Page 30 of Knot that Simple

A sigh dislodged from my throat when I approached the bed and my fingers danced over the off white silk sheets. The pillows were ocean blue, so pure they reminded me of the color of Lorcan’s eyes.

Again, I was emotional over bedsheets. I always wanted to have pretty things but…

“I never had a matching bedroom set,” I hiccupped, my hand flying to my mouth when I realized I said it out loud.

“No?” Lorcan asked.

I shook my head, and this time, I dared to feel the blankets too. “I always got hand me downs, not matching ones. I—” My eyes filled with tears, and I chuckled. “This is so silly.”

I wanted to stop talking, but in a flash, Lorcan was in front of me, his strong eyebrows furrowed. “It’s not silly. Tell me.”

“It’s nice to have pretty things after a lifetime of just surviving.”

The tears slid down my cheeks, and I opened a sad smile, trying to make it light of it. It was so dumb to feel this way over sheets, but Lorcan wouldn’t let me. He looked at me like what I was saying mattered. He wiped my tears away with the pad of his thumbs like they were precious and he hated I was spilling them.

“I’ll draw a bath for you,” he said in a low voice.

“What?” I asked, confused by the change of subject.

“A bath,” he replied, clearing his throat and walking away from me. “It’ll help with the heat so you can make intelligent decisions.”

I was left in the room hugging myself as he disappeared through the door. After a while, I felt silly waiting around and went to him.

The bathroom was just as impressive as the rest of the room—cream marble, golden accents, and a huge claw tub where he crouched testing the water. But for some reason, it didn't bring me tears of joy this time.

“Almost there,” he told me over his shoulder.

That raw feeling came back, as it did every time I tried to figure Lorcan out. I wasn’t anyone’s favorite, and I should know better than to expect to be by now.

Shit.

Every time I dug into these feelings, I found myself sniffling like a fool. Tears filled my eyes before I could stop myself. I gulped and stepped away, trying not to get his attention, but soon enough, I heard him calling my name and his steps as he joined me back in the bedroom.

I covered my eyes, feeling so damn foolish.

“Gabriela?”

His tone was tender as he rolled his R, trying to match the way I said my name. That small detail nearly broke me. I wanted to be loved, and I wanted to be loved by him.

“It’s okay. Just let it go,” I told him, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

Lorcan let out a slow breath, his hands coming to his hair as he brushed it out of his face, looking distressed.

“I made you cry twice already,” he said.

“Oh Jesus ,no...” I shook my head and reached out for him, my hand landing on his chest.

We both took a moment to look at it, his sweater soft between my fingers, heat radiating from him straight to my core.

His jaw was locked firmly, his eyes still on my hand.

“You make me so confused,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry,” he replied, looking back at me.

“I just want to understand.”

I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed, intense blue eyes tracing my features.

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