The Almost Perfect

ANNA

“Lookin’ good, babe,” Gavin called as my horse, Sasha, and I picked our way along a trail leading away from the barn. “Remember how to steer?”

“Yeah,” I told him and repeated the instructions Liam had given me in my head.

With each hooved step, I felt my nerves melting away. It was an amazing feeling to be sitting in the saddle as Sasha made her way over the terrain.

I looked up to see Gavin watching me with a smile.

As we rode, Gavin pointed out different landmarks and wildlife. Apparently, squirrels and bunnies were abundant on the secluded property.

I wasn’t keeping track of our location, but after what I assumed was an hour or so, I heard water.

“Let’s have lunch by the pond over that way,” Gavin suggested and pointed toward a clearing.

I nodded and gently pulled the reins toward the direction he indicated. He hopped to the ground gracefully, and I tried to follow suit.

Fortunately, he was there to catch me because my legs gave way the second they hit the ground.

I winced. “What in the world?”

“You can get pretty sore the first few times.” He scrunched up his nose. “I guess we should have started with a shorter ride.”

“How long have we been out here?” I asked.

“Almost three hours.” He shrugged. “We took a loop, but we are only about thirty minutes from the barn now.”

I grimaced, hobbling a step.

“Maybe I should call someone to pick us up,” Gavin pondered as he watched me.

“No!” I all but shouted, and then took a breath. “I’ll be okay. Just need a little rest.”

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Okay, let’s eat and see how you feel.”

Gavin tied up the horses while I laid out a blanket he brought. I hadn’t noticed the bags tied to his saddle, but he’d somehow managed to pack sandwiches, fruit, and a bottle of wine.

“How do you always manage to surprise me?” I asked him as he stretched out on the picnic blanket.

He shrugged. “By never telling you my plans. Makes me seem more mysterious.”

He wagged his eyebrows, and I couldn’t help but giggle.

“You know, it’s weird,” he said thoughtfully. “I never realized how adorably goofy you are.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.” I took a bite of my sandwich and had to hold back from audibly moaning. It was becoming increasingly apparent to me that there was nothing sexier than a man who could cook well.

“You were always pretty serious at the office.”

“Well, yeah.” I waved dismissively. “I was being professional.”

“I prefer you like this,” he said, and I looked up to see his heated gaze on me. “I’ve never had so much fun with someone.”

“It’s only been a few days,” I admitted quietly. “Of course, everything is new and exciting.”

He looked out over the water. “Have you ever been in a relationship that felt so easy from the jump? I’ve always been drawn to you, but I never pictured everything feeling so…”

“Natural?” I finished for him, and he nodded slowly.

It was inexplicable. I’d been wrestling with the same emotions.

At first, I thought it might be because we’d known each other for a while, but even the small things felt right. The way it felt when he placed a hand at the small of my back, the way he snuggled up behind me before we fell asleep, the way our bodies seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces—it was as if we had been together for months, if not years.

“It’s already hard to remember what my days were like before you,” he murmured.

“You definitely got more work done,” I joked.

“Eh, I spent a lot of time staring at my assistant’s ass,” he said ruefully.

“Mr. Powell!” I gasped in mock outrage and tossed a grape at him, but he just caught it and popped it in his mouth with a smile.

“You are ridiculous,” I laughed.

“And you’re the sexiest woman alive,” he said and reached over to pull me down beside him.

At that moment, his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He groaned and pulled it out before silencing it. His entire demeanor seemed to shift in that instant.

Gone was playful Gavin, and in his place sat the brooding businessman.

“Who was that?” I asked mildly.

“Nobody,” he muttered.

“Is something wrong at work?”

“No.” His tone was clipped.

Just then, the phone started buzzing again where he had set it on the blanket between us. Impulsively, I picked it up before he had the chance.

Chelsea Marks’s name flashed on the screen, and I felt my stomach drop. I raised my eyes slowly to Gavin, who stared back at me with an unreadable expression.

“Did you want to take this?” I asked. “It might be important.”

Rage was burning like fire through my veins, and I wasn’t sure what outcome I was looking for.

Truthfully, I was probably in the wrong for picking up his phone in the first place.

“No. I don’t,” he answered deliberately. “That’s why I ignored it the first time.”

“Why’s she calling?” My voice was cold and flat—more of a statement than a question.

Gavin cocked his head before gesturing to his cell, still ringing in my hand. “Feel free to ask her.”

It was a clear challenge and only fueled my anger. I stared down at the screen before swiping to answer it.

“Gavin’s phone,” I said in a singsong voice as he and I locked eyes.

There was a brief pause. “Where’s Gavin?”

“He’s otherwise engaged,” I said in the same tone I used when I worked for him. “Would you like me to take a message?”

She laughed, but it sounded forced. “Still having to work as his assistant? I thought Gavin would take better care of his supposed fiancée.”

I almost felt guilty for how satisfying it was to get under her skin. Then I remembered her hands on Gavin in his kitchen.

