Page 85 of Phantom Mine

Prick.

“Interesting,” he drawls. “Because I remember you doing exactly that when we met.” He takes a step towards me. “But if youactuallyfall for me, you’ll only be tripping over your shattered heart on the way down.”

I scoff. “That’s never going to happen.”

“Awfully confident, aren’t you? Some would argue foolishly so.”

There’s a sharpness beneath his words that sends a pleased shiver through me. But he can’t demand that I not fall in love with him and also be mad when I say there’s no risk of that happening.

“Is there a problem?”

“No.” The tightness in his jaw would suggest otherwise.

“Great.”

His left eyelid twitches. Once. Twice. By the third, he’s rubbing a frustrated hand over his mouth and blurting out, “Just wondering how you can be so sure.”

“Because I shouldn’t even be sleeping with you,” I respond in an equal swell of emotion, surprising us both. I close my eyes and take a deep, steadying breath before opening them up again. “You’re right—there is this…magneticpull between us that suffocates the rational, intelligent part of me and brings out this other side whose sole interest in life inexplicably seems to be wanting to strip you naked every time I see you. I’m tired of wasting my energy trying to resist it. That’s all this is though. Pure, physical attraction.” I can’t tell if I’m saying it to convince him or myself? “Even if there was more, I wouldn’t let myself fall in love with you. I can’t.”

“You can’t?” Matteo questions, choosing to hang on to the last two words.

I clench my jaw and look away. The heavy and corrosive feeling of guilt sweeps through my core and leaves a familiar ache in its wake.

“I lost my soulmate because I met you,” I admit dispassionately. “So no, Matteo. Ican’t.”

It takes long seconds for me to reign the loose emotion back tightly inside me, before I can look at him. When I do, I find his eyes hardened to pure gunmetal, his face like granite.

“Another thing you lied to me about then.” His jaw shifts angrily, his words delivered on the edge of a knife. “Youarehere to avenge a dead lover.”

“No, I’m not.” I wave his words away carelessly.

It’s a fallacy that a soulmate can only be a romantic partner. A sibling is embedded in your very marrow and can give you the purest love you’ve ever known.

“Besides,” I continue. “You should heed your own warning. I’d say you’re in more danger of falling in love with me than I am with you.”

That single brow moves so far up his forehead, it disappears beneath his hairline.

“Oh, yeah?” he asks, taking another step closer until he’s towering over me. “How do you figure?”

A smile flicks across my lips. I look up at him from beneath my lashes, finding his agitated gaze roaming expectantly over my face.

“Masochism,” I explain.

His lips twitch, catching my attention and distracting me from seeing him reach out to grip my jaw. He holds it in his tight fist, bringing his mouth down until it's mere inches from mine.

“Wrong,cara,” he hums. “If you knew what was at stake with my engagement, you’d understand that I will never walk away from it.”

A sick feeling twists my stomach and snaps the thick tension between us like a bucket of water poured over our heads. I slap his hand away and free my face. I want to tell him to stop calling me that, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction. Instead, I walk away.

“Valentina.” Matteo’s voice stops me at the door. In the dark, his green eyes look black. “This goes without saying, but you’ll no longer be dancing.”

I stiffen. “I—”

“You don’t need the money,” he interjects. “You’re two million and one hundred thousand pounds richer than before we met and I’ll wire you another two million right now if that’s what it’ll take to get you to stop.”

“It’s not about the money. I need to work.”

“Then you can work the bar only, like you did tonight.”

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