She stood and tried to walk past him, but she didn't make it to the door before he touched her arm.
She whirled, afraid that if she let him touch her she'd come undone. But that was a mistake, because now she was facing him.
"I want to see you again," he said. "Tonight. Or tomorrow night, if you already have plans. Every night." His charming smile just made her angrier. She wasn't a servant to be pushed around at his whims.
"You can stop pretending now."
His smile faltered, quickly replaced by a frown.
His voice was carefully even when he spoke. "What are you talking about?"
"I get it." She hated that her voice shook. "Max saw us together outside the school. And today you wanted him to see you'd moved on. You wanted him to think we were together. To prove his betrayal hadn’t hurt that much."
"It wasn't like that."
"No? You didn't let him think we were a couple?"
"So what if I did? I'd like to see where things go between us."
"I'm not some pawn on your chess board," she said. This time the shake in her voice was audible. She swallowed hard. She didn't want him to see how badly he'd hurt her. "You might have plenty of women happy to be a part of your power plays, but I'm not one of them."
She spun toward the door again, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm, turned her to face him again. "Hang on a minute."
A muscle was jumping in his cheek. He was really angry, though he was trying to control it. "Why exactly do you think I kissed you?"
"So I would look at you adoringly while you met with your brother."
"Do you adore me?"
Behind the frustration in his gaze, there was something else. Something that looked like vulnerability.
She couldn't answer him. Wouldn't. He was asking too much.
His chest rose and fell on a breath. "Is that really what you think of me? That I'm so mercenary I would kiss you, play with your emotions, to further my own ends?"
No. She didn't really think that of him. She buried her face in her hands. "I don't know."
Since she'd walked into the castle this morning, she'd been on an emotional roller coaster. Believing Valentin was falling for Pansy. Wanting him for her own. The elation of having him. And then realizing that he was using her to strengthen himself against Max.
What was real?
He touched her wrists. Gently dislodged her hands from her face. As she let her hands drop, his arms fell to his sides.
Tears were close to the surface. She could see that he was holding back his emotion as well. The stiffness of his stance, the careful blank expression on his face.
"Let me be clear," he said. "I am falling in love with you. That's the reason I kissed you. And I wanted you by my side during a difficult conversation with my brother because you bring me peace. Not because you're available or I want to show him up. Because I need you near me."
It was perfectly romantic and exactly the right thing to say.
And entirely too much. Her fragile emotions couldn't handle a declaration like that, not after everything else.
"Valentin, I can't do this right now. I'm sorry."
This time when she ran for the door, he didn't stop her.
