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“Morning,” she murmured lazily.
“It’s not every day I get to wake up next to a goddess.” I tried to go in for a kiss, but she rolled away.
“You flatterer. I’m not sure a goddess would have morning breath.” She started to climb out of my bed.
I put a hand out and stopped her with a touch to her thigh. “You should stay with me for the rest of the weekend. Hell, you should stay with me for the rest of our lives.” I got on my knees on the bed. “I think I love you, Iris. No, that’s wrong. I know I love you. Come with me. Let me show you my forest.”
That was the highest honor I could bestow on someone who was not from the woods, and the moment I said it, I knew I’d gone too far. I couldn’t miss the look of sheer panic in her eyes.
She scrambled off the bed, grabbed her clutch, and disappeared into my ensuite bathroom.
Fuck. She was going to leave. It was only now that I realized I’d said I loved her. What the hell? I was a satyr. Love? Women? I loved their bodies, sure, but… What the hell was this feeling? And why did I say it without thinking? I was confused as fuck, but there was one thing I knew for sure: I couldn’t have her walking out of my life.
She went for her dress the moment she came out of the bathroom.
“What about just the rest of the weekend?” I tried again.
“I need to go. I, um, have to work.”
“It’s Sunday.”
“That’s the life of an entrepreneur.” She laughed awkwardly in a way that told me she was lying. “Weekends are just another couple of days when I could get things done.”
“May I please have your number?” The feeling of desperation was growing now.
“I gotta go.” She struggled with the zipper; taking the dress off had been much easier than putting it back on.
I frowned. I didn’t want her to go, but I also didn’t want her walking out of here naked. “You can take one of my T-shirts.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I don’t expect it back, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I mumbled, pressing my lips into a thin line. I felt so stupid now for blurting out how I felt. I had been nothing more than a one-night stand to her. A wham-bam-thank-you-man.
I thought she’d felt the same magic between us that I did, but clearly I was wrong. And now I’d gone and made it weird for her. Well, I didn’t want to make it worse. I’d let her go. It wasn’t like there was anything I could do about it. Getting all possessive would only creep her out even more.
Go figure: the first time I decide to confess my love to anyone, it has to be someone who doesn’t care for me back. I didn’t blame her, though; this was strange behavior for my kind.
I grabbed the first t-shirt I could find and shoved it at her. “Here. Take it. No need to bring it back. You don’t have to see me again, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“It’s not that.” She looked like she wanted to say something more, but didn’t. She threw the T-shirt on, and it hung on her like the world’s shortest dress.
“Can I call you a cab?” I didn’t want her walking home or taking public transit in that. It didn’t exactly cover much.
“It’s okay.” She looked at her phone. “My ride’s already here. I called for one in the bathroom.”
It really fucking hurt to think she was that desperate to get away from me. She gathered up her dress, shoes and clutch before turning to look at me. There was something unreadable in her eyes, and for a moment, I thought maybe she had changed her mind. But then she turned and ran out of the penthouse without even saying goodbye.
The urge to chase after her, catch her, and keep her next to me was overwhelming, but I stood my ground. I watched sadly from the balcony as she climbed into a white hatchback. Then the car drove off, taking her out of my life.
Chapter 7
Ivy
“I can’t believe all that even happened.” I paced the living room of my tiny apartment, my cell phone pressed to my ear. I was still reeling from what Shane had said.
That moment when Shane told me he loved me had been magical…until he called me Iris. Then I remembered why I was even at the gala to begin with. Everything about how we’d met had been a lie, and I hated that.
I wish I’d met him some other way. Because then I’d still be at his place having the best weekend of my life. Already, I was wondering if I’d done the right thing. What if I’d stayed and explained I wasn’t who he thought I was?
