Free Hearts Collide (Canyon Cove Book 4) by Liliana Rhodes Page A

Cove University. He smiled as he watched me enter the room.
    “You got the gift?” he asked.
    “Yes, thank you, but I can’t accept it.”
    Marcia entered the office and placed my breakfast on a table with a white tablecloth, then left the room and closed the office doors.
    “Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” I asked.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I do this for all my friends.”
    “Oh? What’s Gunnar’s favorite breakfast?”
    “Black coffee with lots of sugar,” he said.
    “You’re so full of shit.” I shook my head.
    I was flattered. Maybe I should have been nervous that he went out of his way to find out all these things about me, but it made me feel special. No one had ever made such a big deal about me before.
    “You should eat your breakfast before it gets cold,” he said.
    “How did you know about this? Did Sam tell you?”
    “I’ll never reveal my secrets,” he said with a grin.
    “That Sam,” I said shaking my head. “I’m worried what else she might have told you about.”
    “Don’t worry, nothing embarrassing.”
    I started thinking about the things Samantha knew about me. She and I had been friends for so long, she was like the sister I never had. I thought about the things she might have told Brent and my exes came to mind.
    “Did she tell you about Dennis?” I asked.
    “Not really,” he said as his mouth set in a fine line. “Only that you’ve been on and off for four years. In her defense, I asked her about him last night after he wrecked your car.”
    I nodded, understanding why he would be curious.
    “What about Marc?” I asked.
    “Who?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
    “Nothing. Never mind.”
    My stomach growled hungrily. I sat down and Brent joined me at the table. While I ate, I thought about how he had been showing up wherever I was for months. I thought about the car he bought me, and I thought about breakfast. He wasn’t treating me like someone he hated. Why did I ever think he felt that way about me?
    As I finished eating, I pulled the Mini key fobs from my bag and set them in front of Brent.
    “I can’t take this,” I said. “I love it, but it’s too much. Take it back.”
    “If you don’t want it, you can take it back and use the money for something else,” he said. “It’s your car, not mine. You needed a car and I got you one. Just enjoy it.”
    He slid an envelope across the table to me. I didn’t have to open it to know it was the title.
    “You’re crazy,” I said. “You’re practically stalking me, you bought me a brand new car, and your evil proposition of having sex with me is all about my having multiple orgasms.”
    He laughed. “Tough life, huh?”
    “I thought you hated me,” I said.
    He leaned back into his seat as he crossed his legs at the knee.
    “Yes, you did think that, but I never knew why. I don’t think I’ve ever acted like I hate you, have I?”
    “No, you haven’t,” I said. “I guess I just thought that since I was such a bitch to you, that you should hate me.”
    “I don’t think I could ever hate you.”
    “At least let me pay you for the car. Figure out a payment plan or something,” I said.
    “How about this,” he said, leaning towards me. “How about you stop hating me? Just give me a chance and I’ll say you paid for the car.”
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    “So you can’t stop hating me?” he asked.
    “No, I can’t. I stopped hating you a while ago.”

Chapter Twelve

    Jackie

    I left Brent’s office on cloud nine. I drove all around Canyon Cove from downtown, to South End, then onto the freeway and through the canyon road to the beach, before I headed home. I wanted to feel guilty for accepting such a huge gift, but Brent was so genuine about giving it to me that I only felt happy.
    As I climbed the steps to the second floor of the apartment building, Dennis stood from where he was seated on the floor. He took a long drag off his cigarette