Page 31 of The Forbidden Bride He Stole

How had he been so weak with the one woman he should never have touched?

He was reeling. Reeling from the intensity of it all. From the way it had torn down the walls within him.

And he could see them all. Every man, every woman that had paid to use his services, knowing that he was desperate. Knowing that he was poor. Using their power and privilege to gain access to him.

Their faces melted with his own in his mind. Hannah had said she wanted him, yes, but he was the one with experience. He was the one who knew about sex.

She had taken to everything they’d done with enthusiasm, enough that it was easy to convince himself that she had perhaps more experience than he had thought.

He was caught between two sets of beliefs in this moment.

That he had used her, or that she had used him.

That she’d had a few lovers, and that she had been a virgin.

He had felt resistance when he thrust into her. But she barely reacted to it. She certainly hadn’t seemed to be in pain.

So perhaps he was wrong. It was entirely possible.

She had gone down on him like a champion, and that made him suspect she knew her way around a man’s body.

But perhaps that was just convenient thinking. And maybe it didn’t matter either way. Because it wasn’t truly about her, what she had or hadn’t done, but about whether or not he had taken advantage of the situation they found themselves in.

She came to you.

She had. But he had created the situation.

And she used you because she was supposed to marry someone else...

He poured himself a measure of whiskey and sat down in the chair where he had just taken her.

It could not happen again. She would start her new position at her father’s business next week, and he would be on hand to make sure everything went well. Things did not have to change. They could go back to the way they were. It only made sense.

She did not need a lover. She needed guidance.

And there was no reason to think things had to change.

He was resolved. He owed her his service, and he would do everything he needed to do to arrange his schedule so that he could be there for her as she embarked on the next chapter of her life.

He would take the steps needed to continue to act as her guardian. Not her husband.

But she was his wife.

He stared at the white underwear.

She was his wife. And he had taken her on their wedding night.

His bride in white...

No. Just thinking those words opened up a strange cavern inside of him, and it was one that he wished to keep covered.

He had never entertained the idea of getting married. Had never thought that he might have children, or a family of any kind. There were certain legacies that seemed best burned to the ground. The earth salted.

He was happy for Cameron, but Cameron had always navigated the life they’d had differently.

For Cameron, the biggest trauma had been the accident. Of course, through it, Cameron had definitely become a kinder person.

Apollo was fine with his friend’s arrogance, but there was definitely less of that now that he had fallen in love with Athena. He was more caring. That made him ache too.

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