Page 7 of Vicious Redemption

Leo’s expression remains guarded, his hazel eyes studying me with a doubt that wrings my soul. And when I can’t take it any longer, I drop my eyes to stare at the shredded remains of my corset that I hold over my barely concealed breasts.

“What changed your mind?” he asks finally, and the question gives me a flicker of hope I hadn’t dared to feel until now.

Peering up through my lashes, I breathe. “I fell in love with you.”

4

LEO

“Somewhere along the line,” Tia continues, “you stopped seeming like the terrifying monster I thought held me prisoner. I can see the good in you, and I thought maybe… you were changing for the better.”

A charged silence fills the room.

Hearing Tia say she’s fallen in love with me shatters my resolve. I burst through those doors, fully intending to punish her. But now, my heart aches at her confession, swelling as a deep new craving takes the place of my anger. I yearn for it to be true with an intensity that steals my breath away.

And I stand rooted to the spot as I work through the new conflicting emotions.

Tia’s lip trembles as she waits for my response, her arms wrapped around the shredded fabric of her beautiful dress I ruined. And I almost feel bad for destroying it. I hate seeing her look so broken, exhausted, and scared.

Understanding that she wasn’t directly responsible for the way things unfolded at the charity ball makes it hard to stay angry with her—even if it hurts to know she wanted me gone so desperately that she was plotting against me.

But I can see her point.

I was terrible to her when we first met. And I didn’t stop being terrible until after she already felt trapped in a marriage she accepted only because I got her pregnant. Fresh guilt over my actions gnaws at my gut. And that makes it much harder not to forgive Tia.

Her fathomless onyx eyes look up at me now, imploring me to see the situation from where she stands. If I’m truly honest with myself, Tia is the only reason I had a chance of winning the mayor over in the first place. He hated me before Tia came into my life. And the only reason he was willing to sign the security contract was because she told him I was trustworthy.

It was a long shot, and it failed. So, how can I be mad at her when she facilitated the opportunity?

It would be so easy to let go of my anger, to accept her pleas, because I want to believe she loves me. But what bothers me is how well she hid her intentions from me. She plotted against me even after I saved her from falling to her death. And she did it without batting an eye. She so convincingly plays the loyal, innocent young wife. How am I supposed to trust her now that I’ve seen what she’s capable of?

I’m not sure I can.

“Can you ever forgive me?” she asks tentatively when the silence between us stretches on too long.

And though her betrayal still hurts deeply, the devastation in her voice obliterates my last defense. Closing the distance between us once more, I pull her into my arms and kiss her passionately.

Her body molds to mine, her back arching as her arms wrap around my shoulders, and she returns my kiss with a desperation that sets my blood on fire. Only after my lungs start to scream for oxygen do I release her to press my forehead against hers.

My desire to forgive her overwhelms my sense of self-preservation. And though my mind warns me she can’t be trusted, I can’t deny Tia her request. “I’ll try,” I murmur. “We should both try to put the past behind us. We’ve both done things we aren’t proud of.”

Tia nods, her fingers combing into my hair as she clings to me.

“Are you still upset about how I treated you?” I murmur. “In the beginning? I thought you put it behind you after I apologized, but clearly, you hadn’t.”

Drawing back just far enough to look into my eyes, Tia gives me a sad smile. “I didn’t believe your apology the first time. I thought you only said it so I would help win over the mayor.”

Sighing heavily, I face fully the damage my actions caused. Yes, Tia might have hurt me, but I’m the one who betrayed her first. I betrayed her so completely that she couldn’t even trust my apology. And I need to make that right. Grasping Tia’s hips, I lower myself, kneeling before her in a show of supplication I’ve never given anyone before.

One arm holding the tattered remains of her dress, Tia watches, stunned. Her eyes widen, her lips parting as anxiety flashes across her face. “What are you…?”

“I’m so sorry, Tia. I never should have hurt you,” I confess with all the emotion I can muster. “In a hundred lifetimes, I could never deserve you. But I promise I won’t use you like that again. I will lay the world at your feet because I want you by my side. Will you forgive me for what I’ve done?”

Tears well in Tia’s eyes, and she smiles as a devastating sob rips from her throat. The fingers of her free hand comb the hair from my brow as she nods vehemently. Then she pulls me back to my feet. “I forgive you. If you can forgive me for ruining your chances with the mayor, I can forgive you anything.”

Releasing a heavy breath, I pull Tia back into my arms. “It should be the other way around,” I murmur against her lips. Then I kiss her fiercely once again, stroking a thumb across her cheek to catch the single tear that falls.

The pain and mistrust between us melt away as I hold her in a passionate embrace, determined to show her just what she means to me. And as our lips lock, I gently guide her ruined dress from around her body.

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