Page 82 of Lunar Crest University

“Maybe to impress you?” she rasps, laughing nervously as she tries to look down at her fidgeting hands.

I don’t deserve to even be in the same room as her. In her apartment. Holding her face like this. I don’t deserve any of it. I care for her, but I am essentially leading her on. Of course, I care for her. But I have to protect her. Is there a point to anything more if her life is in danger? Is there a point if I don’t even know if I’m capable of giving her anything more?

I need to protect her. I need to protect my family.

“Why do you want to impress me?”

“I don’t know.”

I give her a pointed look.

Why am I doing this? Why am I forcing her into telling me this?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Am I really your princess?” Finley whispers, but she sounds defeated.

She’s trying her best not to look at me, but I bring my face down to meet her eyes, my hands cupping her cheeks so she can’t avoid me any longer. “I call youprincesa, don’t I?”

The coffee and pancakes are long forgotten as we stare at each other, and for some reason, my heart thrashes against my chest. Her doe eyes are gazing at me like she’s trying to bare her soul to me with one look. I feel an odd satisfaction that it’s me she’s giving that to.

“I just want to be able to understand you,” she admits meekly. “On every level.”

I didn’t think I was capable of feeling this much guilt. The most I’d ever felt was whenmi mamáfigured out what my job really was after I brought them to the States. My hooks are so far underneath Finley’s skin, they might be permanently lodged there.

I have to tell her the truth.

Soon. I’ll tell her soon.

Brushing her cheekbones with my thumbs, I sigh. “If it’s any consolation, you’re the only person aside from my family who has spent this much time with me. I’ve never… There’s never been anyone like that for me.”

She smiles faintly at that.

I’m not sure why I just admitted that to her or if I’ve ever even admitted it to myself. She really has been the one other person who has spent so much time with me. I’ve spent the night over here so much, been parked outside her house and worksomuch, that maybe I never realized just how deep her hooks are sunken into me too.

“Luca,” she murmurs softly, and my attention is pulled back to her immediately. “I think that this might be more than just sex to me.”

She looks like she could shrivel up as she says it. Her shoulders sag with the lack of confidence in herself, and her gaze drops from mine again. She’s afraid of my reaction, afraid I’ll reject her if she puts herself out there. Has she been rejected before? Why is she so uncertain of herself? Who made her feel that way?

It has always been more than just sex. If it was just sex, this whole thing would’ve been a hell of a lot easier to avoid. It would’ve never lasted this long. Even I can admit that.

Taking a deep breath, I say, “Hasn’t it always been?”

The sheer awe on her face tells me she wasn’t expecting that from me at all. She was preparing herself for something elseentirely. The wrinkle between her brows furrows tighter, and I can tell she wants to go into more depth on what I just said, but we can’t.

“Eat your breakfast,” I say, giving her a teasing look as I try to divert the conversation. “Youhave to pack.”

The infectious smile that crosses her lips tells me everything I need to know.

We’ll have that conversation, just not right now. Not until I tell her the truth. If she still wants me then, after the veil is removed from her shielded eyes, we can have that conversation. I have no idea what I’m capable of giving her, but in a world where there aren’t fuckers coming after me for money or the people I care about, I think I could at least try.

I don’t know what it means to love someone, not like that. But if things were normal, maybe she could showmehow.

Chapter Thirty-One

FINLEY

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH, 2023

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