Page 100 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“I know I look a mess. Please stop staring,” I said, looking down.

“You will always be the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he said, tucking my hair behind my ear and tilting my head up so I could look at him.

A blush crept up my neck.

“Who was it?” he asked, his tone coming out crisp and serious.

I shook my head, trying to shake off her name, and I felt myself tearing up again.

“Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to talk about it,” he whispered, leaning closer and removing every inch of space between us.

My hands clasped around his wrists that held my cheeks. I nodded at his words and blinked the tears away.

“I hate that you’re hurting, but I know that you’ve got this. You’re the strongest person I know,” he said softly, leaning down to press his forehead against mine.

At that moment, I knew. Every beat of my heart knew. Every breath I took knew. Every flow of blood in my vessels knew. The feelings were still there.

“I want you to know when things get hard for you, I’m here, and I’m never going anywhere. I know you don’t trust me, but I’m here if you need me for anything. You don’t have to do this alone,” he whispered, stroking my temple. “I’m right here, always.”

I felt his lips on my forehead before he pulled away, disconnecting our foreheads.

“Thank you for the TED Talk,” I mumbled with soft laughter.

“Happy to help.”

“And thanks for the ride. Sorry I was being a grumpy ass.”

“I totally understand.”

He had the most beautiful smile on his face as he stared at me. His left hand massaged a spot below my neck gingerly while the other one cupped my cheek. I didn’t want him to pull away. I wanted us to remain like this as he looked at me like I was the most beautiful breathing creature on earth. Somehow, my arm ended up around his waist.

“You look so adorable when you cry, but I hate seeing the tears in your eyes,” he said, and I frowned even if his words made my stomach act weird.

He pulled away, putting some space between us. I wanted to drag him back. I was tempted to jump on him. Maybe kiss him. Not maybe. I wanted to kiss him. My eyes trailed down to his full lips, soft and pink. I never realized how sensual his lips were. It was the first thing you noticed when you looked at his face. It just drew you in while his crystal-blue eyes bewitched you.

“I will make you some tea,” he offered, walking to the door while I stood there.

I got myself together and undressed. I went for a shower. Tristan’s words replayed in my head, and I found myself smiling and giggling in the shower like an idiot. I stepped out after a while and dried my body. I put on a gray robe I’d found in the room when I first got here. It was big and thick. I used a towel to dry my hair as I entered the room, humming.

Tristan knocked on the door, and I let him in. He had a mug in his hand as he entered the room.

“You can put it down on the nightstand, thank you.”

I watched him. He had changed into black jogger pants with a white T-shirt that hugged his shoulders and biceps. My hormones were acting up. He turned to look at me, his eyes lingering a little longer on the skin exposed from my robe that’d slid down my left shoulder, showing off a deep hollow between my breasts. I knew I should slide it up and cover up, but I didn’t because I was starting to feel too comfortable around him and maybe I wanted to push him over the edge.

I kept drying my hair with the towel as I held his gaze. It sent heat through my skin. I anticipated what he would do next, if he’d close the distance between our bodies and satiate the hunger in his eyes.

“How are your arm and stomach? Do they still hurt?” I asked.

“I’m okay. They’ve healed. The scar is not that noticeable.” He raised his T-shirt to show me the place he had been shot.

I stepped closer and ran my fingers over the pink scar. I felt him suck in a breath, his abs flexing under my touch. I looked up at him, and he was looking away from me with his eyes closed.

“Tristan?”

He opened his eyes but refused to look at me.

“Did I hurt you?” I panicked.

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