Page 21 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

Or would he use it as an excuse to dump her right now?

The thought of watching the warmth in his eyes turn to hurt and betrayal was terrifying, but evidently, she was a masochist, and not just in bed.

Mother of All Life, help me do the right thing.

Tears stinging her eyes, Marina blinked them back furiously. She was tired of crying, tired of feeling defeated and unworthy.

Peter's arm tightened around her, his fingers splaying over her hip. "Hey," he murmured, his breath warm against her temple. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Marina shivered, not because she was cold but because it was time, and she was terrified.

"You're shivering." He slipped out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

The fabric was warm from his body heat, the scent of his cologne clinging to it, and Marina had the silly urge to bury her nose in it like a lovesick fool.

"Talk to me, Marina." Peter hooked a finger under her chin and turned her to face him. His hands came up to frame her face, his thumbs sweeping over her cheekbones. "Are you angry at me? Disappointed in me? What did I do?"

Marina squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm not angry or disappointed at you." A ragged breath left her lungs. "I'm angry at myself."

Peter's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"I'm scared that if I tell you, you'll hate me."

A shadow of apprehension crossed his handsome face, but he didn't pull away and didn't release her from the shelter of his arms.

"Try me," he said.

"I lied to you," the words tumbled from her lips in a rush. "When we first met, when I first approached you, it wasn't because I was attracted to you. Or, well, I was, but that wasn't the only reason."

Peter went still, his fingers tightening fractionally on her face. But he remained silent, his eyes fixed on hers with an intensity that stole her breath.

"I wanted to get out of Safe Haven. I told you that part. I was desperate to start over somewhere far away from the memories and the heartache, and I came up with a plan. If I could find an immortal who would fall in love with me, he might invite me to the village to live with him, and I would be set. I scanned the dining room during every meal, searching for the perfect candidate, and you caught my attention because you looked sad like I was. You needed someone to shower you with love and attention, and I figured that you wouldn't be too discriminating and might accept a human with blue hair and a nice smile."

She trailed off as shame and self-loathing rose like bile in her throat. Mother of All Life, saying it out loud made it sound even worse, even more manipulative and cruel.

"I used you," she whispered, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. "I used your kindness and open heart for my own selfish ends. And I am sorry for that, but in the end, I was the fool because I fell in love with you, and you don't feel the same about me. So once again, I'm the one holding the short end of the stick."

A sob tore from her throat, and Marina buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with the force of her anguished confession. She waited for Peter's arm to fall away from her, waited for him to say something polite but final, but neither happened.

Instead, his arms tightened around her, pulling her into his warm, solid chest. "Oh, Marina," he murmured, his voice a low rumble against her ear. "My sweet, beautiful Marina." His heartbeat thrummed beneath her cheek as he stroked a hand down her back in long, soothing passes.

She lifted her head, blinking up at him through a veil of tears. "You're not mad at me?"

Peter's lips curved in a rueful smile. "Oh, I'm angry, but not at you." He brushed his fingers over her cheek. "I'm angry at the circumstances that made you feel like you had to resort to deception. I'm angry at your ex-boyfriend and the Kra-ell before him who made you doubt your own worth. But most of all, I'm angry at myself for pushing you away."

Marina shook her head. "None of this is your fault. I'm the one who schemed and deceived, who..."

"Who did what she had to do to make her life bearable," he finished for her. "I understand why you did it, and I'm not mad at you for that. We all have our ulterior motives for going after someone. Have you stopped to consider that all I wanted from you was a few tumbles in bed? Is that any better than what you wanted? More noble? If anything, it's worse. And just like you, I fell prey to my own scheming. Instead of seducing a sexy, beautiful woman, having my wicked way with her, and then forgetting all about her when the cruise was over, I fell in love with her, and I don't want to let her go."

Fresh tears spilled down Marina's cheeks, but this time, they were tears of relief.

He was right, but that didn't diminish the sweetness of his admission.

"Do you really mean it?" she whispered, curling her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. "Do you love me enough to keep me even though I'm just a human?"

He leaned down, his forehead pressing against hers. "I love you, Marina. That's all I can say. I don't know how we will make it work, but we have to try because I can't think of life without you."

The sob that escaped Marina's lips was part relief that he wasn't pushing her away and part despair because they really didn't have a future together. Surging up on her toes, she captured Peter's mouth and poured every ounce of her love for him into the kiss.

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