Page 85 of Heathen

"Very creative," I say, my heart racing at not knowing what this might mean.

It doesn't stop hope from blooming inside of me like a late spring garden, but I can't let myself get lost in hope again. I've spent the last day and a half in pain, feeling tortured. I won't survive him popping back up just to hurt me again, but he holdsup a hand, silencing me when I open my mouth to tell him as much.

"I never should've let you leave," he says, taking a step closer to me so I can hear his words. "I should've begged you to stay."

"You wanted me gone," I argue, unwilling, now that he's in front of me, to let him lie so easily. "I heard Rooster tell you not to be hasty, and you told him it was time for me to go."

The smile that tugs up the corner of his mouth makes me wish I had taken that drink from the waiter just so I could throw it in his face.

"You misunderstood," he says, taking another step closer and removing all the distance between the two of us. "I told him it was time to go, as in I don't think we should stay there on Cerberus property as a married couple. That wasn't part of the deal I made with Cerberus, and I felt like I was asking too much of my new job."

I can barely hear him speak over my pulse as it pounds in my ears. Now that I think about it, his wording might be right.

"I wanted to ask you if we could live at your place until we could find something a little bigger," he continues. "The point is that I care for you. I don't care how we got started. I want to see exactly where this takes us. It killed me to let you go."

"But you did let me go," I argue.

Troy pulled shit like this when he wanted to manipulate his way back into my life. Fool me once or a dozen times or however the saying goes.

"What would you have done if I told you that you couldn't leave?" he challenges.

"I would've run into your arms and slipped my panties to the side," I say, making my eyes go wide and my hand reach up to cup over my mouth.

His smile transforms but then falters a second later.

"I couldn't be one more person in your life telling you what you can and can't do, Kaylee. I would never manipulate you like that."

"You could've told me how you felt," I offer.

"I did that," he says. "Were you really asleep? I was sure you were awake."

Oh, shit. They weren't just drunken words? He really meant them?

I seriously messed this all up, didn't I?

"Are these good tears or bad tears?" he asks, lifting his hand and using a thumb to swipe one from my cheek.

"Good tears, I think."

Instead of dwelling on what has happened, he pulls me to his chest and begins to sway with the music. I lean away only long enough to toss my bottle of water on a tray with the empty glasses on it, and then I give him my undivided attention, feeling like a princess whose prince just professed his love.

Chapter 35

Heathen

I swear I never imagined three yahoos with limited experience in the falling-in-love department would get this right, but somehow taking their advice worked.

I know better than to think that everything is fixed, but Kaylee is in my arms, swaying to the music with me. The only thing that would make this night better is if I would've shown up in a tuxedo rather than dressing like a fucking eggplant, but the costume shop was out of everything else that would fit except this and one of those goddamned blowup dinosaur costumes. Since I was a complete asshole for letting her walk away, the purple eggplant seemed like a better choice.

I owe Rooster a lifetime supply of fucking microwavable pizza for his help.

I press my nose into her hair, still a little shocked that she's in my arms. I saw this going all wrong and had to wonder just how close I was to being escorted out by security. Somehow the god or goddess of love is on my side tonight.

I lift my eyes when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"May I cut in?"

I glare at the masked man, my eyes drifting down the front of his dapper suit.

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