.

But now seeing her after a week, I can't stay away from her for long. I'm in front of her soon, taking her face in my hands. Christ, she's gorgeous. It hits me straight in the chest how much I truly missed her. Her wide, expressive eyes, her perky mouth, her soft, soft face and a sinfully sexy body ...

Rory stares at my chest, still in shock. ''I'm sorry, I didn't really mean to scare you,'' I say softly.

''Well what did you expect, grabbing me like that and dragging me away?'' She finally lifts her face, only to glare at me.

I cringe at her harsh tone. I put my hand on her back and push her towards my body, softly rubbing her back to calm her down. ''I'm sorry, baby. I won't do it again, I didn't think. I was too excited to see you,'' I say against her hair.

Her hair always smells so good, reminding me of an ocean.

She pushes me back away from her and I look at her in confusion. I try to step towards her again, but she puts her arms out and steps back. ''Don't, Braden. Just don't, okay?''

I cock my head to the side, gauging her reaction. I frown. ''What's wrong?''

Rory takes a deep, long breath and exhales slowly, obviously calming herself down. A calm before a storm, I'd guess. ''You disappear for a week, Braden, then come at the bar, nearly giving me a heart attack for thinking I'm being kidnapped, and then you give yourself the right to ask what's wrong. Maybe I should ask you that – what's wrong, Braden? What was wrong this whole week? Is your phone broken that you haven't been taking my calls or calling me back?'' she throws in sarcastically. My eyes widen at her last accusation.

I cross my arms in front of me, my temper rising. The temper that's building inside of me this past week is releasing and Rory's going to be the victim of it, even though she doesn't really deserve that. ''You're not my mother, nor my wife, so I don't have to explain where I am and what I'm doing,'' I bite out hurtfully.

I regret it the second I say that.

Rory sneers. ''Of course. I'm the girl only good for fucking. Darn, how could I forget?'' She taps her head. My eyes narrow at her words. ''But for the record, this girl would like to know what's going on in your life and why you suddenly vanish for days. You can't say we're friends, but then treat me like a dirt. What if something happened to you, Braden?''

My mouth slowly lifts up in a small smile. ''You worried about me?'' I ask, my voice small and shy. Rory wraps her arms around herself and I wish it'd be me who'd do that instead.

''Of course I did, you jerk,'' she growls out.

My body becomes rigid at her insult at me. I deserved that. No matter how much insults hurt, I deserved this.

Rory squeezes her mouth together. ''I'm sorry,'' she apologises meaningfully.

She apologises! Dear God. I don't deserve her.

I nod stiffly in acknowledgement. I have a battle in my head, not finding the right words to say something to her. I push my hands in my pockets and we both stare at each other.

Rory sighs. ''Look, I'm really tired and I just want to go home,'' she murmurs.

''You're really impulsive, you know that?'' I say, clearly catching her off guard.

''I – what?''

''You react quickly to things. It's easy to piss you off. And you usually don't check your facts before you attack.''

She stares confusedly at me. It seems she didn't expect me to say this to her, but it's what was going on in my mind right now.

Rory furrows her eyebrows. ''Do I really?'' she asks.

I'm stunned she doesn't argue with me on that one. I'm surprised, but I mask it, not wanting to show that to her. I nod. ''And you usually don't let me explain things first before you start accusing me of something you created in your mind,'' I comment.

Rory frowns and twists her hand. There's something going on in her mind and she comes into some kind of a decision. I can see it in her eyes. She purses her lips. ''I never really thought about my actions. You know what, let's make a deal,'' she suggests.

''A deal,'' I drawl out carefully, repeating after her. My eyebrows are raised, wondering where is she going with this. And if I'm going to like it.

She nods, a smile forming on her face. ''I promise I will always listen to you explain first and not jump to conclusions and attack you with them. But you have to promise that you'll call or text me before you disappear somewhere again.''

I become serious, thinking through her words. Her request is not unreasonable. What I did this week was wrong and I realize now that I did more damage than good. I hurt us both. It's not something I want to go through again, that's for sure. I draw my eyebrows together and Rory's smile freezes. She looks ... insecure. I grin widely at her. ''Do we seal it with a kiss?'' I ask flirtatiously.

Rory smiles back at me, looking a little relieved. Seeing her smile again after a week of agony is like getting out of a cave and finally seeing a sun for the first time after being in the dark for days. It always makes me impossibly happy to see Rory smiling and I'm the cause of that.

I go toward her with a purpose, closing the distance in seconds and we both stare in each other's eyes meaningfully. I want to have her. I want to feel her. I want to taste her. I starve for her. Starve for her touch, for her kiss, for the feel of her skin.

I hear Rory's breathing slow when I lift my hand and put it on her neck, caressing the soft skin of her cheek with my thumb. Rory turns her head into my touch and my body sings in appreciation of her reacting to my touch like that. I slowly bring my head down, closer to hers.

I don't kiss her immediately, building up the anticipation between us. Rory has her eyes half closed, her pupils are dilated and her eyes a few shades darker than normal.

That look suits her and I like seeing it on her. She parts her lips and I focus my stare on them. ''Please,'' she mouths.

And that's enough to send me over the edge. I slowly bring our mouth together and she moans at the first contact. I kiss her sensually and gently at first, but then our kiss turns into a hunger and our hands start wandering all over each other's bodies.

I end the kiss when I feel the need to breathe again, putting my forehead against hers and keeping my eyes closed, breathing hard, holding Rory's face in both of my hands. I missed this so much. I'm never willing to go without her kisses. ''Fuck, how much I missed you,'' I murmur against her lips.

The words escape out of my mouth all on my own like I don't have a control what I say anymore.

