“It was nothing special,” he says with a shrug, “just kids being kids.”
“With your sister, right?”
“Right,” he says. “I was too clumsy as a kid and fell when we were playing outside. Had to run all the way home with blood dripping down my face. It was traumatizing for such a young kid, believe me.”
Not a change in his voice, not a flutter of a muscle in his face.
How many lies has Dane told us so easily that flowed from his mouth as if they were true?
If I had any doubts Weston and Sig were the ones lying to me, they are gone now. I know they are telling the truth because Dane’s story has changed.
He was no longer running through his family home and falling to the doorjamb.
And he no longer has my trust, despite trying to convince me he is worthy of it.
Before I can respond, he leans forward again, his lips cutting me off as they move against mine. The kiss is more insistent as his fingers tighten around my hip. He pushes me gently, rolling me to my back so he is laying on top of me, his weight all but suffocating me as his kiss still draws my breath.
The moment his lips pull away, I suck in a deep breath, trying to steady the trapped feeling that is stirring in my chest.He shifts slightly and begins peppering my jawline with small kisses, making his way up to my ear.
“I can’t believe I found you,” he murmurs, kissing just under my lobe, then dragging his lips down the column of my neck. He nudges the neck of my shirt to the side, and kisses along the length of my collarbone until it disappears under the fabric, and I keep breathing deeply, trying to come up with an excuse to stop him.
Then his lips are on mine again. I return the kisses, less enthusiastically than him, and I don’t care if he notices. If he questions it, I can easily blame being so run down and needing sleep.
He breaks away and leans back slightly, his eyes roaming over my face, my lips, before meeting my gaze again.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now. I don’t want it to change anything between us, but I need to say it.”
My heart pounds, so hard that I’m sure he can hear it, and bile burns the back of my throat. What could Dane possibly have to tell me? What new lie is he using to reel me in, to manipulate me into believing everything he says?
He reaches up and strokes the side of my face, his eyes scanning between mine for a moment before he speaks.
“I’ve known it since the moment I saw you, but I’ve been keeping it to myself. I hope you feel the same, but even if you don’t yet, that won’t change anything for me. I just can’t keep it to myself any longer.” He pauses, eyes locking on mine again. “I love you, Lyla.”
My mouth falls open as the world around me comes to a crashing halt.
Humming fills my ears, blocking out any other sound as it gets louder and louder, like I’ve just jumped off the cliff and am still underwater.
My vision blurs and I blink rapidly until my eyes focus on Dane’s again, an earnest expression on his face, as he waits for my response.
The moment snaps back into place, and I push at his shoulders, trying to get out from under him. My chest heaves rapidly as he rolls to the side, and I scramble across the bed.
But now, he’s between me and the door.
“I’m sorry,” he says as he stands, turning to face me. His brow is furrowed and worry paints his features. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but I couldn’t go another day without you at least knowing how I felt. I don’t want it to change our life together.”
My mouth is open, my jaw slack as my mind reels, processing what just happened.
“You don’t have to say it back,” he says, taking a step closer to the bed until his knees bump it.
As if the jolt of the bed wakes me up from a stupor, my eyes snap to his. I gape at him before I finally find the words, my voice coming out in a rasp.
“What did you just call me?”
The worry turns into confusion, as his head tilts to the side. “What do you mean?”
“That name. You called me a different name,” I say, pushing up onto my knees and walking back a few paces across the bed.
My hands go numb as I realize I’ve set myself up in the worst position possible.
