"You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. And wish from this day forth never to be parted from you." - Deborah Moggach, Pride & Prejudice screenplay

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Caden's POV

One Month Later

The notes never stopped, the baskets never stopped, the flowers and the delicious lunches; they just never stopped. So much so that my office was soon piling up with small lunch baskets that I had to tell Silas to stop bringing them.

Did he listen to me? No. But he did smile, and kiss my forehead like he always did. He soon brought me beautiful vases so that I can have somewhere to put the flowers he gave me, which were either azaleas or roses, sometimes both.

I'm not going to lie. It's hard not to swoon over everything he's done. Sometimes, my mind wonders if we can actually be in a relationship together. A healthy, healthy relationship. I mean, it's clear he's changed. He's not rude or cold or arrogant. At least not with me.

But a part of me is still doubtful. What if this is all an act? What if he'll change, get sick of me? What if he likes the idea of us together but not me?

Thinking about this always gives me a headache. Which is probably why I had never mentioned it to Izzie, who I had just had a lunch date with the other day.

It probably would have been wise to open my mouth when she started talking about me and my dating life. Yeah...

Um, so apparently I have a date this Saturday. Not a huge one or anything. Just a... small one? I guess?

I don't know, it was Izzie's idea, and if I said no, she would wonder why, and my big mouth would spill out the fact that Silas is back in my life.

I do not want to open that can of worms, especially since she's not really fond of Silas, and especially after he had left me with no word of contact.

See, that's what I'm afraid of. Of Silas abandoning me; of being unreliable when I need him the most. I don't want to go through that hurt again.

I was content with not telling Silas anything about the date knowing how he would react. I have no intention of starting a new relationship, especially since it's clear I'm still hung up on someone else *cough Silas* but knowing Silas, some things are better left unspoken.

I was going to uphold that statement until I got a note.

A note, just a regular note, except this note is different. It was another day of Silas dropping off a lunch basket, and kissing my forehead, and leaving a rose except for this stupid freaking note.

Three words, eight letters, three syllables.

And I did not want them.

Nope.

No.

Yeah, no.

I don't want them. He's not allowed to do this when I still haven't forgiven him for what he did, and he sure as hell can't do it when I have a date this weekend. I cannot. This man will be the death of me.

A surge of anger rang through my body as I read and processed the note. I was fully ready to run out the building and straight to Silas's car before he left when I realized I was starving. So, I quickly shoveled the food down my esophagus and then rushed downstairs.

He had already left when I arrived in the parking lot, but my smart brain called an Uber and directed the driver to Sanders Corp.

When I arrived at Sanders Corp, I quickly thanked the driver and stomped my way to the top floor, completely ignoring the receptionist and my former co-workers around me.

I can feel my heart beating out of my chest and the drumming in my ears that won't stop, but all of that is masked by the unbelievable anger inside me. Anger because he should have said this when I was in the hospital, when he had me. When he was everything to me.

Now... now is just all wrong. Now is when I finally have my life together and to be quite frank, I don't want Silas spoiling it.

When I spot the familiar office door, I make no hesitation to burst through them, taking the surprise of everyone in the room. The three brothers are in their assigned desks, and they all look up at me at the same time, curious. I don't look at any of them. My gaze is set on the man in the middle, who has a small smile across his face.

That just makes me even more aggravated.

"Hello, Caden, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Silas asks in a mock innocent tone. I hate him.

"What. Is. This." I stalk toward his desk and slam the note on his table. He smirks slightly, giving me a glimpse of the old Silas, but I don't care anymore. I don't know which Silas I like more but the fact is, I'm not ready.

I'm not ready for this, for him, for the life I know he wants with me, or the fact that he hasn't apologized or addressed much from what he did to me a year ago. And the fact that he has the audacity to come to me, and give me this goddamned note - it's just too much.

"Sage, Sawyer, get out." Both brothers leave with no hesitation, although I see a glint of amusement from Sage in my periphery.

When they both file out of the office, my fuming face directs back to the infuriating man before me.

"Hello, Caden." I roll my eyes. "Don't 'Hello, Caden' me. What the hell is this Silas?!" I point to the note again but he doesn't pay it any mind, he just stares at me as if I'm another planet in his solar system.

"You look pretty today," he says, completely ignoring my question. "Did you like the lunch I made for you?"

I am going to punch this man.

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Silas's POV

Caden looks beautiful, as always, but she looks even more breathtaking when she looks like she wants to sock me in the face.

I notice her arm lifts up and her hand curls into a fist -

My face whips back at the impact of her knuckles to my cheek. I stand there, shocked as she looks at me with white hot fury in her beautiful amber eyes. And then a distant laugh rings out from outside the office, probably fucking Sage and Sawyer watching from the security cameras in the office.

But I don't give a damn about them.

Caden. Punched. Me. In. The. Face.

This is officially the best day of my life. And apparently the funniest because a sudden urge to laugh shoots from my belly and that's exactly what I did.

I cackled after the fact, doubling over and eventually putting my hands on the desk in front of me to keep from falling over. My laughs echoes in the empty office, and I can see Caden standing there, her eyes set in surprise as if this is the first time she's heard me laugh.

It honestly probably is because of the bastard I was last year. But then her face morphs from surprise back to anger, and she says something, but her voice is drowned by mine, which makes me laugh even harder.

Tears begin to form in the corners of my eye and I can tell she notices as she raises her fist to deliver another blow.

