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“Wow,” she breathes.
“You like it?”
Corinne takes in the rest of the room—the quaint reading nook, the slender secretary desk, the spa-like bathroom, and the hot tub for two—with gaping wonder. She runs her fingers over a little bistro table and chairs adjacent to the quaint kitchenette. “This is…beyond.
“The view from here is the best on the property.” I point to the lanai.
She drifts in that direction. The moon suffuses her with a glow that makes her look ethereal and untouchable.
Despite that, I want to touch her so badly.
She’s hurting, so I shove down my need and gesture her to a comfy chair under a reading lamp. She shakes her head and stares at the lazy moon, shining in the dark tapestry of the twinkling stars in the night sky.
I follow her to the railing and stare her way. What is she thinking? “I’m sorry Parker showed up tonight and upset you.”
She pulls her attention from the view and faces me with a frown that says she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. “Why are you apologizing? He’s my brother. I should be the one saying I’m sorry.”
“I posted our ‘engagement’ photo online.”
“We agreed to that. And to posting the fact we intended to have a celebration tonight with friends and family. None of this is your fault.”
But it is. If I had stopped giving a shit about Parker’s fucking lies and stopped licking my wounds—and instead let karma do its job—Corinne wouldn’t be suffering.
Then again, she wouldn’t be with me now.
“It’s not too late to back out of this whole mess. You might hate your brother at the moment, but he’s your only family. The truth is, I don’t have a few million dollars on hand to lend you. It’s tied up in other ventures. So I wouldn’t blame you if you left, told him you’d made a mistake, and mended fences. And I’ll bet he’d give you your money.”
She gapes at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “I won’t capitulate again. I’ve made excuses for Parker for years. The old me would have told myself that even though his methods suck, he only wants what’s best for me, so I should be the bigger person and apologize to keep the peace. But he ripped off my blinders. I can’t unsee who he really is, and I can’t give him an apology I don’t mean simply because I’m afraid of losing him. I won’t do it for money that belongs to me, either. That would be condoning all the awful things he’s said and done to you. They’re unforgivable.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m used to that shit.”
“You shouldn’t be. You should never have to accept slurs and lies, especially from someone who was once a friend.”
I laugh to lighten the mood. “A testament to my lousy choice in friends.”
“I’m serious.”
She is, and I’m thoroughly humbled.
Swallowing is suddenly difficult as I take her hands. “Thank you. You didn’t have to defend me—”
“You didn’t have to defend me, either.” Her eyes are soft and thankful. “But you did.”
I shoot her a self-deprecating smile. “I couldn’t stop myself. He was being an asshole.”
“Exactly. I know my brother has negatively impacted your professional and personal life. I wish I could wave a wand and change that.”
“In a way, I’m glad you can’t. Having you in my life is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” The words are out before I can reel them back. It’s an admission that I more than like her, that I more than desire her.
Fuck, I might as well tell her I’m thisclose to falling in love with her.
The soft surprise on her face strips me down, leaving me wondering if she sees everything I’m feeling.
“Xavian,” she breathes my name, her heart in her eyes. “You don’t know how much it means to me that you stood up for me tonight. That you stood up with me. No one has ever done that.” She cups my stubbled cheek, her earnest face so full of trust and gratitude, but with something more than simple caring. I can’t put my finger on it. Is she falling for me, too? “I know what the public says about you, but they don’t know you like I’ve come to.”
My throat closes up; I can’t fucking speak. She’s about to say something else to make me feel a hundred feet tall that I don’t deserve. “Corinne—”
“I have no illusions that I’ll be anything but another girl you take to bed, but I don’t care. Just for tonight, can you pretend that I matter to you and make love to me?”
Her soft entreaty fries my brain. My thoughts race. I can’t breathe.
I’ve been offered sex often. But for the first time, I can’t think of a seductive comeback.
I’m speechless.
Until now, I never thought I owed a woman in my bed anything but pleasure. If she got off a few times, I walked away without an ounce of guilt. I can’t do that to Corinne. On the other hand, if I turn her down, my gut tells me this chance will never come again and I’ll wish for the rest of my life that I’d fucking taken the opportunity to touch her.
