“Because it’s mine. You were building it for me. It’s mine and I want it.”

The words were bratty enough on their own merit, before she added the tone. She didn’t stamp her foot, but she did sit straight up and cross her legs. Was she still deliberately trying to tweak him? There was something far more natural about it. Chase quirked an eyebrow. “So you get it. You honor your commitments and make us both look like a couple of idiots, then what?”

Amanda’s mouth formed a tight line, a look she perfected for him. “I’m going to burn it to the ground.”

Chase blinked, startled by her response. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and dared to smirk. “Would you rather I keep it? Settle down? Raise a family?”

The thought of her carrying another man’s child slammed into the side of his head like a sledgehammer. His look hardened again. A look so hard that came on so fast, Amanda was afraid that she may have pushed him too far. She couldn’t help from reacting and she jolted when he suddenly stood up. He walked away from the conference table and over to the wide picture window on the other side of the room. It was getting too difficult to maintain a semblance of control with her so close. His hands clasped tightly behind his back, he stared out the window, a panoramic view of a parking lot. His one hand clenched and unclenched into a fist, his other hand holding it in place behind his broad back. Several long moments passed.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Chase asked, so befuddled and sad, Amanda thought he might begin to cry and wondered how she was going to get through the next few minutes without starting to as well. But it was her turn to be strong for both of them, and it was now or never.

“Because you’re stubborn as a mule,” she replied. “And I had to be sure.”

Even through his suit jacket she could see his shoulder blades begin to come together as his back stiffened and his fist clenched again.

“Sure of what?” he asked wearily, in direct contrast with the tight fist being restrained by his other hand.

“That you weren’t really over me,” she told him.

“I’ll never be over you,” Chase said quietly, still staring out the window. “Happy now?”

“Almost.”

“Get everyone back in here. Let’s close this deal. You can have the house.”

“I don’t want the house, Chase. I think you know that.”

“I don’t know anything anymore,” he blurted despondently to the window, dropping both hands to his sides and his head in surrender. Shaggy blond hair, much in need of a trim, fell partially onto his forehead. He ran his hand absently through it and heaved a heavy sigh. “What more do you want from me?”

Amanda got out of her chair and walked to the corner of the conference table near where he was standing, his back still to her. She pulled herself up and sat on it. Her legs swayed slightly as they dangled.

“There is a way out of this for both of us, you know,” she stated simply.

“Is there?” he asked, snorting in disgust, hating that he already sensed she had gotten closer even before she spoke. “Obviously, I’ve missed something.”

Amanda shook her head slowly. The solution was right in front of him and he honestly couldn’t see it. Had she set him so far off-kilter his instincts no longer kicked in?

“Why do you insist on torturing yourself?” she asked randomly.

“It’s better than torturing you, isn’t it?” he bit back.

Silence hung thick in the air. She could almost see the aura of pain that surrounded him. It dulled all his charismatic light. He wasn’t talking about torturing her physically. He really believed she’d orchestrated what was happening in retaliation and the attempt to further tarnish his reputation. It was heartbreaking to see him so lost, knowing she was party to it. She was never so grateful to have him presenting his back to her. To see that despair reflected in his eyes at that moment would’ve killed her. She just needed a few minutes more. If she could stay strong and resolute, not crumble and force him to save her, she’d conquer the last of the barriers that stood in her way and finally enter nirvana. Getting there would mean nothing if he wasn’t with her.

“When I first took off, I wasn’t sure if you would try to find me. Afraid I wouldn’t have the time to think things through,” she said quietly.

“I could’ve found you,” he mused to the window. “I have the resources.”

“Don’t you think I know that, Chase? I’ve known all along you didn’t come after me because you knew it was what I wanted. I never expected it to take as long as it did to figure it all out.”

“But you don’t understand, and I keep telling you, Amanda, as soon as you left you were gone. I told you, only once. I didn’t come find you because that was the rule.”