Aware of her intentions, I move quick, catching her fist onto mine and stepping around my desk so that I am directly in front of her. She's so close, I can smell her vanilla-y scent and I can see soft shine of her hair. God, I've missed her.

She takes a step back, probably trying to get away from me, but I don't allow her to. "What's the matter?" I take a step forward; I can feel the heat radiating off her.

"You. You are the matter. You can't just-" I stop her there. Not with my words but with my mouth, and Jesus, she tastes so fucking good. I've missed her taste and her mouth and her hair and her everything.

She doesn't give into the kiss as easily as I had hoped. She struggles for a bit, pushes at my chest to get me off her. At her second shove, I relinquish her mouth, but my lips don't stop. They trail down her jaw, into her ear, and across her neck.

This time, she doesn't shove back. She doesn't push me away; instead, she sighs into me, extending her neck to allow me more access, and I smile. She wants this as much as I do.

Her hands curl into my hair, tightening on my roots, sending a jolt of pleasure and pain. The feeling travels straight to my groin and I feel my hard-on rubbing against her thigh.

She moves slightly, her legs brushing my crotch, and it makes me grown in pleasure. Her fingers tighten again, and her body moves again, and the pleasure... it's fucking amazing.

I take a step back to sit my ass down on my desk. I pull her body flush against my chest, her legs now in between mine. All the while her mouths devours mine; she sucks on my bottom lip, makes a trail of kisses across my jawline and down my neck.

My body is completely at her mercy as they travel from my hair, to my chest, up my shirt, across my waist, until her delicate fingers meet my erection. Her hands lay there, on the biggest fucking hard-on I've ever had, and it seems she's contemplating something.

But I don't want to ruin the moment. I don't want to lose her when I finally have her on top of me. So, I grab her shin and place it atop one of mine, her legs completely straddling my right thigh. I whisper in her ear, "Grind on me, baby."

She again hesitates, and I allow her to think about what she's doing; if she really wants me. After about twenty seconds, she comes to her conclusion.

Her hips roll back on my leg, her thigh-length skirt having completely ridden up to expose her soft, gorgeous legs. Her hips roll back in forth, soft moans filling the inside of my ear. I can feel her hot breath brush the outside of my earlobe and I savor the sweet sound.

"Just like that, baby," I breathe into her hair. My hands rest on her waist, in sync with her movements. Her hands inadvertently lay on my crotch; I'm not sure if she notices but I don't dare move it away.

Her actions become faster, desperate, uncontrolled, and her fingers tighten on my throbbing dick, making me moan as her hips ride my thigh. She grips me tighter, tighter, tighter, as she rides me faster, faster, faster. In one final push, and a tight fucking squeeze, my groin shatters in pleasure, and the release is nothing I've ever felt.

Caden shudders on top of me, climaxing onto the shorts she wore under her skirt. My free hand travels down under her skirt, skimming her core through the fabric, and I can feel the wetness pooling out of her.

She buries herself into my neck as we both sit there, shuddering after that breathtaking climax. I massage the slick fabric of her shorts, making her whimper in pleasure. The hand on my groin doesn't move. I am desperate to feel her soft hands skin-on-skin on my dick but I'll take what I can get.

After the last few shuddering breaths turn into even breathing, Caden finally looks up at me. "You. You're-" She's breathless, even after resting from her orgasm.

"Use your words, baby," I whisper, amusement and... love in my tone. she releases a breath. "You can't love me."

I look at her, still amused and not at all surprised by her words. "Elaborate, please."

"Let me rephrase that. You are not allowed to love me." Her cheeks are flushed a hot pink, and I can't stop the hand that caresses it. "You're beautiful," I whisper.

She pushes away from me, jumping off my leg and onto her slightly wobbly feet. I reach out to steady her but she steps out of my reach. "Stop doing that, Silas."

I look at her confused. Doing what? Saying she's beautiful?

As if reading my mind, she quickly says, "Stop doing these things. The lunches, the roses, the notes. I can't handle them. I don't trust you, no matter if I'm physically attracted to you." She crosses her arms in frustration, but I am even more frustrated that she didn't listen to what I said last time.

"Didn't I address that, baby. Nothing between us is physical." I take a step towards her, but she takes a step back. "Stop calling me that. You haven't earned the right to call me that."

My mood darkens at her words no matter if everything she's saying is completely true. "I thought you liked the lunches."

Caden sighs, looking down on the ground as if this is the last place she wants to be right now. The ache in my chest tightens when I see the pitiful look on her face. "I do like them, Silas. I love them." She takes a pause, contemplating something before continuing. "I just don't think that this," she gestures between us, "is the best idea."

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "What do you mean? You can't deny the chemistry between us."

She looks at me incredulously. "Oh yeah? And you can't deny the fact that you left me. You. Left. Me. In the hospital. Alone. You fucking left me there, Silas, when I needed you the most. No contact, nothing. You leave me, you fire me, you let me go. You can't just waltz back into my life as if everything is all dandy. I'm done being treated like I'm disposable trash, okay? And that starts with you."

Her voice breaks, her voice fucking breaks and I stand there, completely and utterly devastated. "Caden- I'm sorry. I told you I would make it up to you, I promise-"

She shakes her head as if I'm not understanding her. "No, I don't want you to make it up to me. I don't want anything to do with you. I just want my life to go back to the way it's been for the past year." She looks me in the eye. "I'm sorry, Silas."

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