Page 77 of Shattered Vows

She frowns and pulls her hands away, straightening up. “What is it?”

It’s already started. She’s already pulling away from me.

“I must confess to you the kind of man who sits across from you. I’m not deserving of you. Not even close. But I’m selfish enough to want to keep you anyway.”

“I don’t understand.” Her emerald eyes are wide. She’s probably imagining the worst things possible, and I’m about to prove her right.

“It’s difficult for me to tell you. But the closer we get, the more it only feels fair that you know me completely.” I think of how she ran off when her mother told her I had been accused of killing my father.

“You’re scaring me, Kol.”

“You should be scared. I’m not a good man, Rapsody.” I rub my hands over my face.

Why can’t I just forget all this shit from my past? Why do I have to ruin a good thing between us?

But I know the answer. It’s because I love this woman. And she deserves to know that I’m in no way good enough for her.

“That’s not true. You are a good person.” She shakes her head, almost begging for it to be true.

“After I kidnapped you.” The confession locks in my throat, but I push the words out. “I came up with a plan to make you fall in love with me, and then I would break your heart as revenge for you leaving me at the altar.”

There. That’s out. She glances to the sky, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths.

“It was stupid. I should have known how stupid it was because…”

“Because what?” she asks, her eyes searching mine.

“Because it’s you. Rapsody… you’re everything to me. You always have been.”

Her lips tip, and her eyes fill with unshed tears. “Kol, but you changed your mind?”

“God, yes. I’d kill any fucker who hurt you, even if that means myself.”

She rushes to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I place my hand on her hips, pushing her back. “I have another confession.”

She sits back down, and her eyes crinkle with worry. I’m not sure how I thought she would be when I told her my original plan, but this next one is different. She knew I was mad when I kidnapped her, she knew I wanted revenge, but my next confession speaks to how horrible of a person I am.

“What?” she asks.

“I’ve killed people.”

She relaxes once the words have left my mouth, which is the exact opposite reaction I expected. “Of course you have. You were in the special forces.”

“I was. And some of what I had to do there will always haunt me. But it’s more than that.”

The corners of her lips tip down. “More?”

“Not only that, I’ve applied… pressure… when needed as a part of my duties at Voss Enterprises.”

“What does that mean?” Her gaze doesn’t stray from my face.

I blow out a breath. “It means if someone needs convincing in one way or another, I pay them a visit until they see things our way.”

Her forehead scrunches. “So you beat them up?”

I nod. “Sometimes. Often it doesn’t get that far. I can usually be fairly convincing with my words and demeanor alone.”

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