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"No," I mutter in response.
"Don't try to fool me, girl. I can tell you're head-over-heels for him. Consider this my last warning," Father says. "He'll never love you. No one in this town ever will."
I swallow thickly just as the car comes to a stop in front of the Booth Mansion. Kelley opens the door and I step into the blinding sunlight of the late Sunday morning.
Dex is waiting on the steps of his house, his arms crossed and a troubled expression on his face. His shirt sleeves have been rolled up, exposing inches of his tanned, muscular arms. My stomach tightens again. He's so handsome it hurts.
"Get out," Father snarls at me while Kelley gets the door for him. I rush to get out of the car, afraid of his punishing hand. Father's wounds from where Brazen beat him are healing, but I have never seen him more eager to inflict hurt on others than he is now.
I walk toward Dex shakily when Father shoves me from behind, making me stumble on the pebbled driveway. Dex steps in front of me, facing off with Father.
"Here's your whore," Father smirks. "You spent your family's earnings... your position at the company... on her. I sincerely hope - and doubt - it was worth it. Have fun."
He looks at me, smirking as he adds, "If you were hoping for a prince in shining armor, daughter, you'll be sorely disappointed. Because after this, your prince is broke. More of a pauper, really. Maybe that's why you get along so well. You're both charity cases."
Dex takes a step closer until he's inches away from Father's face. They dare each other to hit first while I struggle to pick myself from the driveway. I smooth down my jade-colored dress and wait for the face-off to be over.
"Come on, Pandora," Dex hisses, still watching Father. "We're going inside."
He turns around and leaves Father standing there. Before he can say something else, Dex has shut the front door behind us, effectively shutting him up.
"Is... is that true?" I whisper as he storms down the hallway.
"What?" he hisses. God, he's in a bad mood. And it looks as if it's all because of me.
"That you're broke..." I follow him to the living room where the fireplace is burning like always.
"Does it make a difference?" Dex's angry gaze meets mine. "Would it make you leave if I was?"
"I-I don't
know," I whisper. "Do you even want me here?"
He doesn't answer, sitting down on the Chesterfield couch instead and staring at the burning embers with his forehead resting on his knuckles.
I sit down on the rug next to him and lean my chin against his knee. I have no idea what sparked the sudden intimacy, but I want Dex to make things better. Not just for me, but for both of us. I need to hear him say everything's going to be okay.
He doesn't.
He just stares down at me, absent-mindedly combing his fingers through my hair. I don't know when this strange sense of intimacy developed between us, but it doesn't look like it's going anywhere, and it kind of turns me on.
"Are you mad at me?" I ask softly.
"No," he replies, his answer instant and confident. "I'm not."
"Then what?"
"Then nothing."
"But your money." I swallow when his fingertips linger on my cheek. I love the sensation of him touching me. "Is it really all gone? You don't have anything left?"
"I'll be fine," he mutters.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I still have the house and... something else Emilian Oakes might want."
"Huh?" I narrow my eyes at him. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"
