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“I’m not implying anything—”
“We agreed our relationship was monogamous, so what are you worried about?”
When I was the recipient of that steely gaze, it was hard to think. “I can tell there’s more to your relationship than meets the eye. It makes me uncomfortable.”
He continued his hard stare.
I regretted saying anything.
“Even if that were true, what does it matter?”
My eyes narrowed. “It matters because—”
“It doesn’t matter because you and I have agreed that we don’t sleep with other people. I don’t want her, and I only want you. So can we drop this?”
“I just don’t understand why you won’t tell me—”
“Because it’s none of your business. That’s why.”
I turned absolutely still, both offended and hurt by his reaction.
He saw the damage he’d caused because he sighed and looked away. “This is a transaction, not a relationship. I’m not obligated to share every detail of my life with you, nor are you required to share anything with me. So let’s just drop it, alright?”
“That’s all this is to you? A transaction?” The words flew out of my mouth quicker than I could process them in my head.
He turned back to me, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What else would it be? You said yourself that you never wanted anything more. It was one of your rules, and a violation of that rule would result in the immediate termination of this arrangement.”
That conversation felt like a million years ago, but it’d only been about eight weeks since we’d met. It felt like this man had been at my side for years. “Yeah…you’re right.” A moment of clarity rushed back to me. I was a mother to two kids, and until they were out of the house, there could be nothing more for me. This was all I could ever have, a secret lover who fulfilled my fantasies in the dead of night. “I’m sorry.”
Absolute silence passed between us. Seconds turned into a minute. A minute turned into several.
“It’s late. I should get going.”
I bowed my head to his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his warm skin. “Stay.” When I lifted my head to look at him again, his intense eyes were on me. “I’ve become attached to you…come to really care for you. It’s made me a little jealous, I guess. I’m sorry I got carried away, so please don’t go.”
Those deep eyes remained glued to mine, hardly blinking. “I wouldn’t slam a guy into a glass table if I didn’t care for you too, sweetheart. I wouldn’t sneak over in the middle of the night if I didn’t desire you more than I’ve ever desired a woman in my life.”
I cupped his hard jaw and kissed him. “I got you a Christmas present.” I reached into my nightstand and pulled out a small box.
He examined it for several seconds before he took it, handling it awkwardly as if he’d never received a gift before. He eventually tore through the wrapping and opened the top of the box, revealing a nice watch.
“I noticed you’re always wearing a different watch…like you collect them.”
He swiped his thumb over the surface of the glass as he examined it. “Good observation.” He slipped the watch over his wrist and clasped it into place. “I love it. Thank you.” He left the bed and walked to his jacket on the dresser. He pulled out a small black box and brought it to me. “I got you something too.”
“Oh…you didn’t have to do that.” I was so surprised because buying Christmas gifts didn’t seem like his thing. I opened the lid and saw the diamond necklace inside. It was simple and subtle, but the same diamonds were flawless in the way they shone. It was probably the nicest piece of jewelry I’d ever own. “Grave…”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”
My heart ached as I looked into those eyes, realizing I’d fallen deeper than I ever knew. “Merry Christmas, Grave.”
9
CAMILLE
It was Christmas evening. After sleeping all day, I finally showered and got ready. I had nowhere to go and no one to see. Cauldron didn’t call or text, not that I expected him to.
I went to Grave’s study and found him sitting behind his desk, working like it was a regular day. He was in his sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt, focused on his laptop just the way Cauldron used to be in his study.
