Page 80

For a few minutes, neither of us says anything.

Then Selene shifts in her seat, facing me.

“I don’t really know how you expect me to act once we get there… or around your brothers.”

Her fingers twist together in her lap, betraying a nervousness she’s trying not to show.

“And I don’t want to do something that bothers you or gives you the wrong idea, so I’d rather you tell me.”

I turn my head to look at her without answering right away.

I’ve been thinking about that too.

And this is exactly the kind of conversation I wanted us to have—away from everyone else, somewhere neither of us has to worry about being overheard or interrupted.

“You said you were ready for a relationship,” I say eventually, glancing at her again to catch her reaction. “So I want you to act like my girlfriend because that’s exactly what you are.”

Her lips curl into a laugh.

Leaning over the center console, she closes the distance between us and presses a quick kiss to my cheek.

I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.

“Good,” she murmurs, settling back into her seat. “And I know I’m your girlfriend. You don’t have to remind me.”

“I just wanted to make sure you understood that clearly.” A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth.

She looks out the window for a few moments, playing with her phone in her lap, then she turns back to me.

“Yesterday, we were still attacking and provoking each other, and now we’re showing up as a couple.” She shakes her head, amusement flickering across her features. “I don’t think anyone’s expecting that.”

I don’t think so either.

I’ve never had a relationship before, and I never talked to anyone about how much I liked Selene all these years. I never saw the point. It wasn’t a situation that could be solved.

She was in a relationship. There was nothing I could have done.

The thought alone makes my grip tighten around the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white.

“Probably not,” I answer. “But I’m not going to hide the fact that we’re together just because people might think it happened too fast.”

Selene studies me carefully, saying nothing at first.

“I can’t tell whether you think it is too fast or not,” she says eventually.

“I’ve wanted you for so many years I stopped counting, Selene.” The confusion comes easily as I pull the car into a parking spot. “If anyone thinks this is too fast, tell them I’ve been waiting for you to be mine since forever.”

I step out of the car before I can see her reaction. Walking around to her side, I open the door for her with a smile.

To my surprise, she rises onto her tiptoes, loops her arms around my neck, and kisses me passionately.

I let go of the car door immediately and pull her into my arms, holding her close.

And in that moment, I realize I’m capable of doing absolutely anything to keep her beside me forever.

She doesn’t have a choice. Her fate was decided the second she let me have her that first night.

But I’m sure she’s not ready to hear that yet, so for now, I keep that detail to myself.