Page 29 of Threaded Lies

And yet our proximity is intoxicating. It’s addicting. It’s everything I never wanted and now can’t believe I have to live without.

I push against his chest to break the spell, to prevent myself from wanting him to kiss me, but he just cuffs my wrists with his free hand and holds me still. “Deliver? Huh. Guess you and I have different definitions of that term.”

He looks me up and down, the warmth of his breath still hitting my lips and my heart still wanting to jump out of my chest and into his. “We need to talk and that’s quite difficult when all you do is avoid me.”

“Back off. I don’t want or need anything from you. You made fucking sure of that,” I grit out.

He lifts an eyebrow, his lips twitching at their corners. “You don’t? I find that hard to believe when your breath is shallow and I can smell your arousal.”

“You’re such an entitled prick,” I say, more than relieved that, when I push against his chest this time, he actually takes a step back.

“I beg to differ but then again, I never claimed to be anything different. What seems to be the problem, Rowan? Because this conversation is getting quite tiresome.” He plucks at imaginary lint on his jacket like nothing is a big deal when it feels like everything is.

How can he stand before me, so aloof, thinking this is all about sex and desire? How can he act like nothing has happened when everything has?

Why does he believe me?

“You’re the one who came in my office. You’re the one who is demanding we talk when there is nothing left to talk about.”

“And you’re the one pretending to be someone she’s not.”

“Like who?” I ask.

“Like being interested in Chad.”

I suck in a breath but don’t respond. How can I?

“There’s something going on here, Sunshine. Something you’re not telling me.”

“I could say the same thing of you, but then again, this whole thing started based on secrets and deception, so why should I expect anything different?”

“Is Chad really who you want? Because I didn’t take you for a woman who settles for less than.”

“And I didn’t expect you to be a man who cared what I settled for.”

And that’s what this boils down to for him. Not the betrayal he’s keeping from me. Not the lies he told me. It’s the fact that I picked Chad over him and his precious ego can’t handle it.

You’re just a pawn in his game, Row.

Move on.

He takes a step toward me, in my space, in the next air I breathe, and I fight against whatever it is he has on me that just won’t let go. His eyes hold mine and glitter with unanswered questions.

“Make it make sense, Rowan.”

And this is what he does. He reels me in. He makes me believe that look in his eyes means he actually cares for me. And then he uses me at his leisure.

Desperate to break his hold on me, I take another step back and rest my ass on the credenza behind my desk. I keep my fingers there, gripping its edge—a silent show of restraint. Something to touch besides wanting to touch him.

“Not everything has to make sense, Holden.”

I trusted you.

“In my world it does.”

“How about this? I hate you. I hate myself for wanting you. I hate this whole fucking mess—the one that happened the minute you stepped into my life, into my world. Since you showed up, everything has been wrong and messed up and—”

“Your world was upside down long before I showed up. You were just too blind to see it.”