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“I’m sorry, Prue. I’m really sorry.” No excuses. No,What did I do?orYou’re being unreasonable.
An apology. A sincere one, seeing how he looks at me.
The sun starts rising in the sky outside the window. The hues of pink permeate through the room, casting a warm light on Theo’s face. I see the black circles under his eyes better, the bloodshot eyes, the messy hair.
I’ll be compassionate later.
“Have you done this before?” My question is on the same no-bullshit level as his apology.
Theo slides to my side, perching on his hand. He sucks in a deep breath, pressing his chest to my body. The silence stretches between us.
“Theo?”
His shoulders slump and remorse paints his face in a horrible shade of gray.
Then he says what I feared he would.
“Long answer or the short one?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Prue
Iconsiderlongandhard whether this is a conversation I want to have at what must be no later than six in the morning. Whether I want to do it while I’m trying to wrap my head around what happened here or wait for tomorrow until I get answers.
It’ll be twenty-four hours of not hearing from him, of getting lost in my own head.
Of thinking the worst.
I might end up antagonizing him for no reason other than my freaking out. Might end up breaking up with the man I love for no real reason.
Choosing the lesser of two evils, I opt for hearing him out.
“Long answer, please.” I sit up, pulling the sheets over my naked body, creating a much-needed barrier between us. “And put on some clothes.”
Expression grave, he nods and does what I asked.
“I didn’t move to this building from San Francisco. This isn’t where I live,” he starts, sitting across from me with his legs crossed on the bed. “Originally, I bought a house next to our office building. I slept there for about a week, then moved here. After the last day of renovations, I was about to head there when I saw you walking out of the clinic.”
His gaze doesn’t waver, fixed on mine. “Seeing you was like a blow to the chest, Prue. You weren’t just beautiful. You had something about you. I wouldn’t call it love at first sight, but I was drawn to you. Wanted to learn about you. Wanted you to tell me why you’re sad and fix it for you. Make life better for you.”
My cheeks heat up. He noticed. One glance across our shared hallway, and he read me like an open book—same as he always does—and wanted me still.
I’ve never had it with anyone else in my personal life. Other kids at the orphanage, prospective parents, at school, then college, none of them showed interest in me, no matter how hard I tried to blend in.
And Theo—shit, why am I crying again—Theo had.
“Prue.” He leans over, but then he pauses and holds himself back. “Can I touch you?”
“No.” I swipe at my tears with the back of my hand. “Continue.”
The dominant man inside him flashes across his face. He’s dying to boss me around, so I won’t feel this fucking emotional and devastated.
The only thing that’ll make things better for me now is the truth.
“Okay. So, I followed you here.” My gasp doesn’t do a damn thing to fracture through Theo’s confidence. “I won’t apologize for that. For calling the realtor, for renting the last available apartment in the building. I wasn’t being a predator. I didn’t plan on having sex with you. I just wanted to be next to you. And I was. Moving here brought me closer to you. It’s how I got to meet you at the pool. I’ll never be sorry for how we met.”
Frankly, I don’t need him to be. I don’t resent how fate combined with his obsession was responsible for having our paths cross.
