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“Oh, what I did was far worse than a little faux pas. If I were anyone else, I’d be the one strung up on a hook in some abandoned warehouse somewhere. I don’t want any bloodshed in the name of my honor. I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but the man did nothing wrong. He’s the wronged party here.”
He blew out a long breath and muttered, “I shouldn’t be surprised you’d stick up for him. It’s who you are. Sweet and innocent. Those are only two of the many things I love about you.”
Oh, God. Ewww. I couldn’t hear a declaration of love right now, especially from him. I grimaced and shuddered inwardly. The idea of Simu wanting me was gross, but I had to keep on his good side to convince him to leave Luca alone.
“Ugh, don’t say that. I don’t deserve your love. I don’t deserve love, period. And I’m not going to get another chance at love, either. I’m damaged goods now. No one’s going to want me.”
“I want you,” he pronounced, his eyes sliding to me for an instant before returning to the road.
“What?” I gasped out of surprise more than anything else. No, no, no. Please shut up, Simu. Don’t keep talking.
“Did you really expect anything else?”
“Of course, I did. I’m not a virgin anymore.”
“I’m aware,” he replied. “And I don’t care.”
This was insane. The idea of him touching me made my skin crawl. Sex? Out of the question. I complained about being a spinster moments before, but that was a thousand times better than being with him.
“Don’t be silly, Simu. Of course, you do. I don’t need a knight in shining armor. Just because my father saved you doesn’t mean you have to return the favor. I don’t want to owe anything to anyone. I’d rather live out the rest of my life alone. At least I can go to college now that my hopes for marriage are forever ruined.”
The last sentence popped out of my mouth without thinking. I didn’t want to be with anyone else. Ever. Maybe I would go to medical school and become a psychologist. Help other people. That would give my life meaning. I had to do something with my life after tossing away my one chance at happiness.
“I’m serious, Cat,” he insisted. “I didn’t stop wanting you when you were engaged to Nicu or with Luca. I didn’t stop when you lost your virginity. I never stopped. And before you say it and piss me off, no, this isn’t a pity move on my part.”
My head whipped to the side. I was speechless, but inside I was screeching nooo. I had just betrayed the only man I ever loved. My heart was Luca’s, even if it resembled the splintered windshield of a car after a head-on collision. The very idea of being touched by another man sickened me, so the idea of marriage…
No, just no.
He glanced at me again and repeated, “I’m dead serious.”
My brows shot up. The only move I’d made since his declaration.
“Think about it,” he finished.
I didn’t need to think about it. I already knew that it was out of the question.
My brows dropped low and I shook my head. “I can’t. Since I won’t have a family, maybe I’ll go into a helping profession. Become a shrink or a nun or something. Maybe I’ll be the next Mother Theresa.”
“For fuck’s sake, this isn’t a joke,” he snapped.
“I’m not joking,” I cried out. “You think you’re saving me, but I can’t do this again. I can’t be with someone else. I. Am. Done.”
I was breathing hard. He was going too far, and as much as I wanted to protect Luca, I couldn’t lead Simu on.
“You can and you will,” he replied, his jaw clenched tight in stubbornness.
My eyes flared wide. What? I recognized that glint in his eyes. Uh-oh. When he got something in his head, he was like a dog with a bone. Relentless.
His voice turned hard as he declared, “If you want me off Luca’s back, then you’ll marry me. Otherwise, consider him as good as dead. Not only that, Cat. I won’t help Cristo with the Hagi family. Now that you’ve failed, I’m the only thing standing between him and a Hagi gun pressed to his temple. I won’t use my clout with my uncle unless you first swear you’ll marry me.”
My body jerked.
“What?!”
“You heard me.”
“Jesus, what the hell? Have you lost your mind?”
