AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What did he tell you?”
“He scared me. That’s it.”
“No, it’s more than that. You believed him.”
“Maybe.” She breathes out. “He reminded me why I can’t make mistakes like this anymore. Why I need this job. Why I’m doing this.”
“To escape them,” I state as she closes her eyes as if to block the reality.
“Was Logan a mistake?”
Her nostrils flare as she studies me. The phantom pain nips my throat as agony buried deep within her soul flashes at me.
“Logan was precious to me, but I was his mistake. We just didn’t know it back then.”
I fist my hands, watching the chasm of sorrow open, tears rolling down her cheeks in silent torrents.
“And now, I’m paying the price.”
A gasp escapes her lips when I wrap my hand around her knees and shoulders, bringing her petite form on my lap. My mouth lingers close to her ear as I encircle her in my arms.
“I’m not so sure if you can be anyone’s mistake, Cassandra. You are too remarkable, too unique to be a lapse of judgment. Logan Cade saw you for who you are and seized his gem before anyone could steal it from under his nose.”
She jumps to her feet, but I catch her wrist and rise. I can’t bear her anguish.
“Once, you gave me a warning. Today I guess it’s my turn.” She fastens her tearful gaze on me. “Men fall for me, Mark, and then I break them. Bad things happen to those who dare to love me. Don’t let this shell fool you. The more you look at it, the more you’re tempted to save me, the less chance you have to survive it.”
We’re more alike than I thought.
Unable to stop myself, I brush away hair from her wet cheeks. Deep voids look back at me as I search her gaze for the light that disappeared once I mentioned the past. She’s struggling with her fears and perceptions just like me. It must be tormenting to believe loving her is lethal as if she’s the reason for all the loss and devastation.
I know what you’re doing, but you’re wrong to think this will push me away. On the contrary, I want to get closer, to taste your fears, to see if I can make you braver and light you up like stars at night.
Instead, I tell her, meaning every word, “It’s too late. I’m already falling.”
She blinks, searching my gaze for the truth. I pull her closer.
“I’m waiting for you to stop fighting this.”
“And here I thought you were a smart man,” she utters, irritation crossing her features as she looks away from me, probably deliberating her escape. I touch her chin, bringing her face to me.
“Maybe I’m not, but I have seen evil and darkness like you’ve never imagined. And you are not it, sweetheart. No, you are fire, blazing with so much passion it’s capable of lighting the night.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking, what this decision might cost you.” She cups my face, trying to talk me out of this. I press my forehead to hers, watching each other and trying to decide what to do with our feelings. Will it be worth the pain to see where it might take us?
“Whenever I’m around you, I long for the things I thought I would never need or want.” It is not her beauty alone that draws me in, but her flaws and profound loneliness that are so familiar to me. “I can’t walk away from you. From us. I tried to ignore it. But it’s much stronger than me or my poor excuses.”
“Mark.” She smiles through the tears, shaking her head at me. “You’re a delusional fool if you think dating me is going to be easy.”
And I know I won’t be walking away from her even if her warning rings true. The family’s already playing their cards, but I might have an ace up my sleeve.
I envelop her wrist in mine and bring her scarred palm to my mouth. A surprised gasp leaves her lips as I kiss the wound. If this is what Logan saw, I know why he fell for her and risked his life for a fleeting moment of happiness. Because seeing that spark of joy in her sad soul is pure bliss. I could sip it from her plump lips for the rest of my life if she allowed me.
By the time the stewardess brings us food and coffee, our moods are lighter and the energy’s electric. Whatever General Abbas told her burrowed deep in her mind. But I won’t allow anyone to hurt her. I made a promise, and I will keep it.
“Let me take you on a date and prove to you how it could be.” My lips tug in a grin as I see her eyes sparkle. We both know she can’t deny me.
“No,” she simply states, sipping her coffee and closing her eyes in bliss.
