Page 50 of The Opposite Effect

She scoffs. “Because I’m not who you think I am.” After flinging a tear off her cheek, she locks her remorseful eyes with mine. “That vindictive two-faced bitch you met at Inked months ago, that’s the real Clara McGregor. I’m a spiteful cow who doesn’t think twice about steamrolling anyone standing between me and the ultimate prize. I’m not the Clara you see, Brax. Not in the slightest.”

With that, she slips under my arm and throws open my front door. A waft of warm air hits me in the face when I slam the door shut before she has the chance to exit.

“I’m not even half done with you, Princess,” I growl into her ear.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Istand so close to Clara, her wet dress creates a large watermark on my jeans. “If you were a vindictive bitch who didn’t care, you wouldn’t be crying right now,” I mutter in her ear. “You also wouldn’t have soldallyour designer dresses and shoes to give the profits to the women’s shelter three blocks over from Inked.”

She intakes a ragged breath, seemingly unaware I knew she sold every designer outfit she owned and not the half she had sprawled on her bed the afternoon she moved into her apartment.

“You did that because?—”

“Because that women’s shelter was where I would have ended up if you hadn’t given me a chance,” she interrupts, her words croaky, hampered by a sob sitting at the back of her throat. “I was two seconds from living on the streets.”

Even though her admission hits me fair in the guts, I continue my endeavor to show her she isn’t the woman she thinks she is. “It’s not just that. You did it because under the hard shell you’ve been wearing the past… I don’t know how many years… is a woman with a massive heart. The Clara you spoke of earlier isn’t you, Princess. It is the sheltered Clara who was hiding behind a pile of money. The instant you stepped away from the lifestyle that was no doubt slowly killing you, therealClara was set free.”

I tap my finger on her chest that is furiously pounding her ribcage. “This didn’t just start beating when you walked through the doors of Inked. It’s been beating since the day you took your first breath. Just no one was listening.” I cup her jaw and tilt her head back to face me. “I’m listening,” I declare into her tear-welling eyes. “And I’ll never stop listening.”

I’m hoping my admission will have her spinning around and sealing her mouth over mine. What I’m not expecting is for her to bury her head into the crook of my neck and shed enough tears to fill a river.

Riddled with guilt that I pushed her too far, I gather her into my arms and stride to one of the sofas in my living room. I draw her in close to my chest and run my hand down her back as I whisper assurances in her ear. I tell her everything will be okay and that I will always step up to the plate for her, undoubtedly proving the words I blurted out in the heat of the moment ring true.

I’m falling for Clara. Only now am I realizing she’s the reason my cock went into hiatus and why I’ve been so lost the past few months. And while I’m being totally fucking honest, she’s the cause of my biggest worry.

Imagine finally getting close enough to something you’ve always wanted that you can taste it on the tip of your tongue, only to discover it might be short-lived. Although I truly believe the Clara sitting before me is the real Clara, I can’t one hundred percent testify that she will stay this way if her silver spoon ever finds its way back to her mouth. I hope she will, but there are noguarantees in life, let alone for a woman who is as complicated as Clara.

Any concerns about only having her in my life for a fleeting moment shift to the back of my mind when Clara lifts her head off my chest and locks her wide eyes with mine. Just from the way she’s staring up at me, I don’t care if she can only give me a second, I’ll take every moment I can get.

I move my mouth, preparing to continue apologizing for the callous words fired off my vindictive tongue, but my words fall short when Clara’s hand grips the back of my neck to pull my mouth to hers. The aroma of coffee filters through my nose, and the flavor of salty tears swamp my taste buds when she seals her lips over mine. Just like our first kiss, I open my mouth to accept her tongue, but if she wants this to go any further, she needs to make all the moves.

“Take what you want, Princess,” I mumble against her mouth when she freezes with the tip of her tongue bracing the seam of my lips. “If you want to stop, stop. If you want to take it a little further, take it further. But you need to guide the pace.”

Pulling back, she peers into my eyes. Shock and confusion are marring her face. “Don’t you want me?”

A smirk curls on my lips. “Believe me, I fucking want you.” I jerk my hips up so she can feel the effect her PG13 peck had on my cock. “I just want to make sure this is something you want. I’m not going down the denial road again. We’ve already walked down that path, and I’m not repeating it. If this is going to happen, then I’m all for it. But if you’re planning on waking up tomorrow morning in my bed and pretending it was all a dream, it ain’t happening. You got me?”

My brow arches when Clara bites on the inside of her cheek, struggling to hold in her giggle.

What the fuck is she laughing about? I didn’t hear anything humorous in my speech.

Spotting my furious scowl, she asks, “You do realize it is only ten o’clock? So the whole statement about waking up tomorrow morning in your bed was a little overboard.”

“You don’t think I’m up for the challenge?”

Heat creeps across her cheeks. “Well… no… it’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

She mumbles something under her breath, but she’s so quiet I miss what she said.

“Speak up, Princess.”

Her eyes snap to mine. “From the conversations I’ve overheard at Inked, you don’t wake up with anyone in your bed.” Her voice is surprisingly strong considering the number of tears she just shed.

I arch my brow. “Did you not wake up in my bed this morning?”

She scoffs. “Yeah, but that’s different. We didn’tdoanything.”

---