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Charlie jumped on her lap, and she cuddled with her as she spoke. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You do. You just don’t want to admit it, and I want to know why.”
“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I haven’t fucked anyone since the wedding, Paris.” Her eyes flew to me, and her cheeks got pink. “Haven’t even wanted to since the only woman I could think about was you. I’d been offered the job at Royal and was debating on moving here to be closer, but when I saw you at the rehearsal dinner, I knew this is where I was supposed to be. Not because of the job, but because of you.”
She blinked. “What are you talking about? We didn’t even speak at the rehearsal dinner.”
“Exactly. Coupled with what happened next, the way you fit in my arms when we were dancing, how I saw myself reflected in your eyes, I spent less than an hour with you, and it felt like I’d known you since I was a kid. It was like you knew what I went through without me saying a word, but I still wanted to tell you everything and for you to trust me enough to share your secrets. I wanted to make you smile, hear you laugh, and dry your tears. I wanted to feel paradise because after one touch, I knew you were the only one who could take me there.”
Her brows curved, and she challenged. “Yeah, and I did. Against a brick wall outside.”
“I’d have waited if that was what you wanted, but at that moment, you needed me to give it to you like that.” I waited for her eyes to come back to me. “I need to give you what you want, Paris, and even if you’re scared to admit it, you want me.”
She swallowed roughly and rolled her lips. “I’m sorry if I misled you, but I don’t want more than friendship.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
“This isn’t a surprise to you. Nothing’s changed. I don’t know what else you want me to say, Scotty.”
“I want you to be honest with me and stop with this. You and I both know what we have is so good it’s worth finding out just how amazing it can be. I want you to fucking talk to me and actually tell me what’s eating away at you. I can help make it better so we can move forward without a bunch of shit in our way.” I’d gotten glimpses, and I was convinced now more than ever that all this attitude was a farce.
Her eyes got wet, but she grabbed her coffee, and when she looked at me again, the tears were vapor. In their place was a shield she probably thought was invisible, but one I could see right through. “What’s not eating me right now is you, and I’ve gotta admit, your mouth between my legs was good, baby. None of the guys I’ve been with since could even compare, and there have been a lot.”
“Stop,” I growled. Just the thought of another man touching her drove me crazy.
“You wanted me to be honest.”
“Which you’re still not doing.” I pinched the bridge of my nose to alleviate the tension at the image she put in my head. “I want you to understand, Paris, that I’m not like them. I’m not one of the women who gossiped about you, I’m not a family member who disowned you, and I’m most definitely not one of the assholes who made you believe you deserved to be treated like shit. I’ve done nothing but show you I care, and even though I’m not giving up until you’ve given me a fair shot, this fake stance you’re trying to get me to believe you’re taking is getting old fast.”
She glared at me, her tongue darting between her lips as she got to her feet. Charlie jumped off, and Paris leaned down. Her hands gripped my upper thighs dangerously close to my dick, and her nose brushed mine. “I’m a whore, Scotty. I use my body to get what I want out of men, and I know you’re a nice guy and all, but I already got what I wanted out of you.”
“Your dad pimped you like a whore, Paris. That doesn’t mean you are one.” Her nails dug into my skin through my jeans, the only indication I hit a nerve. “He made you believe you weren’t smart enough to live without him. He soiled your mind. He used you to get ahead in business, and when you finally had enough, he emptied your accounts and threw you to the curb like the trash he made you think you were.”
“Who told you that?”
Shit, I didn’t mean for that to slip. She already didn’t trust me. If she found out I was going behind her back to dig into her history, that’d only give her more excuses to push me away. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are a kind, sweet, smart, loving woman who still believes the lies you were told to make you think otherwise.”
“He didn’t make me what I already was.”
“Seems to me you weren’t born on your knees, sugar. You weren’t that until you were about sixteen. What happened then?”
She jumped back and almost tripped on the coffee table. “I don’t know where you’re getting all this from, but your sources are wrong.”
Yeah, I was on to something. The file her dad had on her didn’t start until she was a teenager, so I knew something had triggered her behavior. I’d been doing this long enough that I knew there was more. I just couldn’t find it. Yet. I also didn’t want to believe it could get worse than what I already knew. “Was he the one who hurt you first?”
“Get out.” She shook her head, bumping into the wall as she moved.
“I can make him pay, baby. Just say the word and I’ll destroy him, his company, and anyone else who forced you to do something you didn’t want to do.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I got to my feet, but when I saw her flinch, I stayed put. “I know exactly what I’m talking about, and know I’m gonna end him.”
“You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“No, Paris. You don’t know what I’m capable of. I’ll annihilate him.” She put her hand on her chest like she was trying to stop her heart from exploding out. “I’ll barely have to lift a finger, but he damn sure will never be able to touch you again.”
