His Favorite Confession

Unraveling The Past

Alora stepped closer to Hayden, setting her own glass aside. She could feel the protective, fierce energy radiating from him. "It's not just a game to him, Hayden. He acts like he's biding his time, waiting for you to make a misstep so he can take over."

Hayden let out a heavy sigh, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms securely around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. Resting his chin gently on the top of her head, he breathed in the scent of her hair.

"Let him wait," Hayden murmured, his voice rumbling against her ear. "For years, I built walls around myself. I kept everyone at a distance because the corporate world leaves no room for weakness. Everyone wants a piece of the Vance empire, so I learned to trust no one."

Alora tilted her head back, looking up into his dark, troubled eyes. "Is that why you hid who you were at the coffeehouse? Because you just wanted someone to talk to you without seeing the title?"

"Yes," Hayden confessed, his thumb tracing her cheekbone with infinite tenderness. "That night, when you sat across from me and tore my bad mood to shreds without even knowing my last name... it was the first time in a decade I felt like a human being instead of a corporation. When you walked into my office a week later as my new risk analyst, I thought I was losing my mind."

"A good kind of crazy?" she teased softly, a faint smile breaking through her tension.

"The absolute best kind," Hayden whispered, before leaning down to capture her lips in a deep, consuming kiss that swept away every lingering doubt.