“Listen to me and listen good because we won’t ever talk about the life I led before you.Nothingbefore you matters so we’re putting this to rest. Regardless of what Pam said, you should be the most confident woman at that table. Yeah, I fucked her, I fucked all of them, but that doesn’t mean shit. They were just fleeting moments, blips on the radar. They were in my bed,not my life, Hailey. You’re part of my life, fuck, youaremy life. You’re mine whether you trust me or not. You’remineand I’m never letting you go. Is that clear?”
She swallows hard, eyes wide as she gives me a small nod.
“Good girl.” I pinch her chin, pulling her in for a kiss. Just a peck. Hard and intense, enough to hopefully get my point across. “I love you.”
She stops breathing, blinking twice as the fight hisses out of her and I realize I’ve never said it out loud. The tattoo on my chest was a manifestation of my love, but those three words never left my lips.
And she deserves to hear them every single day.
“I love you more than you could ever imagine.” I nudge her nose with mine, lowering my voice to a whisper. “You’re my entire fucking world.”
She’s stunned beyond belief, staring at me as if I grew a second head, and God... I hope I struck a chord. I hope once I leave she’ll spend the night thinking about what could be.
I grab the pillow I brought up, shoving it under my arm, and rise to my feet. “Goodnight, pretty girl.”
30
HAILEY
Ilove youhas been echoing in my head for almost two hours, keeping me wide awake. Not even the crispy clean sheets smelling of fresh linen can lull me into sleep.
I’m thinking, overthinking, and dissecting every moment Carter and I have spent together since the day he knocked me off my feet in the cafeteria. Both literally and figuratively.
The bitter taste of his lies has faded bit by bit every day since he rescued me from Noretto’s mansion. Every lingering look and touch, every word, promise, and truth brings me a step closer to that trust he wants so badly, but nothing’s hit me as hard as this evening.
Carter didn’t need to take me with him tonight. He could’ve dumped me off at this guest house. He could’ve delegated some men to keep an eye on me, God knows he and Dante have enough to spare between them, but instead, he bolstered the already strict security inDeltabecause he wanted me close. Wanted me at his side.
He didn’t have to show me off as his, hold my hand, or soothe my worries. He didn’t have to send Pam and her giggling friends scuttling away with their tails between their legs.
And he didn’t have to say he loves me.
I would’ve given him the evidence regardless. He knows it, yet he keeps proving I mean more to him than anyone else.
Kicking the comforter aside, I get up, silently crossing the room. Broadway, Koby, and Ryder came over minutes after Carter went back downstairs.
Their voices grow louder as I soundlessly descend the stairs, stopping at the bottom. My knees are week, but my mind is made.
It’s almost two in the morning, yet the guys don’t look like they’re done for the night, chatting over a bottle of Bourbon, a pile of documents littering the coffee table.
“Um... sorry to interrupt.” I squirm when their heads whip toward me.
Carter’s eyes narrow as he takes me in. He told me not to parade around unless I was decent and I’m sure the same rule applies here, but putting on layers would defeat the purpose of my trip downstairs.
His men immediately find something other than me to look at when they notice I’m in my night dress.
Carter gets up, lips in a thin line. I know his reactions off by heart. He’s annoyed that his men can see me dressed like this but he’s also turned on by the sight.
“What is it?” he asks, a greedy sparkle in his dark irises. He takes measured steps toward me, using the bulk of his frame to screen me off.
I almost feel guilty that this is his go-to reaction to me these days. Like all he wants, all he’s waiting for, is my order... no matter my whim, he’s ready to accommodate it, starved for thoserare moments when I want something from him so he can prove I can count on him. That I can trust him.
“What do you need, pretty girl?” He stops so close I have to tilt my head back.
My entire body tingles when he crowds me like this. I love his tall, muscular frame, the greedy, feral look crossing his face, how safe and precious I feel when he’s close.
He wants me to trust him and... I do.
He’s come clean about the lies, answered every question I’ve posed, gone above and beyond to show me how much I mean to him, and that my safety is his utmost priority.