“I earn my keep, Chelsea. Just in more…~fun~ ways these days.”

Gavin’s lip quirked up slightly, but otherwise, he kept his expression neutral. “She’s gonna lose her shit in three…two…one…,” he counted down quietly.

“Listen here, you little homewrecker,” Chelsea snarled.

~Right on cue.~ I rolled my eyes.

“You may think you’ve won some sort of prize, but there’s a history between the two of us. There are some important documents he needs to sign, and nobody will tell me where the fuck he is—”

Suddenly, the phone was pulled from my hand.

“Chelsea, I asked you to stop calling.” Gavin’s voice was calm, but embers smoldered in his eyes. From experience, I could tell he was trying to keep a lid on his emotions.

“Gavin!” I heard Chelsea cry on the other end of the line. “I really need to talk to you—”

“All of our mutual business dealings were passed off to Roger,” he said. “If you need something, you can go through him.”

A stunned silence followed. “Is she listening or something? Why are you being this way?”

I frowned. ~Did he talk to her differently when I wasn’t around? Was this an act?~

“I don’t know how else to make it clear there is nothing between us,” he said after a moment. “I’ve tried to keep things civil.”

“We were together for four years,” she argued, her voice thick. “We were supposed to get married.”

Gavin’s jaw twitched. “I don’t know what delusion you’re living in, but I have only ever proposed to one woman, Chelsea.”

“Please—”

“Stop calling.” He jammed his finger to hang up the call before tossing the phone down.

Both of us sat in heavy silence for several breaths.

“I’m sorry,” I said finally. “I shouldn’t have picked it up.”

He snorted humorlessly. “I don’t give a shit about you answering my phone, Annalise. I care that you let her bother you so goddamn much.”

I was taken aback. “You were with her for most of the time we’ve known each other,” I argued. “And she wants you back.”

“She can want all she wants,” he snapped. “I’m with you. I’m marrying you. How much clearer do I need to be for you to let it go?”

I hated the way he was speaking to me. Maybe I didn’t have a right to be so upset over the man who asked me to marry him for convenience, but I sure as hell wasn’t the girl to back down.

I’d been sitting back and playing nice, but he was about to figure out exactly who he was dealing with.

“If she’s ‘dead to you’ as you claimed, then why is she still able to call?” I asked. “You’re a billionaire genius. Block her number.”

“Me blocking her calls doesn’t change the fact that you are so insecure—”

“Insecure?” My mouth fell open. “You deleted texts and gaslighted me about it from before I’d even agreed to your fucked-up contract. I am many things, Gavin Powell, but I guarantee you, insecure is not one of them.”

“Adam isn’t a good person,” he argued.

“Adam was nobody.” I threw my hands up in the air. “He was a thirty-minute coffee date. Chelsea was—and still is—the woman everyone pictures you with. Don’t tell me to let it go when she sure as hell hasn’t let ~you~ go.”

He let out a deep breath and jammed his thumb on the phone screen. “Fine, I blocked her. Happy?”

I stared over the lake. “You know what? Fuck you.”

I stood up and walked over to where the horses were tied up. My legs screamed in pain, and my stomach was still rumbling from hunger, but I knew if I stayed on that blanket, I would end up saying things I shouldn’t.

“Where are you going?” Gavin asked. I could hear his footsteps crunching on the leaves a few feet behind me.

“Away from you,” I told him, without turning around.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said you were insecure. That’s not what I meant.”

I whirled on him. “Okay, then what did you mean?”

“I just want you to believe that I am dedicated to you, Annalise. To us.”

I shook my head angrily. “I believe that you are dedicated to achieving your goal,” I told him. “You’ll stop at nothing to get what you want. It’s the way you’ve been since I started working for you.”

“Then you know that I will do anything to make us work.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I know that you’ll do anything to win me over and gain my trust.” I took a deep breath. “You will say and do whatever you have to do to make me think I’m getting a good deal. All the while, you’re working behind the scenes to make sure you’re the one who comes out on top.”

He stared at me blankly, as if he didn’t understand what I was implying.

I bit my lip. “I’ve watched you do it countless times, Gavin. You’re successful because you make people feel special. You can read what makes them tick, and you capitalize on it.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m manipulating you? Because I’m not,” he insisted. “I want both of us to be happy.”

“You keep saying you want to make me happy.” I shook my head in frustration. “All I hear is that you want me to be placated so that I’m not a problem.”

“That’s ridiculous.” He scoffed and stomped until mere inches separated us. “I could have any woman, Annalise. Any woman would jump at the chance to be my wife.”

I leveled my gaze with his. “I’m not any woman, Gavin. And I’m not going to be made to feel like the other woman in your and Chelsea’s relationship.”

“You heard me tell her to stop calling,” he said, his voice taking on a huskier tone. “I can’t control her actions.”

I caught his wrist when he reached up to touch my cheek. “You and I know that’s not true. You’re Gavin fucking Powell. All you have to do is choose whether you’re going to hurt her feelings or let her continue to hurt mine.”