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My back stiffened. “I don’t need to prove a damn thing.” A lie, but I’d never admit it.
Now she was before me, and it was the worst kind of torture to have her this close and not be able to touch her. “Are you going to untie me now?”
“No, not until you come to your senses.”
I didn’t wish to discuss politics with her. I’d missed her so fucking much. I studied the delicate features of her face. I knew every freckle, every curve. She looked thinner, but still beautiful.
“There’s no reason to run for mayor,” she continued. “You don’t need to prove anything to the world. Look at how far you’ve come.”
And it still wasn’t enough to keep her.
“There’s always higher to climb,” I said.
“Running for mayor will get you killed.”
I inhaled, trying to catch a hint of her sweet scent. “Probably.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Why?”
I waited for her to say more, but the silence stretched. My heart fell.
It wasn’t enough. She didn’t love me or want to stay with me. And why would she? Our past could never be undone—and that was my fault.
Clenching my jaw, I struggled uselessly against the bindings.Matty and her fucking knots. “I appreciate your concern. I’ll be fine. Now, untie me.”
“Do not dare get angry with me, William. You have no right whatsoever.”
I could feel my protective walls crumbling, all the built-up anger and misery leaking out. “I confessed my love and apologized. I begged you to stay. And you left!”
She pointed her finger at me. “You know why I left. You kidnapped my father. You lied to me.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “You hurt me.”
“And I’m fucking sorry for that, Isabelle. So damn much. I know you’ll never be able to forgive me—and it rips my heart out, woman.”
“Oh, Bax.” She sighed heavily. “In some ways, I’m grateful.”
I wasn’t sure I heard right. “Grateful?”
“I was living a lie. I thought my father was a paragon, a crusader who would change the city. It made his ignoring me easier to tolerate. I accepted it, did whatever he said. I was the perfect daughter.”
“You’re still perfect,” I pointed out.
Her expression softened. “There was once a princess, locked in a tower. She lived a lonely life until a brave knight came to set her free. He gave her the gift of independence.”
Her skirts brushed the tips of my shoes as she leaned in and placed her palms on my bound chest. What was happening? I licked my lips, the need for her swelling, clawing inside me. “The knight didn’t do that. The princess did it all on her own.”
“Well, he helped. And do not disparage the man I fell in love with.”
My heart tripped over itself. “Love?”
“Love,” she confirmed with a nod of her head. “I fell in love with a gangster. But he’s more than just a thug. He’s loyal and smart, so very brave. And he would do anything for me.”
“Absolutely anything. Just fucking ask, sweetheart.”
“Drop out of this silly mayoral race.”
“Done. Now, untie me.” I needed to touch her in the worst way.
