The honesty in his voice only made my frustration worse.
“Why?” I demanded.
Lucien’s gaze never wavered.
“Because I wanted to.”
The simplicity of the answer stunned me.
“You destroyed my family,” I said, my voice trembling now. “You killed my father.”
Pain flickered briefly in his eyes.
“I know.”
“And you think kissing me will change that?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
For the first time since I had known him, Lucien hesitated. Just slightly, but enough for me to notice.
“Because despite everything,” he said quietly, “you still look at me the way you did yesterday.”
Confusion flickered through me.
“What does that mean?”
Lucien stepped closer again, stopping just a few feet away.
“It means you feel it too.”
My heart pounded violently.
“That’s not true.”
He tilted his head slightly. “Then why didn’t you push me away?”
The memory hit me instantly.
The heat of the moment.
The way I had frozen instead of fighting.
My silence answered him.
Lucien watched me carefully.
“I am not asking for your forgiveness,” he said softly.
“Good,” I snapped. “Because you’ll never have it.”
“But one day,” he continued calmly, “you will understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That we were always meant to collide.”
