AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before it’s too late.
“Well, you let me go back to my apartment,” I point out.
“Should I not have?” He stops walking and turns to me with a raised brow. “Should I have acted as the villain you so desperately wish me to be and locked you in your room at the penthouse? Should I have tied you to the bed and ravished your body the way I dream about since the night we met?”
I gasp and pull my arm back. “Declan!” I look around to ensure no one heard his crass remark. We’re alone. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.
“What?” Heat flickers in his gaze, and I can sense his desire to reach out and touch me. To wrap me in his arms and press his sensual lips against mine—
“Y-you can’t say things like that.” I swallow the lump in my throat.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s inappropriate.”
He smirks. “What’s inappropriate about telling my gorgeous fiancée that I want her?”
I take a step back, as if the short distance will be enough to help me ignore the way his attention makes my stomach clench.
“What happened, Catarina? Why did you run from me?”
“I didn’t run.”
Liar.
His stare is unwavering. His lips press into a firm line. “I apologize,macushla.I shouldn’t have let the night go that far. Not when I knew it was your first time. I should’ve been more careful.”
Oh my God.
“No. Stop.” I throw out a hand and shake my head, mortification flooding my entire body, making me feel hot in the most unsexy way possible. “It wasn’t that.”
“Then what was it? Why did you want space? And don’t lie to me. Please.”
My mouth snaps closed at his plea.
I frown.
You’d think I would’ve come up with an explanation for my behavior after a week, but I didn’t. I was too preoccupied either trying not to think about Declan or trying to figure out what really happened the night my brother died. I knew this confrontation was coming. It was dumb of me not to prepare. Now, I’m stuck. Declan is excellent at reading people. And I’m not exactly known for my deceptive skills.
My fiancé doesn’t say another word. His eyes are locked with mine, determined to get an answer to his questions, but patient enough not to rush the issue.
I have no choice. I have to give him something— truth to satisfy him so he doesn’t dig any further into my motivations. If he gets wind of what Myles told me—if he learns what I’m looking into, he could hide evidence. Or do something else to thwart my efforts. I need to play it cool.
So, I inhale through my nostrils and then release the breath with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know, Declan. It’s hard to explain. I guess… I guess I just felt overwhelmed by everything.”
“I realize that now. Again, I apolo—”
“No,” I interrupt. “I don’t want you to apologize. You don’tneedto apologize. I… I had a nice time that evening. The next day, though, on the drive back to the city. I don’t know. I just started to overthink everything. It hit me that things between us are… well… getting real. And I suppose I just wanted time to sort out my feelings about that on my own.”
His smirk returns. This time, there’s a gentle edge to it. “You have feelings for me.”
It’s not a question. Still, I answer. “I’m not sure. Maybe.”
“There’s no maybe about it, Catarina.” Declan steps closer. I hold my breath when he reaches up and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You have feelings for me. Which is good. Because I have feelings for you, too.”
The cruelty of the timing of this admission feels like a stab to the chest. Before Myles dropped his world-altering accusation, I would’ve swooned at Declan’s declaration. Part of me still does. But it’s tainted by the unknown. But I can’t let him know that. I need to play the part.
So, I bite my lip and look at the marble under my heels.
