Page 73 of Reveal Me
I suck in a breath. This conversation was inevitable, yet I’m not sure I’m ready for it. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for it. ‘What about the consequences?’
‘We’ll deal with them together.’ Sincerity rings in his tone.
‘Really?’ I swallow thickly. ‘You’d stand with me, through all the backlash and uproar? It’ll be ugly. Really ugly.’
‘Of course.’ A puzzled look forms on his face. ‘I can’t lose you, Layla.’
‘I don’t know if you know what you’re signing up for.’ I sigh.
‘A bit like you didn't know what you were signing up for when you agreed to be my submissive–and look how that turned out. It was the best thing that ever happened–to me at least.’ A hint of uncertainty creeps into his tone. ‘I’ll never force your hand, but at some point we’re going to have to make a decision.’
I blow out a breath. ‘Not for the first time in my life, I don’t actually have a choice.’
‘You do Layla.’ His face falls. ‘God, I’m so sorry, I’m pushing you into this. I assumed…’
‘You assumed correctly. The reason I don’t have a choice is because I love you. There’s no way I can give you up, but if we go public, it’ll put a target on both our backs. Your family might be billionaires, but your brothers have dominated the tabloids for all the wrong reasons for years. The King and Queen will never accept our relationship. My entire family will disown me. The public will hate me–us. Your name will be dragged through the press. Your family. Everything.’
‘From what you’ve told me about the dynamics, being disowned would be like being released from prison.’ He tilts my chin up until our eyes lock. ‘I’m your family now.’ His eyes bore into mine, and I swear he can see my soul. ‘Let’s do this. Let’s build a life together. Step down. We’ll deal with the consequences together. You know my family is no stranger to scandal. I love you. I want you. All of you. Not just the stolen moments. The seconds feel like hours when we’re apart. I want to be with you properly, all day every day preferably.’
‘You do?’ A shiver rips over my spine. Excitement. Anticipation. Sheer terror. ‘Are we really going to do this?’
‘I’m ready if you are.’ He nods. ‘Because now I’ve found you, a life without you isn’t a life at all. I want to be the man you have tea with.’ He scowls at the door Finegan just left through. ‘I want to be the man you wake up with. Go to bed with. Eat dinner with. The man you discuss the trivial details of every day with.’
My heart melts. It’s official—I’m going to have to step down from my role.
I open my mouth to speak, but the buzzing of his phone cuts me off before I can utter a word. He winces, plucking the phone from his pocket. ‘I’m late for a meeting with my brothers. They’re all looking for me.’
‘It’s okay.’ I reach for the lapels of his jacket and tug him down for a quick kiss.
‘It’s not okay,’ he pulls back and glances towards the window then back to meet my eyes. ‘We need to talk about this.’
‘We’ll talk more tonight, okay.’ There’s a lot to consider.
Sean presses another kiss to my lips just as a knock sounds from the other side of the door. We jump apart just before the handle jerks down. Mrs Medway bustles in, her beady eyes taking in the room. In her eagerness to snoop, sheslams directly into Sean’s solid frame and bounces back like a ball.
‘Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry, Mr Beckett. I wasn’t expecting you there.’ She takes another step back, gawking at the god-like creature in front of her. She might bea nosy old bat, but even she admitted how attractive our neighbour is. I swallow back my giggle.
‘I wasn’t expecting him either.’ Literally and figuratively. ‘Mr Beckett was just on his way out.’ Unfortunately.
‘And where is Lord Montgomery?’ Her hawk eyes roam around the room.
Sean arches a single eyebrow, then stares at her pointedly– expectantly–as if to say, ‘who actually works for who around here?’ I stifle a laugh as he silently defends my entitlement to privacy, without even opening his mouth. I was in love with him before, but now… No one has ever stood up for me. Ever.
The silence echoes painfully around the room.
Mrs Medway’s mouth opens and closes like a trout, until finally she gets a hold of herself. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to pry.’
Of course you didn’t.
‘I only ask because chef is preparing dinner, and we wondered if Lord Montgomery might stay.’ She smooths her hands over her apron, and I’d bet my life they’re clammy. Sean Beckett has the ability to do that to any woman on the planet. I know from experience.
‘He’s gone. Family emergency.’ Sean answers for me, and I don’t mind one bit.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to beg him to stay, but even if he didn’t have a meeting with his brothers, Lord I’m Going To Fuck You So Hard You Won’t Be Able To Walk For A Week definitely isn’t on my parents’ list of approved matches and Mrs Medway is bound to report back.
Besides, I should take some time before we talk again to figure out a way to support myself.
Figure out where I’m going to live.
