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Frustration filled her. How could she get through his thick skull? “How could you kiss me like that if you don’t love me?”
He shook his head and rubbed at his jaw. “I’m still waiting for you to slug or slap me.”
“That’s your response?” Her voice rose to a shriek. She was surprised Mason didn’t come charging out of the other bedroom. “I don’t want to slug you; I want to love you and kiss you!” Stupid, thick-in-the-head man. Ugh! “Tell me why you left. Let’s figure this out together.”
She was begging now, such a fool for him. Why couldn’t she love the happy-go-lucky Mason? No, it had always been Brad for her. And he couldn’t love her back for some reason.
“You claim you love me,” he said softly.
“I do.”
“Then please leave this alone. Please. Only pain lies down that road, and I care too much to hurt you like that.”
“It will hurt me?” She put a hand to her chest.
He nodded.
“More than you leaving? For eight years? More than you kissing me but not returning my love?” Nothing could hurt as bad as she had eight years ago and as she did at this moment.
He nodded again.
“Can you stand there and tell me you don’t love me?”
He looked her over for a long moment, released a breath, and then he said, “Ari. I love you like a sister.”
Arianna stared at him. Then she slammed the door in his face.
Running to the bed, she fell on it and let herself cry. She sobbed like she hadn’t since he’d left her eight years ago.
She loved Brad Rivera. And she despised him at the same time.
ChapterEight
Mason peekedhis head out as soon as Arianna slammed the door. “All right then?”
Brad grunted. Nothing was all right. “Yes, thank you.”
Mason’s brows rose, but he eased back into his room without asking all the questions he probably had. It had been kind of him to not interrupt their kissing session, but maybe that would’ve been better in the long run. How was Brad going to keep his distance from the most alluring woman in the world now that he’d kissed her like that?
Brad must’ve fallen into an exhausted slumber at some point because morning came. Standing on the other side of Arianna’s door last night, after she’d slammed it in his face, and listening to her cry, was worse than being whipped and burned and taunted and tortured.
Brad hadn’t actually lied, saying he loved her like a sister. Hehadloved her like a sister—for years. He just hadn’t completed the sentence. He loved her like a friend. He loved her like a man should love the most perfect woman in existence. He loved her in every possible way, and therefore he couldn’t act like the selfish jerk he’d been eight years ago.
Arianna didn’t come out when breakfast was delivered. He and Mason took turns showering and dressing in the Ralph Lauren tuxes that had been delivered yesterday for them. They were to blend in with the guests at the wedding and not leave Arianna’s side. Today with the guests and extra staff and media and craziness of the wedding was definitely the Gifted Genius’s best time to strike. Brad knew General August would screen everyone and have top-notch security in place, but there were a load of people coming into the castle for this wedding, many of them unknown variables from a security standpoint.
Mason kept joking as they waited. Brad tried to smile, but he couldn’t have recalled what his verbal responses were.
“What is going on today, chump?” Mason asked as they waited for Arianna. She had appointments with every member of the royal family, the caterers, the decorators, the musicians, the florists—anybody who touched this royal wedding would get final instructions from her today. The wedding officially started at five p.m., but they knew it would be a busy day.
“You look like you lost your best friend.” Mason bumped his shoulder with his own. “Anything to do with the variety of … noises I heard last night?”
Brad pushed out a ragged breath and scrubbed at his beard. Hehadlost his best friend. Arianna had to hate him now. Why couldn’t he stay in control around her? He shouldn’t have kissed her like that last night.
“Thank you for being my friend,” Brad said. He snuck a glance at Arianna’s door. Firmly closed.
“Of course.” Mason smiled. “I didn’t know how I’d manage working in such close quarters, knowing Levi despises you, but you’re a good man. Have you ever thought about talking things out with Levi?”
Brad studied the large windows and the bright winter day outside. “I need to. He hates me, and he has good reason to. I should’ve talked to him before I left for Africa, but after I kissed his fiancée, Annabelle, and Arianna within a few days of each other and Annabelle died and Arianna looked at me like I was her hero and love combined…”
