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“I don't really think that this conversation is appropriate.”
“Appropriate? Define appropriate. Because I haven't seen you in over a year doesn't change a thing. Even before we complicated things, I'd told warned you about your size. I will not change who I am in order to make you more comfortable.”
“This was a mistake.” Anise moved to stand, and I stopped her by placing my hand on hers and looking at her head-on.
I asked her the one question that seemed to define the pattern of us. “Why do you keep running from me?”
It froze her to that spot without an answer. The cycle we'd fallen into was unhealthy. It was time to be honest, no matter where that took things. No more running. It was time to call her bluff.
Chapter Eleven
ANISE
I needed to think. Thoughts didn’t seem to stick, instead, they raced all over the place while my skin blazed at his touch. Why had he done that? There were a few things that I could handle. Conversation, where we played catch up? Yes. Free food that he paid for? Yes. Wine? Yes, to that too. His fiance walking in? Hell no. Him touching me? Hard limit.
Raphael didn’t just touch. He claimed, marking his territory. Your typical alpha male who thought that he could have whatever he wanted, or at least make you think he wanted you. He’d never tried to stop me when I told him I wanted to leave back in London. Not really. His little speech that ‘things weren’t the way they seemed’ wasn’t an actual attempt to make me his. It was more to make him seem less like an asshole.
As far as I knew, he wasn’t a liar. He’d been honest and upfront about not believing in love. That I’d been the one to go for it anyway was totally on me. I didn’t blame him. However, sometimes I could see something more lurking behind those jaded eyes of his.
“I don’t want you to leave so soon. You just got here.”
“I shouldn’t have come here. Like… at all. I should have stuck to my plans for the weekend. Being here with you is toxic and overkill. All I wanted was to see you once more to help put things behind me. And here you are, being the same old you.”
“Who am I supposed to be?”
“A cold hearted-engaged-bastard and son of a bitch.”
“I’ll let my mother know how you feel.” He removed his hand from mine and leaned back in his chair. Comfortable. While my brain raced, he was fucking comfortable.
“Your mother is amazing. You’re not.”
“I know. And I don’t deserve to ask you to stay. But it’s what I want more than anything.” Raphael was searching for something that he would not find at the table. “I’ve missed you. I know we haven’t known each other forever, but it feels like it. You know me better than I know myself. I miss how you correct my selfish behaviors by calling out my arrogance. I wish I could still call you at the end of my day and tell you about it. Hearing about your day was more rewarding than confiding about mine. The way you care about the smallest things. You give things your all and never ask for anything. That’s why I’d always try to do for you when I could. That’s something that I could sense from that very first day.”
“I still can’t believe that you upgraded my ticket.”
“You deserved it. You put up with me in that taxi and at the airport.”
“Or was it because you didn’t want to admit that you loved that damn pie?”
“It’s cherry gateau basque. That’s not ‘pie’.”
“It’s pie.”
“This pie that you speak of doesn’t have half of the exquisite taste as a cherry gateau basque.”
“Are you trying to say that American pie isn’t ‘exquisite’?”
“Yes. American pie is overly sweet without layers of complexity.”
“What American pies have you tried?”
“I’ll be more than happy to answer any more of your questions if you’ll be kind enough to sit and ask them.”
“Oh.” I took my hands from my hips then looked around, embarrassed at the fact that I was arguing about pie while standing up in a restaurant with this gorgeous man. I lowered to the seat slowly.
“I enjoyed watching the passion behind proving me wrong in your body language, but people were staring and I didn’t like it. Never have liked how other people attract to you as I do.”
“Raphael…” Wrong. This was wrong. He was wrong. And so was I. His tone was deeper and conveyed interest. That couldn’t happen.
