AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That hadn't occurred to me,” he says in a thoughtful tone.
There are so many things I want to say, so much to dissect about what he shared. But I also don’t want to push him. He’ll expand on what he’s told me when he’s ready, at his own pace; I’m not going to demand answers or information.
“Thank you for sharing,” I say instead.
“Of course.” He says the words in a contemplative tone that makes me wonder what he’s thinking now.
My mind drifts back to how he’d nearly kissed me, and my heart plays hopscotch in my chest at the memory. I wanted him to kiss me.
I didn’t care that we might have gotten caught. I didn’t care that his dad might not approve. I didn’t want to destroy my career, however. But I wanted him to kiss me again.
“I think it’s your turn to tell me something,” he says, suddenly snapping back to the reality of the moment. I nod my head.
“Anything,” I say. I don’t have many secrets - I consider myself a bit of an open book. But he surprises me once again.
“What are your plans for the future?”
I want to unpack the fact that he’d steered widely clear of the past by focusing on the future. I’m not used to people looking forward; most prefer to know where I come from. It’s refreshing that he’d like to know where I plan to go instead. But the question also trips me up, because it’s not one I have to answer often.
“I think I’d like to start my own firm one day. Maybe move to a new city.” I wonder if that’s just a pipe dream, but I don’t want to beat myself down for a possibly unachievable dream.
He nods his head. “And outside of work?”
I let out a soft laugh. “I hadn’t really thought about it.” But I had, a long time ago.
“I sense some hesitation there,” he says with that deeply perceptive look that might be able to peer deep into my soul, I don’t know.
I decide to tell him the truth. “I was engaged,” I say, folding my hands in my lap, my sub forgotten, my heart still tender from the past. “It didn’t work out.” How do I explain the depths of hell I went through? How my family all took his side and turned their backs on me?
Clifton rolls his chair closer to me and his warm hand covers my freezing fingers. His other hand touches my chin, lifting my head to face me dead on, and he stares into my eyes as he speaks. “He was a fool,” he says.
“Well, you’re the only one who thinks that. He turned my family and most of my friends against me.” Katie is really my only friend anymore. Despite the pain of the truth, I realize the past doesn't sting as much as it used to.
He seems surprised. “I’m sorry you went through that.” His words are oddly comforting.
“Enough about me, it’s your turn. Same question you asked me.” I do my best to perk up, realizing that his hand is still on mine, lending me strength and warmth.
But he shakes his head. “I have no future. My dad will hold things over my head and force me to do his bidding. And when he dies, I’ll have to carry on his legacy.” There’s something so broken in his voice I ache for him.
“You always have a choice,” I say.
He shakes his head. “If I leave, I go directly to a jail cell.” As he says the words, many things fall into place. The reason Anton had handed Clifton off to me, the way the man’s file and the man don’t line up in my eyes, the odd control Anton has over his son’s charges while keeping a facade of being hands off.
“I’m sorry you're going through that,” I say.
He offers me a slight smile that doesn't reach his eyes. “Thank you,” he says.
As we study one another, his lips part. I reach out, slipping a hand behind his neck while throwing myself into his lap and pressing my lips to his.
He kisses me back, his tongue sliding along the seam of my lips and demanding entrance. I let him in, meeting him partway and loving his playful-yet-serious style. Heat sears through my body, demanding more, but I refuse to listen to my body.
We are already taking a huge risk just kissing.
My phone chimes and I pull back, feeling guilty as I look at the screen. It’s a text... from Sterling. My eyebrows knit together as I slide back into my seat and unlock my phone.
Have you had lunch?
Why does he care? Or, better yet, why is he pretending to care?
