Page 57 of Black Heart

She shook her head as she moved to step around him. “Whatever it is will have to wait until tomorrow.”

“It can’t,” Tristan said, moving to step in front of her again.

“It can,” Marty said, managing to step past him and once she did, she kept going.

“Marty, wait!” Tristan said, following after her. “We really need to talk.”

“No, we don’t. What we need to do is stop playing these games. You don’t want to work with me and that’s fine because we won’t be working together for much longer anyway,” Marty said, reaching for the door, but once again, Tristan managed to cut her off.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tristan demanded as he maneuvered her away from the door.

“As soon as I get my degree, I’m going to look for a job far away from here. So, as you can see, there’s no need to give me a pointless lecture or try to drive me off. Consider the message well-received, Tristan. I’ll be out of your hair in a matter of months,” Marty said, forcing herself to sound firm as grief slammed into her at the thought of never seeing him again.

“You’re leaving?” he asked hollowly.

“Yes,” Marty snapped as she moved past him and once again reached for the door, more than ready to end this conversation and go home and enjoy a hot bubble bath with a pint of ice cream while she did her best to forget that this day ever happened.

“Marty, you can’t leave.”

She snorted at that. “Watch me.”

Tristan placed his hand on the door just as she managed to open it and slammed it shut. “We really have to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” Marty said, trying to open the door, but he was clearly a hell of a lot stronger than her. “Let me go, Tristan.”

“Never.”

“Why the hell not?” Marty snapped, turning around to face him. She was sick of his games, sick of the way he made her feel, and most of all, she was sick of being in love with him. She wished she had never-

“Because I’m in love with you.” The words rushed out of his mouth, clearly taking them both by surprise.

He looked stunned by the admission, which probably matched her own expression, but she was also pissed. Something inside of her snapped, something she’d held back all these years and once she opened her mouth, she couldn’t hold it back any longer.

“You love me?” Marty demanded, moving closer to him.

“Yes?” Tristan said, making it sound like a question and further pissing her off.

“Did you love me all those years ago when you shoved me aside and pretended that I didn’t exist?” Marty demanded, getting in his face.

“Yes,” Tristan said, swallowing hard as he shot an nervous glance around the large foyer as though someone or something would come and save him from this conversation.

“So, all these years while you treated me like I was nothing and no one, it was just an act?” Marty demanded, her voice getting louder with every syllable.

“Yes,” Tristan said, looking back down at her for a brief moment before he started looking around again and taking her irritation to a whole new level.

“Silly me because when you acted like I didn’t exist and then started to treat me like shit when we were forced to work together, I just assumed that you hated me. But, of course, I should have known that all the crap that you put me through was just your way of declaring your undying love for me,” Marty snapped, her tone thick with sarcasm.

Tristan winced as he admitted, “Something like that.”

“Something like that?” Marty repeated in disgust. He really had to be kidding. She narrowed her eyes on him as she glared up at him. “I’m through with these games, Tristan, and I’m through with-”

You, Marty thought when Tristan took her mouth in a kiss that robbed her of the ability to speak until all she was left with was the overwhelming need to hold onto him and never let him go.

CHAPTER21

He hadn’t meant to kiss her. They needed to talk about so many things, but the moment she’d started her rant, he knew that she would never listen to anything he had to say.

The kiss wasn’t gentle. He took her mouth possessively, showing her that she belonged to him. She was his. Always had been and always would be. To his utter delight, she met him stroke for stroke. She kissed him like a woman starved. Her hands fisted in his hair, holding him prisoner while he devoured her mouth.

---