Page 43 of Unveiled

“No. I’m not done. Because after months of all of this, you know what I did? I still came back for you. Did you greet me or ask me how I’ve been? No. You decided it would be better to make me watch you fuck another man instead.” Flashes of that boy trying to touch her cross my mind, and I want to rip the fucking steering wheel out. Before I do, I step out of the car and run my fingers through my hair in the cool night breeze. Ainsley follows, stepping out from the other side of the car and cautiously approaching me. “So, you can go on and on about how I’m in the wrong, too, and I won’t deny it. But, I’ve been punished enough, Ainsley.”

A deep, steadying breath lifts my shoulders, but it doesn’t help me calm down. There are very few things that can help me calm down when I’m like this, and one of them is standing across from me, staring at me with remorse. I have to look away from her before I break.

I hear her walking toward me, but I don’t acknowledge her movement. Her hand lands on my chest, right over my heart, but still, I don’t acknowledge her.

“Look at me,” she commands. I don’t move an inch, even as she grabs my jaw and tries to lower my head to look at her. “I lost you, Cain. Not in the same way you lost me. To you, I was captured, but you knew you could find me. There was always hope. But, for me? You were gone. Wiped from this Earth, with no hope of me ever seeing you again. You were dead. For weeks, I believed it.”

“I wasn’t dead, though.” My voice cracks with emotion as I tell her this. That’s something else I’ve never stopped feeling guilty for. If I ever believed she was truly dead, there would be no moving on.

“I was forced to believe that you were!” she shouts. “Every time I acted out, I had to listen as you died on a video. I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty, I’m telling you this so that you understand. When you died, so did I. Seeing you in my dreams was the only way I could keep going, but even that wasn’t enough to save me. I needed you. When you rescued me, I had to make a decision. I could stay in this life with you, knowing that you could go to work one day and never come back. Or, I could leave, and forget all the good things that happened between us. That was a decision I had to make to survive.”

“Ainsley -”

“No. Now it’s my turn. I’ve been punished enough, too. You want to take your anger out on me? Fine. You want me to wear your ring? Fine. But, don’t you dare sit here and act like you’re the only one that had to suffer. Because no matter how much I tried to push you away or make you the monster in my head, I never stopped loving you, and it’s been fucking torture. It’s been torture knowing that the one person I want is the one person I can’t have, because we’re not good for each other.”

This finally gets my eyes to meet hers. Tears are gathering on her eyelids, refusing to fall as she attempts to blink them away. “How many times do I have to tell you, little one? I’ll burn this entire world for you. If that’s what it takes for you to realize that it doesn’t matter if we’re good for each other or not, then I’ll do it, because you’ll always be mine.”

Leaning down, I press a gentle kiss to her lips as a tear finally falls down her cheek. As I pull away, I give her a cocky smirk. “Did you just agree to be my wife?”

“No!” she blurts out as her eyes widen with panic.

“You said you’d wear my ring,” I point out.

“It could just be a nice piece of jewelry without meaning anything,” she tells me. She’s trying to back away, not wanting to stay next to me while discussing the meaning of wearing an engagement ring I bought for her, but my arms wrap around her and trap her against me.

“Did you mean it?” She looks up at me with a question in her eyes, not understanding what I’m asking her about. “You said you never stopped loving me. Did you mean it?”

She tries to look away from me, but I unwrap an arm from around her and capture her jaw in my grasp. She doesn’t confirm or deny it, but as I look into her eyes, I see the answer there.

“Let me hear you say it,” I beg her.

This time, she doesn’t fight me, or even hesitate. She’s done denying me now. “I love you, Cain.”

Chapter 17

The Monster

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this light. As if all of my troubles have been lifted from my shoulders, allowing me to float in happiness with Ainsley. It’s an addicting feeling.

“I can’t wait until we’re home,” I tell Ainsley as I drag her back to the car. “Say it again.”

The back door opens as I tug on it, allowing me to climb in and sit in the roomy seat. I pull Ainsley in with me, making sure she doesn’t hit her head as she ducks in. She knows exactly what’s about to happen as she straddles my lap.

“You can wait,” she assures me. “We’re only two minutes away.”

Despite her words, she cups my face in both of her hands and leans down to place a kiss against my lips. Her tongue sneaks into my mouth, and then she’s gone.

“You can wait,” she repeats.

Whatever game she thinks she’s playing, I’m going to win. With my hands on her hips, I direct her to sit up so she’s no longer in my lap. Once I have enough access, I push my hands between us and undo my pants. She moans as I push them down and allow my cock to spring free, letting it rub right against her pussy.

Before she sinks down, I push her panties to the side. At this point, I should just rip them apart. They’re probably going to be ruined after tonight, but I want the chance to properly strip her out of them.

“Say it again,” I command her.

“You can wait,” she groans, clearly on the verge of losing her own patience.

“Ainsley,” I growl. I need to hear her say it again. I want to hear her say it every second of every day, for the rest of our lives.

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