“Come on, Chase, you know this doesn’t have anything to do with any rule. But for the sake of argument, your rule was based on something that didn’t fall within the confines of our agreement. The rule was I couldn’t leave when you made me uncomfortable. You never set down the rules for when Entertainment Tonight, ESPN, and Fox News took a stab at it.”

“A technicality.” He sighed sadly. “You knew all those things came with the package.”

“Not when it came to our secret,” she said emphatically. “And you’re right; it wasn’t fair for me to leave you worrying about where I was while you were in the middle of trying to handle the crisis. But you knew I was safe, because my father told you I was. It was convenient to blame Alan Shaw, but I really did what I thought was best for both of us. I wasn’t going to be any help to you, Chase. I was freaking out. I needed to go someplace to just be mad at you for a while. The kind of mad that didn’t want to concern itself with repercussions of any kind. Not only did I not want to worry about setting you off when I went on obscenity-laced diatribes, I didn’t want to worry about feeling guilty watching you punish yourself as you scrambled around trying to make me not be mad anymore. And I had to take the time to really forgive myself. I knew what I was doing that night; I was just as thrilled by the thought of getting caught as you were, until it actually happened. I failed you, too; I didn’t take very good care of your secret. I had no idea you would consider my listening to Alan a total breach of trust. I should’ve. But I assure you, the choice to leave was all mine. My father tried to tell me to stay, too. And I knew running away would never be a decision you would make or let me make. I made my own decision. I probably made the wrong one, but I’m new to the people-knowing-my-name thing. I made a mistake and I’m sorry. Don’t you think we’ve punished each other, and ourselves, long enough?”

Chase turned back around to face her, but instead of the pain she heard in his voice, something a tad different had settled in as well. The tiny yet distinct flicker of the man she knew. Amanda didn’t miss it. It drew her in and began warming her, a kind of warmth that only he knew how to create, one of the many things she wanted and needed. It was the spark of everything she ever wanted, every dream she ever could have. It was a beacon just calling to be blown on. It would burst into flame and incinerate the entire room. She knew she had the wind power.

“I’ve always said you were clever, Amanda,” he said, not the least bit sorry she saw it, “but you’re wrong.”

She leaned both her hands back on the table behind her. The movement hiked her dress up above her knees. She began to gently kick her left leg.

“You may have gotten me to believe that twenty minutes ago. But now?” she practically sang. “Not a chance.”

He wasn’t sure if she did it on purpose or subconsciously, but it hardly mattered. He was caught up watching her transform right before his eyes. From the elegantly dressed, refined, efficient businesswoman to the sexy, mischievous naughty girl who starred in all of his favorite fantasies. Her leg continued its gentle swaying, and she was literally spread out on the table before him. She peered up at him from beneath long lashes and blinked as if she’d just been chastised for some made-up offense. He already knew what he was going to do about her, but he didn’t see the harm in taking a few minutes to admire the view. Chase leaned back onto the windowsill, crossed his arms over his chest, and took on a hint of a smile.

“You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

She nodded before saying softly, “I am. You really don’t know your other option?”

“Once again you have me at a disadvantage,” he responded dryly.

“I’ll back out of all the deals if you keep the house and we live in it together, like you planned.”

A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, the first one in weeks. She was brilliant and beautiful, and Chase was sure he would never tire of her attempts to top him from the bottom.

“Amanda Cole, did you really do all this because you’re trying to blackmail me into reconciliation?” He laughed. She thought it was a most glorious sound.

She pouted, a personal favorite, because she only ever did it for him. “I guess, technically, yes. But blackmail makes it sound diabolical. I prefer to think of it more as an intervention.”

He laughed again, this time at the irony. “What if the only thing I need saving from is you?”

He tilted his head and she tilted hers, too. They scrutinized each other. If there was anyone else in the room, they might have thought Chase and Amanda were sizing each other up, getting ready to go for the jugular. But what they were really doing was deciding how much longer they would continue to play the delicious game when there was so much time to make up for. Amanda pushed her lower lip out a bit farther.