FIVE
“Y ES. ” Cate inhaled a bracing lungful of air, nervous now that the opportunity to unburden the lies of her past was here. “You can’t know how wretched I’ve felt, how many times I’ve wished there could have been another way.”
He simply looked at her, his expression impossible to read.
“When I told you I didn’t want you anymore, I lied. You were my best friend. Losing you was the hardest thing I’ve ever endured. You have to believe that.”
A slow blink revealed nothing of his thoughts. “Do I?”
Heat climbed her chest, but she barreled through the confession. “The only reason I did what I did was because I wanted you to reach your potential instead of languishing on the island, waiting for my next vacation. I wanted you to take your job offer, make connections and build a future for yourself. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d allowed you to sacrifice everything to stay with me.”
His expression didn’t change, though a small muscle ticked in his jaw. “So you weren’t just toying with an underling, slumming with the help until you found somebody better.”
Guilt twisted mercilessly in her belly and she dropped her gaze to her lap. “I only said that because I couldn’t think of another way to convince you to leave,” she mumbled.
“Because you thought I’d have languished, had I stayed.”
“Was I wrong?” She bit her lip and then lifted her gaze. “I knew you’d choose me over your ambition, given the choice.”
“Now who’s got the ego?”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She twisted her hands in her lap, willing him to understand. “But whether I was right or not, that’s what I believed at the time.” Closing her eyes, she inhaled once again for courage. “I lied based on that belief. I lied so you’d take the internship my father had arranged.”
“The internship?” His voice was low. Dangerous and very, very controlled.
A thread of nervousness snaked down Cate’s spine. “Yes. Your internship with Stevenson and Sons. Father arranged it on the condition that I break things off with you.”
His eyes narrowed the merest fraction of an inch. “He blackmailed you with a job for me?”
“No!” She grimaced. “Well, kind of. But not really. He just made it easier for me to make the right decision. We both knew you’d only have a future if you left the estate, and by your own admission, you wouldn’t have left without me forcing you to.”
“So I was your charity case.”
“Of course you weren’t! I just wanted you to be happy. Successful. And I knew if you stayed, you’d end up being neither.” She clamped her hands together and leaned toward him. “I only sent you away because I felt like I had no choice. I didn’t want you to look back on your life later and resent me.”
His eyes flashed blue fire. “Why thank you, Cate. Thank you for paving the way to my future with your rejection.”
Her stomach quailed at the coldness in his tone. “It hurt me, too.”
“I imagine it did.”
“You don’t sound like you believe me.”
His mouth smiled, though nothing else did. “Why wouldn’t I, when your sacrifice helped make me into such a raging success?”
“You look angry.”
His expression softened as if he’d flipped a switch, trading rage for sensuality within the blink of an eye. “I’m not angry, Cate. I’m grateful. Appreciative.” He reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Here all this time, I’ve thought you were just the reason for my childhood happiness, yet it turns out you’re the reason for everything.”
“I didn’t tell you because I wanted your gratitude.”
“Shh. Don’t be modest.” His voice caressed her as smoothly as that single finger drifting down the side of her neck. “You’ll spoil it.”
She shook her head, feeling inexplicably off kilter. “But—”
“I listened to your confession.” His eyes dared her to speak again. “Let that be enough.”
Twenty minutes of
“Y ES. ” Cate inhaled a bracing lungful of air, nervous now that the opportunity to unburden the lies of her past was here. “You can’t know how wretched I’ve felt, how many times I’ve wished there could have been another way.”
He simply looked at her, his expression impossible to read.
“When I told you I didn’t want you anymore, I lied. You were my best friend. Losing you was the hardest thing I’ve ever endured. You have to believe that.”
A slow blink revealed nothing of his thoughts. “Do I?”
Heat climbed her chest, but she barreled through the confession. “The only reason I did what I did was because I wanted you to reach your potential instead of languishing on the island, waiting for my next vacation. I wanted you to take your job offer, make connections and build a future for yourself. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d allowed you to sacrifice everything to stay with me.”
His expression didn’t change, though a small muscle ticked in his jaw. “So you weren’t just toying with an underling, slumming with the help until you found somebody better.”
Guilt twisted mercilessly in her belly and she dropped her gaze to her lap. “I only said that because I couldn’t think of another way to convince you to leave,” she mumbled.
“Because you thought I’d have languished, had I stayed.”
“Was I wrong?” She bit her lip and then lifted her gaze. “I knew you’d choose me over your ambition, given the choice.”
“Now who’s got the ego?”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She twisted her hands in her lap, willing him to understand. “But whether I was right or not, that’s what I believed at the time.” Closing her eyes, she inhaled once again for courage. “I lied based on that belief. I lied so you’d take the internship my father had arranged.”
“The internship?” His voice was low. Dangerous and very, very controlled.
A thread of nervousness snaked down Cate’s spine. “Yes. Your internship with Stevenson and Sons. Father arranged it on the condition that I break things off with you.”
His eyes narrowed the merest fraction of an inch. “He blackmailed you with a job for me?”
“No!” She grimaced. “Well, kind of. But not really. He just made it easier for me to make the right decision. We both knew you’d only have a future if you left the estate, and by your own admission, you wouldn’t have left without me forcing you to.”
“So I was your charity case.”
“Of course you weren’t! I just wanted you to be happy. Successful. And I knew if you stayed, you’d end up being neither.” She clamped her hands together and leaned toward him. “I only sent you away because I felt like I had no choice. I didn’t want you to look back on your life later and resent me.”
His eyes flashed blue fire. “Why thank you, Cate. Thank you for paving the way to my future with your rejection.”
Her stomach quailed at the coldness in his tone. “It hurt me, too.”
“I imagine it did.”
“You don’t sound like you believe me.”
His mouth smiled, though nothing else did. “Why wouldn’t I, when your sacrifice helped make me into such a raging success?”
“You look angry.”
His expression softened as if he’d flipped a switch, trading rage for sensuality within the blink of an eye. “I’m not angry, Cate. I’m grateful. Appreciative.” He reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Here all this time, I’ve thought you were just the reason for my childhood happiness, yet it turns out you’re the reason for everything.”
“I didn’t tell you because I wanted your gratitude.”
“Shh. Don’t be modest.” His voice caressed her as smoothly as that single finger drifting down the side of her neck. “You’ll spoil it.”
She shook her head, feeling inexplicably off kilter. “But—”
“I listened to your confession.” His eyes dared her to speak again. “Let that be enough.”
Twenty minutes of
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