Page 101 of Captured Desire

Maybe that was why I’d fallen for Duran. He’d only ever wanted me to be myself. Even when I was grumpy and snarky with him, even when we were fighting. He’d never once asked me to change the things that made me Iris.

He walked past me, oblivious to the realization crashing down around me. I stood with my mouth hanging open. Watching him pack our bags in the luggage rack.

The tumultuous beginning of our relationship had made me brutally honest. And yet, he stayed.

He didn’t just stay, he made a point of keeping me.

I swallowed, my throat dry. My feet felt heavy, but the rest of my body was light as a feather. He noticed I was frozen in place and he looked up, frowning.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, offering a watery smile. “You really love me,” I whispered.

“Of course,” he said. “I said I did, so I do.”

“Am I the first person you’ve been in love with?”

He nodded, not hesitating for a second. “The first and last. It’s just you and me, princess, until the end of the road.”

I laughed, tearing up. He was impulsive, and a little wild, but he was apologetically honest and I loved that. He saw my tears and he pulled me into his chest and kissed the top of my head.

“Why do you think you’re so unlovable?” he murmured.

“I don’t, it’s not that,” I sniffled. “Love has always come with conditions and I can’t wrap my head around getting it for free.”

“Fuck, do I understand that.” He stroked my back. “I think I always knew it was you. Some part of me lit up when I saw you for the first time and it never stopped burning. I don’t give a fuck what your parents say or what anyone else says. You’ve always been mine.”

I wiped my eyes and he kissed my mouth.

“Let’s go home,” he said.

CHAPTER THIRTY

DURAN

I was in a suit and tie and she wore a demure, black dress that covered her upper arms and reached her knees. She looked stunning, her hair tucked into a neat bun, but she didn’t look like herself.

We pulled up to the curb outside a row house in one of the city suburbs. Her father was a bookkeeper, so he was no millionaire, but he had a comfortable house in a nice neighborhood. I took off my sunglasses and glanced it over, stalling for time.

“We should probably go in,” she whispered.

I cupped her chin and bent to kiss her mouth. When I pulled back, she offered me a weak smile.

“Your parents better behave themselves,” I said. “If anyone speaks disrespectfully to you, I’ll put a stop to that and escort you out. Nobody fucks with my girl, not even your parents.”

“They aren’t really like that,” she said. “My mom is going to cry and talk about how she failed as a mother and how could I do this to her and so on. My dad…I’m not sure. He won’t yell at me, but he might yell at you.”

“I can take it, it’s you I’m worried about,” I said.

“I’ll be okay,” she said, smiling shakily.

She was terrified. Anger bubbled in my chest, but I concealed it and circled the car to help her out. She clung to my hand, her palm sweaty, while we walked up the narrow path to the house. I slid my arm around her waist and hit the doorbell.

Her mother must have been on the other side of the door because she pulled it open instantly. She looked like an older version of Iris, but her face was pinched and her eyes sharp like an animal on high alert. When she saw us standing together, she huffed and stepped aside.

“Come in,” she said.

“Hi, mom,” Iris said weakly. “This is Duran.”

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