I open my eyes slowly. I probably shouldn't have said that, even though it's nothing but the truth. Especially seeing she's not going to say it back for some reason.

I back away from her, showing her my back. I should really stop getting her hopes up and making her think that this is turning into something that's clearly not possible.

''Let's go home.'' I'm already walking away with her purse in my hands, not giving her a chance to object. She's coming with me. I'm not giving her any choice.

I'm not going to survive another night without her wrapped around me.

***

''When will you obey and stop walking to work?''

Rory sighs tiredly at my question. ''It seems like a waste of an afternoon if I spend it driving to work when I can walk,'' she mutters unconvincingly.

I scoff, not pleased with her answer. ''I can just imagine how peachy it must be, walking home at half past two in the morning.''

She gives it some thought, mulling it over in her pretty head. Then she shrugs. ''Some nights it's fine, other not so. Depends on how tired I am, really,'' she mutters, clearly tired.

I look at her briefly. ''I'm serious, Rory,'' I say in a tight, stern voice, trying to prove a point to her. ''It's dangerous.'' I make sure to point out the last word. ''And if you can't do a simple thing like driving with your car to work, for your own safeness, may I add, then I'll have to do something about it. And it might not be pretty,'' I add.

I'm not trying to control her, I'm trying to do what's best for her and protect her. Because what sane woman would want to walk around in the late hours of the night if she wasn't suicidal or just looking for trouble? I can't let anything happen to her.

This seems to perk up her attention and she sits up straighter, not that tired anymore. ''Oh?'' she replies stupidly. ''What would you do about it? Lock me in my car so I don't have a choice but to drive with it?'' she jokes.

Not a bad idea, actually, if it would help. ''That's one way to put it,'' I say, smiling to myself, just because I know it will agitate her.

Rory rolls her eyes. ''I believe I'm old enough to know what's best for me, Braden,'' she says with a tone that doesn't allow objections.

But I'm not having it. ''Listen, Rory,'' I say more sternly now. ''When you're with me, I'm responsible for your safety. I have to make sure you're okay at all costs. It's my responsibility to make sure my girl stays safe.''

She's delusional if she thinks I won't do anything in my power to prevent from anything happening to her. No way am I letting her walk around in the middle of the night. What kind of a man does she think I am?

''Does the big Braden Campbell worry about me?'' Rory jokes, bringing our previous conversation up.

Her question throws me off guard a bit and I furrow my eyebrows, giving her an honest answer. ''More than I should, to be honest.''

Rory seems to smile after that until we're all the way in her bedroom and it pleases me greatly to see that happy look on her face.

Her smile disappears when we get there, though, and when I have all kind of different things running through my mind I want to do to her, smiling sinfully at her and letting her know.

''I'm tired,'' Rory blurts out.

My smile grows even bigger. Damn, I love to see her in discomfort, because she always gets so cute, not knowing what to do with herself. ''So am I.''

As I step closer to her, loosening the tie around my neck, Rory puts her hands out in front of her. ''Wait. Wait. We need to talk first.''

I sigh. ''I'm not in a mood for talking right now, baby,'' I say, licking my lips as my eyes travel up and down her body. She looks so perfect, every inch of her is flawless and her body could make me go down on my knees.

Rory swallows. ''But I am. Where were you this week?''

Not this again. I stop in mid-step, my mood changing to irritating in a second. ''Why is it so important for you?''

She releases the air out through her teeth. ''It just is. Or is it a secret?'' she playfully asks. But I don't laugh. My eyes stay on her face until she becomes serious again. I'm really not in the mood to bring up this past week.

''I'm currently working on something. It's about the bar,'' I throw in casually.

Rory's lips part. ''You're not closing it, are you?'' she asks panicky.

I furrow my eyebrows, her words confusing me as to why would she think I'd do that and make her lose her job. ''What? No. Of course not. Why would I?''

Rory shrugs, quietly sighing to herself. ''I was just wondering ...''

I cock my head on the side. ''You're afraid you'll lose your job,'' I make a statement, clearly reading between the lines.

Rory laughs dryly. ''Who isn't nowadays?'' Her voice is too tight.

I step closer to her. ''Baby.'' I pause. ''Even if I closed the bar, you wouldn't be jobless.''

She narrows her eyes. ''I'm pretty sure staying without your job means you're jobless.''

I form a straight line with my mouth and Rory leans back a bit. ''We would figure it out,'' I say.

''You'd offer me a job, wouldn't you?'' she mutters.

I don't comment that she's already working for me. I know she wouldn't like that. So I don't say anything instead.

Rory laughs again, without any humour. ''You would hire me as a what – your sex slave?''

I snort. What weird ideas she has running through her head tonight. ''Maybe I should.'' I trace my bottom lip with my thumb, successfully shifting her attention there. The idea of having her anytime I wanted and anywhere I wanted was probably the best idea anyone offered to me.

''Yeah, okay. First of all, you don't have enough money to ever buy me. And second, I'm not on sale,'' Rory jokes.

I laugh. ''Don't I know it,'' I mutter. She's priceless. One in a million. I'm slowly starting to understand that. I sneak my arm around her and place it directly on her butt. ''Now, are we finished talking or do you want to know anything more?'' I ask while hiking her shirt up with my other hand, trying to distract her.

Rory shakes her head. That's all I need. I search her mouth in a kiss that holds a promise of something more. And I can't wait to discover that more with her. 

It's me again! Here you have yet another chapter in Braden's POV. The next chapter is that last chapter from book one that you've been waiting for for so long! 

I'm also updating A Taste of Sin today, so stay tuned! 

Happy Sunday! 

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