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I stepped farther away, putting more space in between us.
He dropped his hands, his blue eyes flashing with hostility.
“We’re done.” I wiped away the tear that streaked down my cheek. “Get out of my apartment.”
Bones didn’t move an inch. “Baby—”
“I mean it. I don’t want you anywhere near me. I don’t want you in my apartment ever again. I want you to just disappear. I would much rather fight you with my family then go down this road.”
“Vanessa, I would never hurt your family. I’m dropping my vendetta for good.”
It was something I’d never thought he would offer, and I couldn’t believe he’d actually put it on the table. But I knew it was too good to be true. “For now. Then when this goes south, you’ll change your—”
“No.” His eyes flashed in anger. “Regardless of what happens tonight, I won’t touch them. I know how much they mean to you, and I would never hurt someone you love…because I love you.”
More tears emerged, angry tears. “Stop saying that. You’re not the kind of man who loves anyone.”
“No. I’m not the kind of man who lies. I know how I feel about you, and I’m not going to lie about it. Just because I’ve never loved a woman before doesn’t mean I’m incapable of loving you better than any man ever could.” His arms remained by his sides and he didn’t move closer to me, but I felt like his body still surrounded mine. He shot me a look of hostility mixed with disappointment. “I didn’t think we would end up here, and as annoyed as I am about it, I’m not going to pretend nothing happened. You think I want to be in love with my enemy’s daughter? You think I want to drop this vendetta? You fucked up everything, baby. But, you know? I’m okay with it. I’m okay with it because you’re the one woman I can’t stop thinking about. You’re the one woman I respect. You’re the one woman I want to protect. So be strong and just be real with me.”
“I am being real,” I said through my tears. “This is just lust, not love. This is just convenience. We’ve been using each other for months, and that’s all it’s ever been. That’s all it will ever be. I’m done.”
He took a deep breath, one full of frustration. His chest rose with the movement, his immense body looking bigger.
“I never should have shown you that painting…” It led to all of this. My mother came to the same conclusion when she saw it, and now Bones did the same. “You’re seeing something that’s not there. It’s just a painting. It’s just paint and canvas. You think you see the way I feel, but you don’t.”
“I don’t need to be a professional to know what I saw. Anyone would draw the same conclusion—and you know it.”
I looked away, thinking of the words my mother said. “I don’t love you…”
“Say it as many times as you want. Doesn’t change anything.”
I lifted my gaze again. “You told me I had my rights. And I’m telling you I want you to leave and never come back. I’m telling you this is never going to happen. I’m telling you I want nothing to do with you.” I threw my hands down, disgusted with myself for letting this continue for so long. Three months of my life came and went—and I spent all of that with this man.
Bones didn’t move toward the door. “Cut the bullshit.”
“It’s not bullshit.”
“The second I walked through that door, you were all over me.”
“Because I want to fuck you, not because I love you.” I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling my life spin out of control. “If you won’t hurt my family and I’m not a prisoner, then I want nothing to do with you. I want you to walk out and never come back. I won’t change my mind.”
He still didn’t move. He hadn’t blinked once throughout the entire conversation. He kept his anger restrained while I had my breakdown. With a clenched jaw and flared nostrils, he looked like he wanted to strangle me. “If you really want me to leave you alone, you’re going to have to give me a real reason. Because I know you love me. I’m watching tears streak down your cheeks, and I still see it. So don’t waste your time thinking you’re fooling me. Maybe you’re fooling yourself, but I know you’re smarter than that.”
I wiped my tears away with my fingertips and sniffed. “There’s no future for us. Even if I loved you, and I’m not saying I do, it would never work. Your father killed my aunt…he raped my mother…and you kept me as a prisoner for the last three months—”
“You weren’t a prisoner, and you know it.”
