Devoted - The Complete Series: A BWWM Romance Boxset by Sadie Black Page B

little kiss on the tip of my nose. “I’d be happy to give you the money.”
     
    “What? No way. I’m not taking your money. I’ll figure it out on my own. No offense, I do appreciate the offer, but no. No. There’s just no way I’m taking money from you.”
     
    “Listen, don’t shut it down so quick. Let me tell you something.” Bradley trails his fingers down the side of my face and tilts my chin until our eyes meet. “You know, if I hadn’t pushed my ego to the side years ago, and taken help when it was offered, I’d never have gotten my first company off the ground. Then who knows where I’d be today. Not here.”
     
    “What do you mean? Who helped you out?”
     
    “I couldn’t secure a loan back then for a car, let alone a business. My brother said he’d loan me the twenty-five grand I needed to get it off the ground. Not that he ever did let me pay him back.” He smiles, his eyes fogging over a little. “Anyway, his help changed my life. Let me do the same for you.”
     
    I chew on my lip like it’s made of bubble gum. My mind keeps flipping back and forth over his offer. “Well, I need to think about it,” I finally spit out. “But I’ll tell you one thing, if I do accept, I will be paying you back. In full. I won’t take your money unless you agree to that.” I look straight in his eyes.
     
    “That’s fair. I can live with those terms.” He smiles broadly, and I snuggle into his hard chest. I know I said that I have to think about it, but I’d be a fool to turn down this opportunity.
     
    “How about you sleep on it?” Bradley yawns, making me yawn back in response.
     
    “I will.”
     
    Bradley is already lightly snoring against my shoulder. My mind is racing, and my throat is dry, so I slip my limbs out from his and make my way down the hall to the kitchen to quench my thirst. Halfway down the hall, I notice the door to his office is open a crack, and the eerie blue light from his computer has painted the room. Pausing for a moment, I look around from the doorway, but the next thing I know I’ve stepped inside the room. I know I shouldn’t be in here; I’m not even sure what’s possessing me to look around his bookshelves and tables.
     
    My eyes sweep the office and everything looks as you’d expect. Why am I being so nosy? Get the hell out of here! Making my way to the door, my hand is on the knob when something catches my eye. It’s out of place and out of context amongst the stacks of papers and books. I lift the fuzzy, brown stuffed bear from the corner of the large chair. With its big red bow and “I love NYC” sweater on, it’s really adorable. The tag dangling from its foot is swaying slightly in the night air, tempting me to read it. I take a quick look over my shoulder, like a criminal making sure the coast is clear, and pluck the tag between my fingers. “I love you so much, sweetheart.”
     
    Who’s ‘sweetheart’? Bradley? A woman? I put the bear back where I found it and quickly slip out of the room. My mind spins as I down another glass of water. I want to wake Bradley up and ask him about the bear, but I don’t want to admit that I was sneaking around his apartment while he was sleeping. Is it something he kept out of sentimentality? It seemed brand new, so I doubt it.
     
    As I creep back down the hall and climb back into bed with Bradley, I watch him sleep as the moonlight splashes over his face. You may have met the first guy you’ve bothered to get to know, but that doesn’t mean you know him. Don’t fool yourself. As I lie next to him and drift off to sleep, I wonder about the parts of Bradley’s life that I’m not a part of. How can I feel so close to someone who is still such a mystery? And how long will it take until I really know Bradley Sheppard?
     

Chapter Fourteen:
    Bradley
     
    After six mind-numbing hours of board meetings about Zervion’s Global Campaign, there’s nothing I want more than to somehow instantly transport to