Page 67 of Shattered Secrets

“I want to be absolutely clear, Scarlet. When we finally come together, we’ll be making love. To me, this isn’t going to be a casual, meaningless fuck. So I don’t want to go too fast.”

Her eyes widened. Wow. Okay. The man wasn’t playing games. Hell, he was putting it all out there. And that made her heart melt a little more for him.

“I’m not taking getting involved with you lightly. For one, I need you to be sure?—”

“I am.” She was. God knew she’d never desired a man as much as Matt. He was sweet and thoughtful—two things she’d never really experienced. Not to mention outrageously handsome. Hell, the guy was flat-out crazy hot. She’d be a fool to not want him.

“I mean more than just sex.”

Confusion had her stilling. Did he actually want to date her? Like long term?

He ran his fingers along her jaw, then leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “Sweetheart, you’re so much younger than me. You have your whole future in front of you. I need you to be sure that you want to be with me.” She opened her mouth to tell him he was ridiculous, but he kept on talking. “And second—this is the most important—there’s Daisy. I think the world of that little girl, and I want to be in her life. But I need you to decide if you’re okay with that. Because I’m in this for the long haul, Scarlet. As long as you’ll have me.”

Holy shit. He really did want to date her. Wanted arelationshiprelationship. Like what Poppy and Cade had.

She could only stare at him as she absorbed what he’d said. It had been a lot. And not at all what she’d expected.

Yeah, she really liked him. And yeah, she’d dreamed up little happily-ever-after scenarios with the three of them. But she’d never thought those scenarios could come true. How was this even real?

Guys didn’t want more from her. She wasn’t girlfriend material. She was good enough to fuck, but nothing more. She’d never been good enough foranythingmore. Her dear, drunk mother had drilled that into her brain. And the guys at the motorcycle club had proven it time and time again.

“Shit,” Matt said on a sigh, taking her hands in his. “Did I just fuck this all up? Did I freak you out by jumping the gun?”

“I don’t...” Her heart twisted. She wasn’t worthy of this man. He just couldn’t see it yet. “I don’t think you really know me—like, therealme.”

“That’s my point, sweetheart. As much as I love kissing you, as much as I want to bury myself deep inside you... I want to get to know you more first.”

Scarlet took him in. His hopeful brown eyes, his handsome face, his hulking frame that made her feel so fragile yet protected...Damn. She needed to be honest with him. He deserved that. “I really like you, Matt.”

He winced. “I sense abutcoming.”

She looked at him apologetically. “But...”God, this sucks.“I don’t think I can give you what you’re looking for.”

“I think you can,” he countered with a stubborn lift of his chin.

The corners of her lips twitched. “I think you have this idea of who I am, and it’s really sweet.” No one had ever described her the way he had. “But it isn’t accurate.”

“I think you’re strong and brave and smart and beautiful. What’s inaccurate about that?”

Her stomach dropped. She was none of those things.Honest. He deserves honest.

“I was a club whore, Matt. Foryears, I lived in an MC clubhouse and fucked whoever wanted to fuck.” She dropped her gaze to her lap, battling a sudden flare of nausea. “I’m not good enough for you. Not by a long shot.”

His hand cradled her jaw, and she tried to ignore the offered comfort. But after a moment, she leaned into his touch. She was weak like that.

“Scarlet, sweetheart. Look at me.”

She took a deep breath of courage, then complied. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Because he wasn’t looking at her with revulsion. He wasn’t looking at her with judgment. No, he was looking at her like he always did. Like she was important to him, like she mattered.

“Your past is your past. Neither one of us can change it.”

“Yeah, but?—”

He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “When I look at you, I don’t see a club whore. I see a woman who’s fought tooth and nail to provide a loving and stable home for her daughter. A woman who’s strong and brave and smart and beautiful, but also generous and kind and so damn special to me.” He kissed her, slow and tender, then pulled back to meet her gaze. “Scarlet, sweetheart, your past is in the past. I want your now. I want your future.”

Tears prickled her eyes, and she blinked them away. The man absolutely destroyed her with his words.

“But like I said earlier, Scar, I want you to be sure. So let’s get to know each other better. Take our time.”

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