Page 117 of Tame Me

‘So it will make it easier for you if I sleep with someone else, is that actually what you’re saying?’

I brace inwardly. ‘Better still if you married someone else. But we both know that isn’t going to happen.’

His jaw drops. ‘This is about the most screwed-up, irrational thing I have ever heard. And I heard some messed-up shit between my parents, Talia. I sure as hell don’t need your help in finding a new sexual partner.’ Yep, he’s wildly angry and I don’t blame him.

‘I thought you got that,’ he says. ‘I thought we had an understanding.’

Tears prick my eyes. ‘Well, we need a new one.’

‘And you’ve already thought of it.’

‘Yep.’ I barely hold back my emotion. I have to get away from him now. I just have to. ‘I’m going to move into the pool house.’

‘Pardon?’

‘It’ll give us space,’ I blurt, increasingly uncontrolled because my head is killing me and my heart is breaking. ‘I should’ve gone in there in the first place. Lukas will stay in the main house if that’s what you want.’

‘How generous of you. You’ve thought all this through.’ He inhales. ‘You’re this determined not to need me.’

‘No. I’m this determined not toloveyou.’

He recoils. ‘You what?’

I exhale and it all just explodes from me. ‘I love you! I’m so in love with you.’ I can’t blame this on caffeine jitters. I promised I’d never lie to him. That I’d never hold back on the whole truth. So there’s no bluffing. No attempt to pretend. There’s just truth. ‘And I don’t want to be in love with you but it’s only getting worse.’

In the next second I can’t believe I told him that. So passionately. So painfully.

The horrified look on his face tells me everything. He’s so gorgeous but beneath that charisma, that charming smile, there’s a man who’s been deeply hurt. Who doesn’t feel worthy of love. Who doesn’t want me to love him. Who doesn’t believe me.

‘You’re so in love with me you’re trying to enable my cheating on you?’ He’s bitterly sardonic. ‘You’re so in love with me you can barely take a thing from me?’

‘I don’t care about your money. I never have. I only care about you.’ I see the flicker in his eyes. ‘You’remorethan money. If you had none you’d still be fascinating to me.’

He shoots me a cynical look that’s devastating.

‘You don’t believe that I’m in love with you.’ It appals me to realise he doesn’t feel valuable.

‘Words versus actions, Talia. You have to admit you’ve a very weird way of showing your supposed love.’

I grit my teeth. ‘I want to leave you enough space so you can live your life fully however you want to.’

‘You mean so I can sleep around.’

‘I mean befree.’

‘That’s what you want for yourself,’ he says sharply. ‘You’re trying to give me what it is thatyouactually want. You want to be free of me.’

He’s right. I do. Because I don’t want this pain—I can’t live with it now and it’s only been an hour since I really realised. It’s only going to grow. From the look on his face I know I’m doing the right thing. He doesn’t believe that I’m in love with him or that I want what’s best for him.

Maybe he thinks I’m trying to manipulate him in some way and maybe this is coming out of the blue for him, but it only reinforces that this is right. What did he think was going to happen? That we would continue to sleep together just casually? Would his interest wane and he just not want me as much any more? I can’t wait around for that to happen. I know he loves Lukas and wants to be in Lukas’s life. Always. And he will be.

So I lift my head and answer with raw honesty. ‘Yes. I do. I want to be free of you.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Dain

IT’SJUSTREJECTION. Pure and simple. She says one thing, does the opposite and I’m too stunned to even think. I just respond from my gut. ‘You’ve really had enough.’

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