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“You’ve never thought about finding your mother?” he asked gently.
She shook her head. “Why would I want to find someone who doesn’t want to be found? She didn’t just leave her husband; she left her only child, her own flesh and blood.” Her breath shuddered out. “I don’t know about you, but to me that’s unforgiveable.”
He grimaced. Not even his own father had disowned his illegitimate daughter from an affair no one except Galan and their mom had known about. His parents’ marriage might have made a mockery of their vows, but the love they’d had for their children hadn’t been a lie. If he believed in nothing else, he had to believe that.
“You’re right, it is unforgiveable. But do you know what is even more unforgiveable?’
She shook her head as he stepped toward her, his conviction burning the edges of his vision. “Holding onto the rejection and abandonment you have for your mother, and allowing your emotions to cripple you from trusting anyone else.” He cocked his head to one side. “Including me.”
She blinked. “That’s not true.”
“Isn’t it? You ran from me just like your mom ran from you,” he said softly, but with such loud intent it thrummed the very atmosphere of the room.
She took a step back, then gritted, “I’m nothing like my mother.”
“Prove it then,” he said, stepping toward her. “Show me you’re not scared to take a chance on us.”
She crossed her arms, adopting a defensive position. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Least of all to a man I had sex with for one night only.”
Her words were like a punch to his gut. But he wasn’t without his own weapons. “Tell me one night was enough for you and I’ll walk away right now and not look back.”
Her eyes flashed, then she blinked away the need he’d glimpsed and covered it with distrust. “That’s not fair.”
“Life often isn’t.”
He and his brothers had learned that lesson, as had she. That she was also fighting to make something of her life, just like he and his brothers had, was just as evident.
If only she’d let him help her. He’d love to pay it forward. After all, he had all the money in his bank account to make her present situation less stressful. But he doubted that she’d thank him for the offer. Though she mightn’t have had any issue taking money from Sheikh Korian, he’d bet she’d have an issue taking it from Liam.
He wasn’t the stranger she’d expected. They’d had a year of thinking and dreaming about one another, a year before they were reunited once again, their chemistry heightened thanks to their absence.
“You don’t need to tell me that,” she conceded, her arms then dropping to her sides. “But this place makes me happier. It’s...sacred ground.”
“And I’m an intruder,” he finished softly.
She nodded. “Yes.” She looked away. “No. That isn’t what I meant. All I really know is that my dream, my future, is all wrapped up in this place and there’s no room for anyone else.”
“You can make room,” he said gently. “No one needs to go through life on their own. There isn’t any harm in sharing dreams.”
She turned to him, her eyes flashing again. “You say that as though you’d enjoy laboring here to make this place something special again.”
He shrugged. “Who said I wouldn’t?” At her silence, he added, “Don’t judge me by my suit. I worked hard with my brothers to make the Black Pearl Nightclub, its restaurant and function rooms the success they are. I’ve worked as hard on my own projects to make them just as prosperous in their own right.”
She winced. “I’ve always prided myself on never judging a book by its cover. To be honest, I thought it would be you judging me.”
“No. For too many years other people judged us Black brothers—judged our parents—and found fault thanks to all the rumors swirling around.” His laugh was as dark as those memories. “It taught me a valuable lesson.”
Her stare darkened with questions, but she ignored them. For the moment she seemed as focused on their relationship, if it could be called that, as he was. “What lesson was that?” she asked.
“Not to judge others in return.”
She bit her bottom lip, but this time she took a step toward him. His heart throbbed with hope. It was like cornering a wild animal, then holding out a hand as it tentatively sniffed, earning its trust. “I shouldn’t have doubted you,” she said.
When she stopped in front of him and lifted her arms to encircle his neck, he couldn’t stop a growl of longing as he cupped her face and their mouths met in mutual accord. He was instantly lost in the moment, her lips pillowing his as something magical pulsated between them and escalated fast.
She pulled back, her eyes wary even as she breathed heavily with need. “This isn’t right.”
His vision distorted at the edges as desire continued to burn inside him. “Tell me it’s wrong?”
