Sincere Lies (The Langford Billionaires #2)

Chapter 1 Asher

ASHER

She’s so beautiful, even in sleep. The shadows in the room blanket most of her, but faint light sifting through the sheer curtains highlights the curves of her body, the delicate features of her face, painting her beauty in a way that makes the breath catch in my chest. She’s never more perfect to me than when she’s raw and unfiltered.

And I wish more than anything that I had more time with her like this, away from the world, away from all the things that threaten to tear us apart—irrevocably. I can’t let that happen.

I take a step closer to her bed, careful not to wake her, even as she shifts fitfully in a restless sleep.

Her brow is slightly furrowed, her full lips are drawn and tight, and I wonder if she dreams of me the way I do of her—during the small intervals I do manage to sleep.

My pride hopes her trouble sleeping is not from the storm that raged for most of the night, but because she’s back in her old bedroom alone, and not downstairs, sleeping with me in our bed.

That has to end.

Ella told me she needed space. I’ve given her three days. Some might say that’s nothing, but I think I’ve been more than generous.

Weeks ago, the thought of pining after a woman because of a three-day separation would have been unconceivable.

But Ella isn’t just any woman. She’s the woman who surprised the hell out of me, who glimpsed something in me so few had taken the time to.

Before her, I’d never met a woman who saw past my facade.

Never known a woman who cared to look at the man behind the money—the person behind the power and prestige.

I’ve never been wanted for anything more than the glittering spectacle of wealth and fame that surround me.

Women in droves want Asher Langford—but no woman has ever just wanted Asher.

Until Ella.

But she’s so much more than a surprise.

She’s the force of nature that burst into my life and obliterated it as it was.

Someone whose joy and love and goodness shine like a beacon of warmth in my world of cold indifference.

She’s the singular person who calls to me like a siren’s song, and can’t help but fall into her, wholly caught in her spell.

I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want her.

And yet, here we are, with three days of space between us. I know she’s scared. I know she has reservations. With the way our relationship began, and everything that’s happened since, how could she not? I understand her fears, truly, I do. But I’m at my wit’s end.

I will make her one promise at a time until I can give her everything she wants. Everything she deserves. In the meantime, I need her back to where we were before everything fell apart.

I take one last step toward her sleeping figure, grateful for the lingering drizzle from last night’s storm that patters softly against the windows, stifling the sound.

I reach into my pocket and grasp the gold ring Ella thought she could take off and leave behind.

Holding my breath, I reach for her right hand and gently slip the ring back onto her middle finger.

There. That’s better.

Ella does not get to remove parts of me from her. Not anymore. We’re too far past that. I gave her space to humor her in a moment when she was incredibly vulnerable—I’m not a complete asshole. But that moment has passed, and I’m done humoring her. Ella is mine.

And when she wakes, she’ll be reminded of that.

“Take it easy, asshole,” I growl at Declan thirty minutes later as he lands a right hook across my jaw.

He gets a little over excited when he’s fighting someone who can hang with him, since that doesn’t happen often.

We’re at the VI Club; a gentleman’s club my family has belonged to since its inception over two centuries ago.

It’s where the elite of the elite meet for business, pleasure, and all manner of debauchery.

But I’m not here for any of those things, I’m here because they have a state-of-the-art boxing facility that I’m in desperate need of.

With everything going on, I feel like I’m about to lose my goddamned mind, and I figure punching Declan in the boxing ring is a better option than punching someone at the office.

With the mood I’m in, that could be a real possibility, and with so much on the line, it’s not a mistake I can afford to make.

I move my jaw back and forth to work out the pain because even though we’re wearing sparring gear, Declan’s got a hell of an arm and his hits sting like a bitch.

“Sorry,” he grunts through a smile. But I know better.

He’s not sorry at all. He’s enjoying every second of kicking my ass.

Declan is the most athletic of the three of us Langford brothers, and if my mother hadn’t put up fights about him playing football and boxing, he could have gone far in either of those sports.

I barely block his next jab and somehow get in a body shot.

“I take it Ella’s still looking for an apartment,” Declan says as we dance around one another.

“She is. But unluckily for her, there aren’t many vacancies at the moment.”

“And you wouldn’t have anything to do with that.” His tone is mocking.

“It’s not my fault the moment Ella sees a listing and calls on it, the realtor lets her know that someone is interested and already put down a deposit.”

“Sure, it’s not.”

“I won’t have her anywhere but my penthouse. It’s not safe.”

“So, she’s back to sleeping upstairs.”

I get my own right hook in, annoyance buzzing through my veins at his words. “Last night was her last. She wanted space, and I gave it to her, but I’m at the end of my rope.”

“Why now? You’re leaving for Singapore tomorrow. The ten days you’re gone will give her more of that space she wants and time to think.”

“That’s the last thing I want.”

Declan barks out a laugh. “If I recall, this is what you wanted in the beginning. And now you’ve got it.”

“Fuck that,” I growl, landing another body shot.

I’m about to lose my fucking mind.

I come at Declan full force. “I was wrong then, and I’m going to fix it now.”

“If it makes you feel better, she seems just as miserable as you. I talked to her yesterday when I stopped by your penthouse. She looks like a ghost of herself.”

That makes me feel worse. And better. Fuck, this is all a mess.

“You’re making this too complicated, Ash. You need to give in to what you want and just go for it. You’re both miserable without each other.”

“And the threats over Greenspan? You saw the text.”

I can still see the text in my head.

