AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Yes.
“And I want those things. Eventually. A husband. Marriage. Kids. But not right now.”
His hands tightened into fists at his sides. “You know the twisted part about all of this? Just the thought of you being with someone else, sharing your body with another man, makes me want to rip his head off.” He looked away. His sharp profile caught in the light streaming in through the windows. “But I can’t give you any of that, Rosalind. I’m not capable of offering anyone that kind of emotional depth.”
“And I’m not asking for it.”
“You should.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, his fingers tightening on her skin. “You should ask for the world, Rosalind. You should not settle for what you think you can get because you’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a man who can’t control his own lust. Look at me.”
He craned his neck to the side so that she could see the full scarring along the side of his face. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked down, revealing the continued path of the scars as they snaked down his neck.
“Do you know what my ex-girlfriend said when she first saw me in the hospital? ‘Monstrous.’” He released the collar, let the fabric creep back up over his scars. “And she was right.”
Rosalind stared at him, her heart aching.
“Then she wasn’t the right woman for you.”
Griffith threw back his head and laughed, harsh and grating.
“Obviously.”
“I said it before, and I’ll say it again. There is nothing repulsive about you.”
“Then perhaps you haven’t looked close enough. You said you loved fairy tales. Don’t most of those talk about the beauty within? About the importance of who someone is on the inside?” He moved toward her. “I do not have any beauty within. There is no love in my heart. I am not capable of it.”
“I’m not looking for love. Not with you.”
Did she imagine the flicker in his eyes, the flash of something dark?
“You’re just looking for a quick lay to finally see what sex is all about?”
“Not too quick.”
Instead of lightening the mood, her quip made his eyes turn molten. He swallowed, his hands clenching, unclenching.
Sensing that his resolve was weakening, she moved forward, savoring the burst of feminine power that wound through her as he watched her with carnal hunger.
“I want you to be my first lover. I’ve never felt this way before, Griffith. Never wanted someone like this before.” She stopped in front of him, slowly leaned up on her toes and brushed a kiss against his mouth, felt him shudder even as he kept himself still.
“I need time to think.”
Thrilled that she had at least gotten him to reconsider, she stepped back.
“All right. I’ll be in my room.”
She had almost reached the door when his voice rang out.
“Rosalind.” She turned back. “Could you truly accept an affair? Just an affair? No strings, no emotional attachments?”
She hesitated. There would be no coming back from this. She would be crossing a line, not just professionally but personally. Already she knew there was more to her attraction to Griffith than simple physical lust. She was courting danger, risked her heart, risked everything she had worked her whole life for.
Once she did this, once she gave in to indulgence and put her career on the line, would she ever be able to go back to life as she’d known it?
But I don’t want to go back to how things were.
“I know you make me want. I want things with you I’ve never wanted with another man. I want you so much I...”
Her voice trailed off as self-consciousness chilled her ardor. His eyes darkened.
