LITMIR.BIZ

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although his desire for her didn’t decrease any.

      “Before you get started would you like something to drink?”

      He glanced up and met her gaze, surprised she would offer him anything. “Yes, please.”

      She left the room and that gave him a few moments to think. In a way it was a strange twist of fate that had brought him and Cassie together. Their fathers’ friendship had extended from college to death and unless he cleared up this issue between them, he and Cassie could very well become bitter enemies. He didn’t want that and was unwilling to accept it as an option.

      She returned moments later with two glasses of wine, one for him and the other for herself. Instead of handing him his wineglass directly, she placed it on the table beside him. Evidently, she had no intention of them touching in any way. He picked up his glass and took a sip, regretting he was responsible for bringing their relationship to such a sorrowful state.

      “You wanted to talk.”

      Her words reminded him of why she was there, not to mention the distinct chill in the air. He took another sip of his wine and then he began speaking. “As you know, the Garrisons didn’t know about your existence until the reading of John’s will. I’m not going to say that no one might have suspected he was involved in an affair with someone, but I think I can truthfully say that no one was aware that a child had resulted from that affair. You were quite a surprise to everyone.”

      When she didn’t make any comment or show any expression on her face, he continued. “But what came as an even bigger surprise was the fact that John left you controlling interest to share with Parker. That was definitely a shocker to everyone, especially Parker, who is the oldest and probably the most ambitious of John’s sons. It was assumed, as well as understood, that if anything ever happened to John, Parker would get the majority share of controlling interest. Such a move was only right since John had turned the running of Garrison over to Parker on his thirty-first birthday. And Parker has done an outstanding job since then. Therefore, I hope you can understand why he was not only hurt and confused, but also extremely upset.”

      He could tell by the look on Cassie’s face that she didn’t understand anything, or that stubborn mind of hers was refusing to let her. “As I told you earlier,” he continued, “my father is the one who drew up John’s will, so I didn’t know anything about you until I read over the document a few days before I was to present the will to the family. Once I discovered the truth, I knew the reading of it wouldn’t be pretty.”

      He took a deep breath and proceeded on. “Pursuing normal legal action in this case, we took moves to contest the will but found it airtight. And—”

      “I guess Parker smartened up and thought twice about pushing for a DNA test, as well,” she interrupted in a curt tone.

      Brandon nodded. “Yes, I advised him that nothing would be gained from it. John claimed you as his child and that was that. Besides, there was no reason to really believe that you weren’t. You and Parker made contact and he offered to buy out your share of the controlling interest. You turned him down.”

      “And that should have been the end of it,” she snapped.

      Brandon couldn’t help the smile that touched the corners of his lips. “Yes, possibly. But that’s where you and Parker are alike in some respect.”

      At the lifting of her dark, arched brow, he explained. “You’re both extremely stubborn.”

      She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s your opinion.”

      He decided not to waste time arguing with her by telling her that was what he knew, especially after spending time with her. Although she and Parker had never officially met, the prime reason they didn’t get along was because they were similar in a lot of ways. Besides being stubborn, both were ambitious and driven to succeed. Apparently John had recognized that quality in the both of them and felt together they would do a good job by continuing the empire he’d created.

      “I’m waiting, Brandon.”

      He glanced over at Cassie and saw her frowning in irritation. “I want to apologize for assuming a lot of incorrect things about you, Cassie, and I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me.”

      Cassie wasn’t ready to say whether she would or would not forgive him. At the moment she was close to doing the latter. However, she was curious about something. “And just what did you assume about me?”

      Brandon inhaled before speaking. “Before answering that, I need to say that when you decided to be a force to reckon with by not responding to my firm’s letters or returning any more of Parker’s phone calls, it was decided that I should come and meet with you and make you the offer in person. It was also decided that I should first come and see if I could dig up any interesting information on you and your past, to use as ammunition to later force your hand if you continued your refusal to sell.”

      By the daggered look she was giving him, he knew she was surprised he had been so blatantly honest. He could also tell she hadn’t liked what he’d said. “You might be stubborn, Cassie, but I’m a man who likes winning. I’m an attorney who will fight for my clients, anyway that I can … as long as it’s legal. Garrison Incorporated is my top client and I had no intention of Parker not getting what he wanted. My allegiance was to him and not to you.”

      Cassie straightened in the chair and leaned forward. Her eyes were shooting fire. “Forget about what’s legal, Brandon. Did you consider what you planned to do unethical?” she snapped.

      He leaned forward, as well. “At the time, considering what I assumed about you, no, I didn’t think anything I had planned to do as being unethical. By your refusal to even discuss the issue of the controlling shares in a professional manner with Parker, I saw your actions as that of an inconsiderate, spoiled, willful, selfish and self-centered young woman. And to answer your earlier question, that’s what I assumed about you.”

      That did it. Cassie angrily crossed the room to stand in front of him. With her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “You didn’t even know me. How dare you make such judgments about me!”

      He stood to face off with her. “And that’s just it, Cassie. No one knew you and it was apparent you wanted to keep things that way, close yourself off from a family that really wants to get to know you. And if my initial opinion—sight unseen—of you sounds a bit harsh then all I have to say in my defense is that’s the picture you painted of yourself to everyone.”

      Cassie turned her head away from him, knowing part of what he said was true. She’d still been grieving her mother’s death when she’d gotten word of her father’s passing. He had been buried without her being there to say her last goodbye and a part of her resented that, and had resented them for letting it happen. But then the truth of the matter was that they hadn’t known about her, although she had known about them. They would not have known to contact her to tell her anything.

      “Imagine my surprise,” she heard Brandon say, “when I arrived here and met you. You were nothing like any of us figured you to be. It didn’t take long for me to discover that you didn’t have an inconsiderate, spoiled, willful, selfish or self-centered bone in your body. The woman I met, the woman I became extremely attracted to even before I knew her true identity that night on the beach, was a caring, giving, humane and unselfish person.”

      He took a step closer to her when Cassie turned her head and looked at him. “She was also strikingly beautiful, vivacious, sexy, desirable and passionate,” he said, lowering his voice to a deep, husky tone. “She was a woman who could cause my entire body to get heated just from looking at her, a woman who made feelings I’d never encountered before rush along my nerve endings every time I got close to her.”

      He leaned in closer. “And she’s the woman whose lips I longed to lock with mine whenever they came within inches of each other. Like they are now.”

      An involuntary moan of desire escaped as a sigh from Cassie’s lips. Brandon’s words had lit a hot torch inside of her and as she gazed into his

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