The rule of not falling for each other. “What if I want more?”
“I can’t give you more,” he says, bleeding my heart. “Don’t ask me for more, Arya.”
He presses on my wrist when I stay silent.
“Okay,” I lie. “I’ll accept whatever you’re willing to give.”For now.
“Trust me, it’s for your own good.”
And people call him selfish. “What about what’s good for you? Don’t you think you deserve to be happy?”
“No, I don’t,” he answers without missing a beat, believing in it wholeheartedly. “I’ve hurt people close to meintentionally. You don’t want to be with a man like me.”
“So have I, Nathan. Does that mean I should punish myself?”
“You did it for love. I did it for revenge.” A shutter drops over his face so I can’t see his demons. “Those two aren’t the same.”
He rips open my heart with his devastating confession. I want to yell at him that he’s wrong. There’s heavy regret in his tone. A person whose sole motive is to seek revenge won’t carry the guilt.
The pinging of his cell breaks the gloomy tension.
Removing his arm from around me, he leans forward to grab his phone from the coffee table. He spent the entire afternoon with me. His employees are probably vying for his attention.
I lift a sleeping Pihu off his lap and lay her in the corner.
To give Nathan privacy, I start clearing our plates. The ice cream has melted, turning into a smoothie. Walking to my kitchen, I put the tub in the freezer.
“Ari?”
“Yeah?”
“Come here.”
Turning away from the sink, I meet him halfway at the kitchen island. The energy rolling off him is dark and menacing, making me nervous.
Did something occur at his office?
I startle when he slides his phone to me, asking, “Was it him?”
Picking it up, I look down at an image and inhale sharply. The man who molested me stares back at me. My grip going lax, I stammer, “Y-yes.”
Nodding tersely, he takes his phone back and pockets it.
“How did you find him?” And in mere hours. More importantly, what is he planning to do with the information? Take him to the police?
“A favor from a friend.”
“But why?” I murmur, clutching the edge of the counter.
“He hurt you.” Circling to my side, he cups my face possessively. “No one’s allowed to bring you pain and walk away unpunished. I’ll make sure he pays.”
I melt against him, blinking back tears. “Thank you.”
He hugs me and kisses the top of my head. Always being my knight in a powerful suit.
“I have to run now, angel,” he utters, pulling back. “Can your friend come over so you’re not alone?”
“I’ll be fine.”
