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“Very dungeon like…”
“It has its own air filtration system, electrical, and running water. There’s a smaller room at the back where Rowan could survive for six months if she needed to. Her, the baby, and two additional people.”
“Wow. So...a dungeon.”
“Hmm. Nervous, sweetheart?”
“Nope. I’ve escaped worse.”
At the bottom of the stairs, James turned to her. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her until she was breathless and moaning.
When he lifted his face, he said, “It’s time to cut the shit, Nina. We’re not leaving this room until we’re on the same page.”
“Really? You’d leave Rowan unprotected byyouand Miss Jeffries withoutmeuntil I break? I’m more stubborn than you are, James. You should know that going in.”
“I have no intention ofbreakingyou, Nina. I’m much more interested in gluing your shattered pieces together...like that vase Bennett threw at me years ago.”
“Don’t, James. You…”
“Which bullshit will you say this time? Hmm? You don’t know what you’re getting into, James. You don’t know what a horrible person I am, James. I can never, ever love.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Do you ever get tired of lying, Nina? Do you ever get tired of being alone?”
Through gritted teeth, she hissed, “Just fuck me…”
“No, sweetheart.” He wrapped her in a hug and kissed her again. Moving his mouth to her ear, he said, “This time, I want to try something different. Let me show you.”
Nina’s heart raced in fear she didn’t understand.
Chapter Seventeen
James walked across the room and turned on music that had a deep, sensual beat. He removed his jacket and gun but nothing else. Returning to her, he took her in his arms but it wasn’t to fuck her or even kiss her.
Hedancedwith her.
The shock of it made her gasp softly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to find her balance emotionally.
“I realized something today, Nina. Something I should have seen sooner.” His hand held her face to his chest. “As much as I thought our relationship was different from those in your past...it wasn’t. Not really. It was fucking in secret. Using you as so many before me used you.”
“That’s not true, James,” she murmured.
“Just because I gave youmoreof what you needed doesn’t mean shit, sweetheart. I wanted you on my arm, to take you on dates, to tell the world that I loved you...but I didn’t push.” He chuckled softly. “A woman like you doesn’t bow to weakness. You put me in a box and as long as I stayed there, you had the upper hand.”
His fingers in her hair, he tilted her head back to look into her eyes. “Howpowerfulyou are, Nina. How easily you slip through the world without leaving a ripple behind you. You become a fantasy that keeps everyone - even me - from looking too closely, from asking too many questions.”
“Wh-what are you doing, James?” Her heart pounded in her chest as he quietly, gently invaded a space that had always been one of isolation.
“The first time I went to your apartment, you were off balance, exhausted, and literally in pain with need. If you hadn’t been so mentally and physically weakened, you never would have said the most honest thing you’ve ever told me while standing in front of your door.I don’t like people to see me, to know who I am.”
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.
“I’m seeing you, Nina. Trulyseeingyou for the first time in a completely different light and realizing you’re probably the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. You’re a master of disguise, at manipulating those around you totheirbenefit rather than your own, and keeping the shutters to your soul firmly closed.”
He danced with her around the room and she didn’t understand what was happening or how to defend against it.
“I loved you the first day I met you. I knew you were a woman I could spend the rest of my life with and never, ever get bored being around.” He smiled. “I was right. Every minute I’ve spent in your presence makes me love you more.” Bending, he kissed her slowly as his hand moved over her back, massaging her skin through her clothes. “I’ve never watchedanyonelike I watch you, but I missed critical shit anyway.”
“You didn’t…”
“Your life took you in so many different directions, Nina. It happened so often that you convinced yourself it was what you wanted. You re-wrote your narrative to fit the circumstances instead of changing the circumstances.”