Unknown: An offer to purchase Greenspan will be delivered to your board next week and it would be in your best interest to accept it. Akio Kobayashi will never walk again, and it would be a shame if you or your pretty little girlfriend came to share that same fate.

Akio is our top researcher for Greenspan, a renewable energy company we own.

He was injured in an accident on the job that we now know wasn’t an accident.

Greenspan is being targeted with sabotage to cripple it because it’s a major threat to the oil industry.

Declan, Sterling, our brother based in London, and I are working to take down the threats from TDC Oil, the company we believe to be behind the sabotage and some of the people responsible for my grandfather’s death, but until we take out this threat, Ella is a target, and she’s in danger.

And therein lies my problem.

I have to keep her close to keep her safe, but the more I bring her into my life, the more I put her in danger. I want her, and wanting her puts her in danger, so I’m fucked no matter what I do. All I know is I can’t lose her the way I lost my grandpa. I won’t survive it if I do.

So, I have to be careful about our relationship since our situation is complicated.

The problem is, Ella doesn’t know that. Not the whole story of it, at least. I’ve only shared bits and pieces of my past with her because I only just realized that the people who killed my grandfather twenty-five years ago are the same people threating me now.

I will tell her, but I don’t want to yet.

First, because there are still some unknowns I need to puzzle together, and second, because she’s just been through hell with her ex.

Her fucking ex who pulled a gun on her to extort money from me.

The fallout of that situation is a mess—with the media, with the board, and the last thing I want is to burden her with another problem.

She needs time to recover first, and I’m determined to give it to her.

Declan dances out of my reach, then stars spark across my vision as he sneaks in a jab that hits me square on the jaw. Shit, that hurt.

“You know as well as I do that the safest place for her is with you. And if you push her away, you’ll lose your shares.”

I growl and throw a sloppy punch, missing Declan’s face by inches.

That’s the crux of the situation. I was forced into this relationship by my board to improve my image, and now I’ve unintentionally put Ella in danger.

Our relationship may have started as a farce, but it’s nothing close to one anymore, and the longer she’s with me, the more I fall for her.

And the more I know it will gut me if I’m forced let her go.

“As someone who’s sworn off relationships, you sure seem keen to push me into one.” I don’t know why I spit the words at Declan with venom in my voice. This isn’t his doing, and I know he’s just trying to help, but I can’t stop the irrational anger from gushing out of me.

“I’m not pushing you into a relationship for the hell of it. I see the way you look at her. I see the way you two are with one another. She’s not just a fling, and you know it.”

“You seem a little too invested.”

“I’m invested because I care about you, dumbass.

I see what a fool you’re being, and I’m trying to knock some sense into your head.

” He does just that, hitting me with another jab that makes my eyes water and my ears ring.

“Once upon a time, all I ever wanted was to find love and have a happy little family. That hasn’t worked out for me, and I’ve accepted that.

But you’ve found the jackpot and you’re throwing it away.

Don’t be an idiot, Asher. You have what none of us ever thought we would, so quit being a bitch, and go for it before you lose her.

Because I’ll tell you one thing, the minute the world knows she’s single and fair game, she’ll be hunted like a damn prize.

You may have put her on the map, but she’s stayed there because she’s special—and you’re not the only rich and powerful motherfucker to notice it.

Every man looks at you with envy when you’re with her, and the minute you’re out of the picture, men will come swarming like vultures, and you’ll lose her forever. Do you really want to live with that?”

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I haven’t thought about that in a while.

I’ve been so caught up in the complications of our situation that I stopped thinking about what the future would look like if I did lose her.

This whole situation with Ella was supposed to be an arrangement, and I always knew I’d be letting her go at some point, but somewhere along the way that became unacceptable.

And now the thought of her with someone else makes me see red.

“Are you going to be okay watching her move on with her future without you?” Declan continues, hitting me with a quick combination.

“Think about how you’re going to feel when she moves out—for good.

What about when she moves in with another man?

What about when she gets engaged, married, has kids with someone else?

If you choose not to keep her, someone else will get their happily ever after with her, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. ”

Declan’s words are like another punch, but instead of wounding me, they incite me.

I lay into him, feeding my rage into my arms and hands.

I hit him back with my own brutal combination, and he staggers backward into the ropes.

When he gets his feet back under him, he shakes his head to clear it, then smirks at me.

“You know you want to fix this.”

“I know. And I will, but I need to get this threat taken care of first.” I take a few long breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. “Tyrone has some more information for me. I need to hear what he has to say, and then I’ll figure out what to do from there.”

“And if it’s bad news?”

“Then the situation is the same as it was before. I keep Ella close and try to get our relationship back to what it was.”

“A fake couple with benefits?”

“Yeah,” I huff, still out of breath. “Until Greenspan and TDC are dealt with.”

“And once it’s over?”

“I’ll figure out how to commit to her fully. It’s what I want, anyway. I just can’t seem to make myself do it while the risks are this high.”

“You know this won’t be the last threat. Our lives will never be free of them.”

I take off my gloves and start removing my headgear. “I know. But this one is bigger than normal—it involves the Russian mafia for Christ’s sake.”

Declan lets out a long sigh. “Then let’s get those fuckers taken care of. You deserve happiness, Ash.”

I nod in agreement as I think back to Ella’s sleeping form, of the ring I slipped on her finger.

I hate that any part of me wavers when it comes to our relationship.

I want nothing more than her, and I want to make her mine in every conceivable way.

I just have to take it one step at a time until I know she’s safe.

The first step is done. The second step will happen when I see her tonight after work.