Irrefutable (The Apprehensive Duet Book 2) by Kimberly Bracco

one fucks with my family, Quinn. No one,” he vows following me into the living room.
    But there’s still one thing I’m not understanding. “Why? I know you were angry, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t mean what you said.”
    “I didn’t mean it,” he insists taking a seat. “Yes, I was angry, but not all of it was your fault. Yes, you should’ve told me the whole truth from the beginning, but I understand why you didn’t. I don’t think you are anything like that man. As far as my feelings toward you … I have to work through those, and it’s going to take a little while. But even so, it was me that made this into something it wasn’t. That’s on me, not you. It wasn’t fair of me to take it out on you.”
    I look into his eyes to see what they’re telling me. I learned a long time ago you can always read the true meaning behind someone’s words in their eyes. It’s served me well in meetings with clients and investors. Especially, clients. I can always tell if they really believe in their projects. If their eyes are clear and steady, they believe what they’re telling me. If their eyes are clouded and unsure, then I know they don’t believe in themselves.
    Jordan’s eyes are firm and unwavering. He’s not pitching me a line of crap. He’s telling me the truth and his eyes say he stands behind his words, but he still doesn’t fully understand.
    “Jordan, my father is only part of the reason I don’t want to do this. You are the other part. I love you, Jordan. I do. Very much. But it’s not a romantic kind of love. I don’t see you that way. It’s not fair to you for me to go through with this knowing you deserve more. You deserve a woman who can give you everything you need because you’re a good man. A genuine, caring, loyal man. The woman you marry should deserve you and I’m not her. But not only that, I don’t want my father to be able to fuck with your life. Even if we get him out of the company, he’s still in our lives. What happens next time he wants something? Who’s to say he won’t come after you? We can’t live our lives like that.”
    I’ve already found the person who makes me happy, who completes me. But I can’t think about Alex right now. Because I don’t deserve him either. He’s wonderful and everything I could’ve dreamed for, but I fucked up. I’m a fucked up person who doesn’t know how to love. The only kind of love I’ve ever known hurts. The people I love hurt me. Learning to accept that all love isn’t painful … isn’t easy for me. But now I’ve seen so much proof to show me that you can have it all. Seeing Ashley and Tanner, and Diana and Martin, I know people can be happily married. Alex and I could’ve had that if I weren’t so broken.
    I want Jordan to experience that kind of love. When he has it, he’ll understand what I mean right now.
    “That’s one of the things I love about you, Quinn. You are ninety-nine-point-nine percent honest to a fault. But my feelings for you and working through them are taking a back seat for the moment. We have to worry about your father at this point. We don’t have much time left before he wants us to get married. There’s no time to waste.”
    “What did the lawyers say?” I ask, keeping the conversation on the topic that seems most important to him right now. He’s right. We have to prioritize. I’m also interested in hearing about the possible end of my misery.
    “We can’t do anything without proof of something illegal, but I found a way where everyone gets what’s theirs.”
    I cock an eyebrow and nod. “Go on.”
    “Since we can’t do anything to take him down for whatever fraud he’s planning to commit or is already committing without proof …” he explains, “we have to find some on our own without him knowing.”
    This is his big plan? No way will this work. “How the hell are we supposed to do that? It’s not like he’s going to tell me just how he plans to fuck me