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SIX
Shane
W
e entered the main hall of the mansion I bought for myself in LA for the time being, and Melanie seemed to be taken aback. She scanned the spacious foyer, the latte-colored walls lighted by the crystal chandeliers. The polished marble floor looked like a sheet of glass. She took a few slow steps and gently rested her hand on the fancy black railing of the wooden espresso staircase leading upstairs.
“No longer staying in a hotel?” she said rather more assumingly than questioningly before turning back to face me.
“I value my privacy,” I replied. “That’s something I can’t get in a hotel.”
She only nodded slightly, setting her gaze on the paintings hanging on the wall.
“Want something to drink?” I asked, admiring her angelic beauty. Her hairstyle was messy from the helmet and the wind after driving here on my bike, but she still looked like a goddess.
She sighed quietly before replying, “Yes, please.”
“After you,” I said, pointing her toward the kitchen.
She swallowed hard before following my lead. I bet she had crazy thoughts running through her head. I bet she had been wondering what the hell she was doing there with me. To be frank, I had been wondering that myself. I hadn’t expected she would run away from her engagement party with me. A stranger. An enemy to her family. I had expected a spoiled rich girl, too puffed up with her own vanity. Instead, I met a fragile woman full of fear and pain in her eyes. The pain she so desperately tried to hide. That made me wonder, what was going on behind the closed door of her luxurious life?
But also…How the hell was I supposed to stick to the plan?
I COULDN’T HELP but check out Melanie’s sexy curves, which were more exposed as she leaned against a shiny whitish countertop that contrasted the black design of the kitchen. I fought a smirk that desperately was forming in the corner of my mouth at the thought of fucking her in this position. My cock twitched in my pants, and I shook my head before following to the fridge, leaving the sinful thoughts behind.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, searching through the full refrigerator. Gladly, I had hired a housekeeper that took care of the grocery shopping.
“Starving, honestly.” She smiled. Her voice was so soothing. “I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.”
I looked back to face her, alarmed that she hadn’t eaten in a day. I frowned, and she straightened up as if anxious.
“I couldn’t force myself to eat anything.” The words were blurting out of her mouth. “I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.”
Melanie was nervously playing with her fingers, just like that night in the hotel room. She sank her teeth into her lower lip, and her gaze dropped to the tile floor. I was good at reading body language. It was a part of my training to read your enemy’s emotions. I could tell Melanie was dealing with overwhelming anxiety. Again, that was not what I expected. That was not what I signed up for.
I approached her slowly and gently grabbed her chin with my fingers to make her look into my eyes. “Hey,” I whispered. “Don’t do this.”
“Do what?” She gave me a startled look.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.” I caressed her cheek with my thumb, and for a second, it seemed like she let herself indulge in my touch.
She took a deep breath, swallowing hard. “Why are you doing this, Shane?”
I narrowed my eyes, my voice soft. “What?”
“Playing a knight in shining armor. Pretending that you care about me.” She stepped back, taking a better look at my face. “We both know who you are.”
“So I am a villain in your story?”
“No,” she objected. “I mean… we both know who we are to each other. Who our families are.”
“Who are we, Melanie?” I said, challenging.
“You’re a Vergoossen, and I am an Atwood,” she said dryly. “Everyone knows there’s a running battle between our families. My father would—”
She hesitated, and I cut her off. “I don’t care, do you?”
Her eyes grew wide as she looked at me, astonished. Her lips slightly parted.
