Page 83 of All for her Forgiveness

My heart beats violently as I process each piece of information he’s let slip, but my mind still refuses to accept that Hades felt something more for me than desire.

I change the subject. "I was already determined to leave."

"Leave?"

"From Mrs. Vina's house. Pam proved to be unbearable. That's why I didn't encourage her grandmother's plans for me to go to college. I knew I wouldn't stay with them for long. I used to go out every afternoon to draw in Central Park. It had always been my dream to make a living from my art. I even managed to sell some."

"Is that why you disappeared in the afternoons?"

"Yes."

"Did Pam know about it?"

"Of course. I bought a pie to celebrate with both of them when I made my first sale of a drawing to a passerby."

"That bitch."

"Hades, who are you talking about?"

"Pam. She told me at the party that your afternoon outings were to meet Ryan."

"I never kissed Ryan in my life." I stare at him, seeing the truth in his face. "You believed her. Even after I told you I wasn't his girlfriend."

"I was crazy with jealousy. I didn't know how to deal with it. I didn't want to label you, give you a title yet, but deep down, I already knew you were mine."

Hades

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

"I can't stay long.I need to be home before six," she says, and I know she's avoiding the subject.

Kennedy is afraid to believe me and, above all, to admit that she still wants me.

Anger doesn't even come close to explaining how I feel about Pam. She didn't just scheme to try and have sex with me. She carefully planned to destroy Kennedy's reputation as well.

"I'm aware of that."

She looks around. "People are staring at me. I don't like it here."

Even though I know she'd throw the meal at me if she could, I take her hand and intertwine our fingers. "They're staring because you're beautiful. There's not a man or woman who wouldn't be captivated by you. I'm not the only one falling under your spell."

"Stop it."

"I'll never stop, Kennedy."

"Why did you bring me to a public place?"

"Because the alternative would be to take you to the hotel where my luggage is, and I don't trust myself not to seduce you."

"I would never allow that."

"You would . . .” I pause for a moment. "Youwill, because our desire for each other, despite time, hurt, and hatred, hasn't faded."

"It will pass. This is sexual attraction, chemically explainable."

"It's not just sexual attraction—it's madness. Uncontrollable lust."

I see her face turn very red, and I'm sure if I touched her, her body would be on fire.

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