Page 97 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

He’s talking to me. He’s finally opening up his heart to me. Maybe he can’t love me, but I’m okay with that as long as he doesn’t love anyone else. My jealousy rears its ugly head in an instant. I can’t stand the thought of him having sex with anyone else. If he loved someone else, I would die of sorrow.

“What don’t I know about you? Are you in love with someone else. Edith? Or is it Gardenia? But you can’t have her because she’s practically your sister.” I stop to inhale.

“First of all.” He cocks his head to look at me. “I’ve never been in love. Not once. And second of all, I thought that after tonight’s dinner, the Edith situation was put to rest.”

“It was, but now you sound like you don’t want me.” It’s irrational. I know. But what other reason could there be? Why can’t he just accept what we have? Why push me away?

“Believe me. I want you.” He takes my hand and presses it against his hard cock. “Sex is not the problem between us.”

“What’s the third thing?” I stroke him gently.

As much as I’m ready for round two, I want to know more about him. I want to know why come morning he’ll be cold and distant again.

“Gardenia is not actually my sister. Her father is my mentor, if you have to call him something. But blood non-relation aside, I just don’t think of her like that.” He slides his hand up my thigh.

“Then why do you push me away?” I plant a kiss on his muscled shoulder.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” The pain in his eyes cuts me. “But each day, I find that I don’t have the will anymore to stay away from you.”

“Then don’t.” I press my forehead to his. “I don’t care how we got here. I want to be with you.”

I love you, Archer. The words echo in my head. But I’m not ready to tell him how I feel. Or rather, I’m not ready for him to reject my love. At least for now, he’s not running away.

“Good. Because I’m not letting you go.” He cups my cheek, a smile playing on his lips.

“Can I ask you another question?” I shift my weight on his lap so I’m straddling him instead.

“Hmmm.” He groans. “Ask away.”

“Do you think your mom will like me?”

That earns me a laugh. “What?”

I glance down feeling silly. So what if his mother doesn’t like me? “I mean. Would you care if she doesn’t?”

“She will love you. You have a lot in common, actually.” He tilts my head so I’m looking at him. “Ballet is her entire life. Or it was before the accident.”

“What accident?” I instinctively rub the side of my knee.

“She fell down the stairs and broke her leg.” His jaw clenches. “She couldn’t tend to it right away, so it didn’t set right.”

“That’s why she teaches.” I feel for her because I know what it’s like to love something so much knowing it will soon be taken away. I’ll be lucky if my knee lasts one more season.

“Yes. Though I know she wishes things had worked out differently for her.” He lets out a quiet chuckle. “Her students adore her though. You’ll see when you meet her. Her passion for ballet is infectious. Like I said, you two have a lot in common.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her.” I brace my hands on his chest. Being here with him feels like a stolen moment or a waking dream.

“How about you?” His gaze drops to my leg. “How did you hurt your knee? I can tell you’re always in pain.”

“I don’t remember very well.” I shrug. “Dad says I fell when I was little. I didn’t break my leg, but I dropped hard on my knee. I don’t know. It’s always hurt like this.”

“You were a child when it happened?” He moves my hand out of the way and digs his thumb under my kneecap. “And your father still made you dance?”

“He didn’t make me. I wanted to do it.” I scoff. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Earlier you mentioned you started dancing when you were four. I can’t imagine a child wanting to continue an activity that causes them so much pain.” He cocks his head, daring me to find a hole in his logic.

“I wanted to be a ballet dancer just like Mom.” My eyes water as a forgotten memory tugs at a thread in the back of my mind. Did I want to be a dancer like Mom? Or was that dad’s dream? I grip my left wrist. “Dancing is everything to me. Ever since I can remember, being Swan Queen was all I ever wanted to be.”

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