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“That’s why you hate when I call you princess.”
Dropping my head, I noticed I was fiddling with my hands, which I did when I was overwrought with anxiety. “Let’s face it, Arman. You’re no prince. Although you certainly look like one.” I laughed more out of nervousness than anything. “And you’re right. We’re very attracted to each other. If only this was a normal relationship.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“Maybe not. But I admit to you that I thought I’d fall in love at least once in my life.” The words seemed strange to him, but as soon as I said them, a sharp pain rushed into my core. I’d been terrified he’d died. I’d been worried that I’d lost him. What did that say about me? That I was falling in love with him? That was nuts. Wacko. Not this girl. No way. He was my captor.
And everything all my dreams had been made of.
When he said nothing at first, I stole a glance, unable to read his expression, but his eyes remained haunted. Maybe we were actually two very broken people. What did that matter in the least?
“No, princess. I’m no prince.”
“What happened to you years ago? I sense such utter sadness that it almost crowds out the anger boiling your blood. That’s why you were so angry those men were following us.”
“I was angry because they were trying to take you away from me.”
“You won’t tell me, will you? You want me to trust you, but you can’t offer that in return.”
“Trust is difficult for me. And don’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answers to. Besides, what does it matter?”
“I’m not certain, Arman, but I do want to know. Isn’t that ridiculous? I long to learn everything about you. What your favorite cookie is and what tropical island is your favorite. What was the last book you read and have you ever binge watched a television show. I want to learn your favorite candy and wine. Stupid crap that means nothing in your world of priceless art and vehicles that cost more than I’ll ever make in a lifetime.” I laughed at myself. Maybe the biggest lie of all was that I did want the whole fairytale.
The knight slaying every dragon. Why should he bother gracing me with an answer?
“Whew. Those are tough questions, ones I need to think about,” he said. There was an entirely different lilt to his voice and almost instantly, another series of shivers jolted my system. My God, the brooding man even smiled.
“Chocolate chip hands down. But the cookie needs to be hot so the chips melt in your mouth. The Cayman Islands. It’s absolutely beautiful and more natural than so many destination spots. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there but the snorkeling is out of this world. The last book was a Clive Cussler adventure, I believe it wasThe Chase. If you haven’t read his works, you’d love them. Very unfortunate about his death.”
I wasn’t certain my mouth hadn’t dropped open.
The was a reflective look in his eyes, as if no one had ever taken the time to bother asking him his favorite anything.
“As far as binge watching, that would be a toss-up betweenThe Last of UsandThe Walking Dead.I can’t say I appreciated why zombies are so popular until I did.” He laughed, obviously remembering something very personal.
Now there was no doubt my mouth was hanging open. Thank God, I was in the confines of a vehicle, or I’d be fearful an insect would buzz in.
“What was the last part? Oh, yes, candy and wine. To be honest with you, I can’t remember the last piece of candy I had. Maybe a piece of dark chocolate. Wine. I prefer a fine merlot with hints of raspberries and citrus. There are several vintages that come to mind. I’m certain I have an absolute favorite.”
Almost as soon as he’d opened up, I sensed him shutting down. And I didn’t want him to. My reaction was to reach over, placing my hand on his thigh. His nostrils flared, the thick bulge between his legs growing. “That’s the man I could see myself marrying. Someone maybe I could fall in love with.”
As always, his thick steel armor returned.
“It’s better off if you don’t, Raven. You’ll only get hurt.”
Why bother trying to get through to him? I knew the answer as certainly as I did the sky would be blue come next morning.
His spirit had been crushed by someone. ‘S.’ He’d loved her with all his heart. When he placed his hand on mine, using our combined fingers to squeeze his leg, I was grateful he’d allowed me to slide past the coat of armor.
If only for a few minutes.
Then he eased my hand to the seat, returning his to the steering wheel. He was terrified of caring about me. My heart went pitter patter. Why hadn’t I allowed my defenses to fall enough to see his pain? Because he was damn good at guarding it.
“Why did you take me today as opposed to a week or a month ago?” I asked maybe two minutes later. There had to be a reason, including whatever danger he said we were both in. I stared down at my ring finger, as if a diamond would magically appear. I was certain there’d be one glued on my finger soon enough to fuel the charade.
“Because you contacted your father, leaving a rather interesting message. Because you needed a reminder of the deal you entered into.”
I opened my eyes, lifting my head away from the headrest, trying not to allow my mouth to stay open from shock.
