Her heart missed a beat.
“Together?”
He cupped her cheek in his hands, his gaze searing over her face as she struggled to accept his words.
“Full-fledged partners,” he swore.
Holly found it ridiculously difficult to think.
It wasn’t just the astoundingly generous offer. Or the knowledge that she could finally achieve her dreams.
It was his sheer belief in her ability to undertake such an enormous project.
Granted, her father had vaguely implied he might one day consider her worthy of taking his place, but it had never been about his confidence in her skill.
It’d been a power play to force Luc to return to his place as the rightful heir.
Vigo had never really bothered to see her as more than a weapon.
“I…” She had to halt and clear her throat. “I’m not sure what to say.”
His thumb brushed her cheek, sending sparks of intense pleasure through her body.
“Then let me speak.”
“Okay,” she breathed.
“I came to Vegas with nothing but twenty bucks in my pocket. At the time, I didn’t have any real goal beyond getting a roof over my head.” He shrugged, his gaze focused on her mouth as she unconsciously peeked out her tongue to dampen her lips. “Eventually I discovered I had a talent for gambling. And more shockingly, the ability to turn my winnings into a successful business.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his modesty. The man had gone from sleeping in his car to creating a dozen profitable restaurants, to owning the jewel in the crown of casinos.
And all before the age of thirty-five.
A hell of an accomplishment.
“Why Irish pubs?” she asked.
“I missed my ma’s cooking,” he said with a smile that could melt the Antarctic. Or her unexpectedly susceptible heart. “And I had nine brothers and sisters looking for employment. They became my first waitstaff, bartenders, and dishwashers.”
She heaved an unconsciously wistful sigh. “Your parents must be very proud.”
“They would have been just as proud if I’d stayed in Dublin and joined my father’s construction company,” he said without hesitation. “Their love has never been conditional.”
Unlike her own father’s, she silently acknowledged.
“When did you decide to buy Angeli’s?”
“It didn’t take long as a gambler to learn that the true money wasn’t made at the tables, but by owning the tables,” he explained. “And since Angeli’s is the finest chain of casinos, I decided I wouldn’t be satisfied until I owned them.”
She hesitated before asking the question that had been on her mind since she’d first learned that Liam had purchased her father’s business.
“Was I part of your climb to the top?”
His brows snapped together, almost as if he was outraged by the perfectly reasonable question.
Unfair.
Even if she was illegitimate, she’d spent her life being chased and flattered and flirted with because of her connection to Vigo Angeli.
Even Ted had hoped to use her as a means to convince Vigo to switch his massive wealth to Ted’s investment bank.
Why wouldn’t she have assumed that the hotshot immigrant gambler was looking for a way into Vegas society?
“No. You’re not a trophy to me, princess,” he rasped. “Hell, I’d have given anything if you hadn’t been a part of Angeli’s.”
She blinked at his harsh tones. “Thanks.”
He snorted, his fingers trailing over her cheeks, down the line of her jaw, his touch so gentle it made her knees weak.
“It has nothing to do with your abilities, princess,” he chided. “No matter how much I might want you, I would never keep you in such a vital position if I didn’t believe you are the most highly qualified person to do the job.” He grimaced. “But we both know that I became your enemy the moment your father sold the business to me.”
“I felt—”
“Betrayed?”
She nodded. “Yes. And unworthy.” Her hands lifted to touch his broad chest, needing the feel of his solid form as the painful memories seared through her. “I fought so hard to earn his respect.”
Slowly he lowered his head, kissing her with a gentle care.
“I’m sorry.”
“For buying Angeli’s?”
“No,” he retorted with a blunt honesty. “If it hadn’t been me, your father would have sold to someone else.”
She winced. It was true.
As much as she’d wanted to blame Liam, deep inside she’d known she would never be a suitable replacement for Luc.
“Then what are you sorry for?”
His lips traced the line of her nose before sweeping over her brows, his touch offering an unexpected comfort even as a jolt of excitement clenched her stomach.
Astonishing, really.
She’d expected the heat. The passion. The breathtaking pleasure.
But never in a million years could she have suspected he could make her feel…cherished.
“That you were hurt when I took over the company and I have no way of making it better,” he said softly, his lips settling at the corner of her mouth.
“It’s not your fault.”
He stilled, slowly lifting his head as he absorbed the full implication of her confession.
“It’s not?”
“No.”
Their gazes tangled, both of them sensing something profound had just altered between them.
Then, feeling oddly vulnerable, Holly forced a smile to her lips.
“Don’t gloat.”
His fingers smoothed the long strands of her hair over her shoulder before trailing down her arms to grasp her hands.
“Never,” he assured her.
Holly believed him. Liam might tease and even torment on occasion, but he was never one to wallow in his own accomplishments.
“Luc warned me,” she admitted.
“Warned you about what?”
“That my father was destined to disappoint me.” She shrugged. “He said that Vigo Angeli had no interest in anyone but Vigo Angeli, and he was right. Nothing I’ve done has impressed him because he truly doesn’t care.”
He lifted her hand to press his lips to her fingers. “What about your mother?”
Holly had to battle her instinct to retreat from the blunt question.
Tory Sullivan had been twenty-one when she’d caught Vigo’s roving eye and become his mistress. She’d done her best to try to be a mother, but the truth was she didn’t want to be domesticated.