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were out of the elevator, Elle began to apologize. Cunningham ordered her to wait for him in the den.
    The place was so huge that Elle wasn’t sure which room was technically the den—she only knew where the main bedroom was—but she eventually settled on the largest of the possibilities. She looked at the artwork, the beautiful piano, the rich fabrics that could have hung in a museum.
    Cunningham was frigging loaded. She knew that. And Nolan had even more money. It was staggering.
    She sank into one of the plush, mauve couches. Fresh-cut flowers adorned the center of the table next to the couch, and Elle fingered the petals of a bright purple blossom that was completely foreign to her. She wondered if he had them shipped in from an exotic locale.
    She looked at everything, trying to distract herself from the confrontation she knew was coming.
    A noise caught her attention. Cunningham stood at the edge of the room. He stared at her a moment, his deep brown eyes sad. Elle could deal with anything… his anger, his frustration, his lust… but not his sadness.
    “I’m so sorry. Truly, I am.”
    “Have you had time to think about how insulting your words were?” He didn’t move to approach any closer, just stayed at the entrance, looking wary.
    “Yes. I…”
    “You don’t trust me. Elle, if I came over to your apartment and found a pair of men’s boxers in the living room, thinking that you were cheating would be the absolute last possibility on my list of explanations. Because I trust you. I’ve looked into your soul, seen you stripped bare, seen all your insecurities and fears. I know you. Do you even understand what that means?”
    Elle nodded slowly.  
    Cunningham shook his head. “You’re so young and so very inexperienced.” He suddenly looked exhausted. “I forget that sometimes.” He sat in the matching chair diagonal from Elle. “Do you have any idea how frustrating it’s been for me? You beg for a relationship, but you expect us to make all the concessions. I wanted to meet your mother, but you don’t want me to. Even knowing that our relationship would be presented to her as professional, you insist on keeping us out. And now I learn that you don’t even trust me. Why, Elle?”
    Tears blurred Elle’s vision. “I do trust you. I was just afraid.”
    He shook his head. “And this inexplicable behavior with your mother?”
    “Because I know you’ll hate her.”
    “I can promise you that I won’t.”  
    “And she’ll hate you.”
    Cunningham looked stunned. “Why?”
    “Because she’s bitter and she hates everyone. And I’m terrified that one day I’ll end up like her, and that you’ll see that and get rid of me now, before it’s too late.” Elle buried her face in her hands and sobbed. She was too far gone to even be embarrassed about it.
    Cunningham put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Elle, I’m so sorry.”  
    She sobbed even harder, and Cunningham began to rock her slowly. She felt so safe with him—she always had. Cunningham was powerful, and he could use it to shield her, she knew.  
    “Today, at the office, was a mistake. You are too fragile. I should have known.”
    Elle shook her head. “It wasn’t,” she said as she tried to catch her breath. “I’m not weak.”
    “No. You’re not weak. But you’ve been hurt, and after everything, you still think we’re capable of walking away from you. I’m not going anywhere because I’m a selfish bastard, and I know I won’t find better. You are everything I have ever wanted. Why can’t you see that?” He pulled back and stared into her eyes. “Move in with me.”
    “What?”
    “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, though I didn’t think it would go quite this way. Elle, I hate how far away you live. We’d been discussing who should be the one to have you, and we decided that the decision is yours, of course.”
    “What?” Elle repeated, not believing her ears.  
    “Tonight I wanted to