AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As her breathing steadies, she reaches for me with both hands and I climb on top of her, pressing her body into her bed. Our foreheads touch and we share the air between us. Her shining eyes dance back and forth between mine, then her lips part. Her mouth touches mine, her tongue tickling my lips as she dives in.
Warmth envelops us both, and in this moment, there's only us. She breaks the kiss, her heart hammering my chest.
“Thank you,” she whispers, a smile curving the corners of her lips.
I have no words, just an overwhelming sense of self-hatred for all the secrets I’m keeping from her.
Chapter Twelve
Lila
Fredrick's breath warms my neck, his arms offering a safety I hadn't known I was seeking. The world outside this moment doesn't exist for a heartbeat.
But then reality rushes back.
He's engaged.
To someone else.
How could I have forgotten that all-important detail? What the heck was I thinking? I’d been through hell, sure, but this was unforgivable. I’d screwed up, big time.
I jerk away from him and out of his grasp as he glances at me in surprise. My skin prickles with self-loathing as I sit up and bring my knees to my chest and wind my arms around them.
His reddish-brown eyes fill with concern as his browns knit together, obviously trying to decode my sudden upset.
I shy away as he reaches for me. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks, his tone filled with worry that only inflames my anger. How dare he act like he’s done nothing wrong. I mean, I forgot, but what’s his excuse for cheating on his fiancée?
“What’s wrong?” I repeat, my voice low and furious. “You’re engaged!” The words burst out of me, tinged with fury and disgust. My heart slams painfully, and my stomach twists with anger. Anger at him, at myself, at the injustice of the world and events...
His expression darkens and I scoot further away from him.
It was my mistake. I’d reached out to him, weak with my mother’s life hanging in the balance, and I let him comfort me. And he responded without hesitation, and left me feeling safe, warm, loved... but I was the other woman in his life now, and I can’t live with that.
“Maybe you should go,” I whisper, the words aching as they leave my lips. My heart implodes in a flash of pain, and I struggle to breathe. My eyes sting with tears as I stare at the wall. I don’t want him here.
But as much as I want him gone, some traitorous part of me whispers to let him stay. To let him comfort me, to be here for me when my heart and head ache with fear and uncertainty.
I want him to wrap me up in his arms and make me forget everything that stands between us. I must be losing my mind... or my morals.
I’m not this person. I’m not weak, not a cheater, not someone’s reason to break their promises. I won’t be that person.
But even as my words hang between us, Fredrick doesn't budge.
Instead, he stays in place, but speaks in a low, non-threatening voice. “I promised to stay.”
I can’t help but wonder if his promise actually means something to him now. They certainly hadn’t when he ran away.
“Promises don't mean much from an engaged man in another woman's bed.” He winced as if my words stung. Good. I hope they hurt.
“Lila, let me explain—” he says, but I cut him off.
“No. There’s nothing to explain. I won’t be the other woman. This was a mistake.” I’d really screwed up this time. My stomach churns, and I fight the urge to throw up. “We shouldn't see each other anymore. At all.”
His head jerks up and he looks at me, really looks at me, and I see frustration flicker across his features. Then, like a dam breaking, he confesses, “The woman is you.”
“What?” Confusion laces my whisper as my mind races to catch up.
“I want you to marry me.” He lets the words hang between us as I blink, trying to sort out what it all means... and why.
