Andlikeseemed like such a childish word it almost made me angry, but fuck, did I love hearing her say it.
I’d never felt like this before. This addictive warmth in my chest made me feel giddy. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream from the rooftops. I wanted to throw it in everyone's face that Pearl Meadows liked me and no one else.
It felt a lot like winning. And Pearl was the only prize that ever mattered to me.
The word makes me… hope.
Hope that I could keep her. That we wouldn’t need a contract to be with each other. That may be one day she would choose to stay with me, not out of money or pleasure, but because she simply wanted to.
But the courage that she had gathered for that confession quickly dissipated, and panic crossed her features. She shifted nervously in her chair before the ramblings started.
“Pearl…”
“Oh my gosh, I shouldn't have said that. It's so stupid. Please forget?—”
I placed my hand over her mouth to stop her.
“Pearl Meadows, you're not lying to me, are you? You're saying that you've always had a crush on me?”
I ended it with a smirk, but inside, butterflies unleashed in my stomach. I was nervous she’d take it back or something. Like I was still dreaming and questioning it would only bring disaster.
She nodded.
I slowly removed my hand only to cover the same spot with my lips. She kissed me back, but it wasn't the same type of kiss we'd been sharing up until now.
It was slow, sensual, like we were taking our time. This wasn't need. It felt like we were talking, like I was confessing every single thing I ever wanted to say to her in one single kiss.
I pulled away, finding it hard to breathe.
“And you?” she asked breathlessly.
Goddamn it, didn’t she hear what I said last night?
I swallowed all my nerves and every part of my being that was screaming at me not to say anything.
“There's a reason why I sought you out every day. A reason… why I was mean to you even. I don’t expect you to understand, but… There's a reason why as soon as I found you again, I wanted to make sure you were mine. Do you understand what I'm saying, Pearl?”
She nodded, though I could tell in her eyes that she wanted more. She wanted me to say it just like she had, even if I summed it all up as onlylike.
But I couldn’t. Not now.
“I’m scared,” she said after a moment when she realized I wasn't going to continue. “He's dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt.”
“We're both going to be safe,” I promised. “Trust me on this, okay?”
“Okay.”
I would make sure that he would stay far away from her. But not just him, my father as well. For Pearl, I would do whatever it took.
Chapter 15
Pearl
“He’s actually a total asshole!”
“It’s so cringe that he’s trying to act all cool and shit. Just teach us and get it over with.”
I cranked up the volume on my headphones, letting calming jazz music filter out the noise of the library. I didn't want anyone to sit next to me, so I’d found a small desk partly hidden by a bookshelf.
