AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Imogen, let me leave,” he demands.
“No, not until you explain this to me,” I cry.
He bangs his fist against the door again, and I startle this time. “Stop making this difficult.”
“I’m not the one refusing to talk,” I growl.
He exhales heavily, stepping away from the door. “You want me to talk? I’ll talk. I don’t want anything past what last night was.”
My breath exhales in a whoosh, and I step away from the door, the rejection nearly sending me to the floor. I’m so fucking stupid to let him do this to me.
Again.
“Then we’ll forget last night ever happened,” I rasp.
He leaves without another word, closing the door slowly behind him. I fall to my knees on the carpet, a choked sob slipping past my lips.
I don’t know why I care this much for someone who doesn’t respect me. I understood it years ago. I didn’t want to be with someone if they didn’t like me. I didn’t want a pity date or a boyfriend who was with me for the wrong reasons. But this time it’s different. He came to me. He made me feel things again that I thought I buried a long time ago. And for what? For a handful of orgasms and a sleepless night.
I’m so fucking stupid.
I thought for sure that last night meant something. I could tell he was conflicted about us, but I thought it was because he works for my dad. But it’s not.
It’s me.
And even knowing what I know now, I don’t know if I would change what happened between us. I would have protected my heart a little more.
*** *** ***
After a quick shower, I get dressed to leave for my parents’. If anyone can erase this morning, it’s my mum and her cooking.
I have to meet George for lunch, but I want to pop in and see Hayden before that. Then I need to start looking for a job. As easy as it would be to take up my dad’s offer, I want to make my own money. Working for him doesn’t feel like I’m earning it. And I feel strongly about earning my own money. I lock the door behind me, and as I get to the path that leads to my parents’ home, I’m frozen by the sight of Zach standing there.
His clothes are creased, his hair dishevelled. I’ve never seen him look so unkempt before. He holds his hands up when I go to talk. “Please, just hear me out.”
“Nothing you have to say is anything I want to hear, Zach. You need to leave.”
He blocks the path to my parents’. His irises are dark, and the white parts of his eyes are bloodshot. “Please, you have to listen to me.”
“I don’t have to do anything.”
“Will you fucking listen!” he snaps heatedly before taking a breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”
I take a step back, alert now. “Zach, I think you should go.”
“Look, I get that you’re upset. But I was too. I did something stupid in the heat of the moment, but does it really need to define our entire relationship?”
“Something stupid,” I breathe. “You could have gotten me arrested. If you had any remorse, you would have returned it, but you didn’t. Instead, you dug the knife in a little deeper by revealing family secrets you had no right to tell me.”
He steps closer, grabbing my hands. I try to break free but he grips them tightly, causing me to squeak. “I did you a favour. I needed you to see that they don’t love you as much as I do. How could they? You aren’t even theirs.”
“Let me go,” I demand, my voice low, quivering.
“If you forgive me, we can start again. I can give you what you want.”
My eyes widen, and for the first time, Zach scares me. “Zach, you need to let go of my hands.”
He does, but only one hand. He runs his fingers across my jaw and leans forward as I struggle to get free. “We can work through this. There’s nothing in our way now. You don’t need to work ‘cause I can support us. My dad is going to fight for my space at university. And my family adore you. We don’t need yours.”
