All Chapters of The Billionaire’s Bargain: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

My mind was chock-full of her whispers, and the knot in my head just wouldn't subside. My head just couldn't be put to rest. My brain was like a hornet's nest, full of schemes and mixed emotions. She was trying to come between me and Natalie, to ruin whatever chance we might have to be happy. And the worst part of this all: I know she could do it.I sat in my chair, head in my hands, fingers clawing through my hair in frustration. My mind raged in a whirl of a series of angry thoughts mixed with fear. I could never let Arlys anywhere near Natalie. I could not let her destroy what little progress we had actually made.But how could I lead Natalie away from such a vindictive and manipulative character as Arlys without entirely turning her off?I almost remembered what she was like the night before, seeing me, really hearing me talk for the first time. Just for an instant there, it almost felt as if we were finally in tune with one another, finally getting each other. Everything is at st

NATALIE'S POVThe noontime rush started to populate the restaurants around me. The bustle in the air above my desk made all the clattering dishes and humming voices busy, even as I continued to stare down at paperwork. My mind refused to quit wandering—even as Brandon's warning about Arlys wouldn't quit echoing—and my chest held this overwhelming knot that tightened into something constricting.At the knock on my office door, I drew breath, trying to push the anxiety right back down. My heart jumped, and a reflex wave of dread washed over me. I hadn't expected anyone, and surprises weren't exactly welcome after everything that had gone down."Come in," I called, my voice steady, and deliberately chose not to look up."Robin," I answered, forcing my tone into nonchalance. "What brings you here?"He only shrugged casually, leaning against the frame. "I wanted to check up on you. You have been… distant lately."I swallowed. The air between us was so highly strained. "I've just been busy.

Brandon's POVEverything wore an orange tint as I rode through the busy city streets under the bright New York sun. The fight with Robin last evening was foremost on my mind, even more so the image of him standing there, smirking and slick, like he had some prior claim over Natalie. The way she hemmed, didn't tell him in clear words to bug off—it niggled at me. I mean, couldn't afford to think about it. I had a meeting to get to. Deals to finalize. An empire to protect.As I pulled onto the highway, I looked in the rearview—of course, out of pure habit more than anything. There was a black sedan, riding an inch too close for my taste. I sneered, then rinsed it away to nothing. I lit it and hit the gas to get around a truck going slower. The damn car did it too—in perfect tandem.I tensed, hands tightening around that HUMMER steering wheel. I wasn't some kind of rookie with this game—at least not when I was being followed. The adrenaline rush to my heart increased, and I laid my foot

But while the city came toward me, he did begin to dawn what he really did. Done straight at me, definitely no question. Every time my mind wandered to that, chills ran down my back. Whoever was in that place, he wasn't after me alone. Not by a long shot. He was going after everything I care about, everything I've built. And that included Natalie.The fact that she of all people could be dragged here scared my soul, and I wasn't going to let that become real. I was going to confront whoever it was—to put a stop to them before they could get anywhere near her.I turned away from the window. I decided that this wasn't about me. It was about the people around whom I wanted to live this life for and protect. And it was for them that I was willing to fight to my last droplet of blood.I came and picked up the phone, dialing Tony's number again. He answered on the first ring this time."I want you to place some additional security on Natalie, discreet for the moment, but extensive. I don't

Brandon's POVI stomped off the terminal and glanced over at the chair next to me. Natalie had clammed up. She would be there, fists tight with hands, all balled up in fists, with me. At least on her face, observably there was some bravado; it was there in those features that one could read restlessness. Reaching over, I grabbed one of the tightly bunched fists and squeezed it."Just a few days," I murmured and continued as if to reassure her—but most definitely myself, "I will be back before you even know it."She just nodded at that and didn't turn her eyes away from the jet outside. "I know," she whispered in return, and I felt worry almost oozing out of her voice. "I just wish things were different."I huffed and let myself fall back into the seat, my gaze out the window to where the super-sleek jet was about to whisk me away from her. "Yeah, I do too," I said truthfully. "But we'll make it through, Natalie. We've gone through worse, right."She turned then, and her eyes met mine,