Two Billionaire Brothers Hired Me and Warned Me About Each Other novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: The Carriage House, Again

I read the first hundred pages by Leo's fire.

He brought me tea, and he did not say a word about the book.

He sat on the floor with his back against the couch and his knees drawn up, and he watched the flames.

Every name I read was a woman, and every woman had a winter.

Around the fiftieth page I stopped reading the sums.

Around the ninetieth I started saying the names under my breath, quietly, so that somebody would.

When I reached the end of the hundredth page, I closed the cover.

"I'm done for tonight," I said.

"Do you want to sleep here?" he asked.

"No."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No," I said, and put the book on the table. "Come here."

He got up from the floor and sat beside me.

He was in a grey sweater with the sleeves pushed up, and his face was drawn.

"This isn't forgiveness," I said.

"I know."

"I'm telling you so you can't say later that I let you think it was."

"I wouldn't." His voice was gentle. "Siobhan, I would never say that."

"I don't know what it is. I came to see what happens when I'm in a room with you and I'm not afraid."

"And?"

"I'm still afraid." I turned and put my hand against his chest. "Of different things."

He covered my hand with his.

His heart was going fast.

"Tell me what to do," he said.

Then he laughed, a little shakily.

"God, listen to me. I mean it the other way tonight. Tell me what you want."

"I want you to take your time," I said.

"I can do that."

"I want you to say what you see."

"I can do that too," he said.

"And I want to be the one to shut the door."

I stood, crossed the room, and made sure it was shut.

He watched me do it with his lips parted.

When I came back, I took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

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