Page 115 of The Heart of a Villain

Except I know the truth.

He’s a villain who broke my heart.

Fury and anger instantly blanket any earlier emotions and crossing my arms, I raise my chin high. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello, my darling.” He greets me instead of answering my question and I hate the effect his deep and husky voice has on my body, goose bumps popping on my skin and announcing to me that sadly I’m not immune to his charms.

Which makes me so pathetic it isn’t even funny.

However, good thing about my reactions?

I can control them and more importantly any temptation can be resisted with enough resolve and as I’ve discovered in the last couple of months I have it in abundance. “What are you doing here?” I repeat, proud of myself for keeping my tone even and not showing him my true emotions on the matter.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He fires his own question and pushes off the door, hooking his thumb inside his pocket as he slowly walks to me. “I wanted to see you.”

A humorless chuckle slips past my lips. “After all this time, why bother?”

His eyes narrow and something crosses on his face before he masks it with indifference, which only intensifies my fury.

“And what’s all this anyway?” I point my finger at the candles.

“Just a reminder.”

“Reminder of what?”

“That I can woo you if I put my mind to it.”

His audacity has to be seen to be believed because freaking what? “So I guess you expect me to what? Shout yay at all this and welcome you in my arms?” Sarcasm coats my words, while I open up some buttons on my coat due to the warmth in the library. Then it hits me. “Do my friends know about this?”

He must hear the hurt in my tone at the prospect of them betraying me like that and he shakes his head. “No. I wanted to meet you at the club, but then saw Elena talk to Pierre about a change of plans. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Where did you see her?”

For him to pull it all off with all the candles he’d need extra time, and I even understand why the security guard was so oblivious to our presence. He must have paid him! At this rate I won’t be surprised if he bought the damn library just to get what he wants.

Although what he wants is still a mystery to me.

“On the cameras.” He grins at my outraged gasp. “You knew I watched you.” The way he utters this words, softly and seductively, brings all the memories from the island back, but I squeeze my fists, refusing to be swayed by it. “After all, you’re mine.”

The nerve!

“Oh, am I?” Before he can answer, I continue, “I must have missed it considering I haven’t seen you in three months and in our short time together you did nothing but push me away.”

Regret flashes in his orbs and he stops several feet away from me. Although everything in me screams to take a step back to put more distance between us and in this way protect my stupid heart from succumbing to whatever bullshit he craves to feed me next, I stand my ground. “I’m sorry, Aileen.”

I blink in surprise at this because it’s the last thing I expect to hear from him. “For?”

“For staying away all this time.”

“But not for kidnapping me?”

“No.” A smile shapes his mouth, self-mocking in its nature while he holds my gaze. “Apologizing for that would mean I regret what I’ve done and truth be told… I don’t. Because on my island you became mine.” He caresses me with his gaze, and a shiver runs down my spine. “Although I think you’ve always been mine.”

Deciding not to examine this rather disturbing comment that, for some reason, sends fire through my veins that pushes me toward him, I ask. “Why did you stay away?”

“I almost killed your father. Whatever happened on the island was my fault.”

I stay silent, in a way agreeing with him, as harsh as it sounds.

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