My Love Forgive by Anna Antonia Page A

yet.”
    “When?”
    “Until you love me again.”
    His even answer deflated my righteous rage. “Damian—”
    “Please don’t yell or scream once I leave.” He bent down and kissed me on the mouth very softly. “I don’t want to have to gag you.” Damian then walked out of the room and locked the door.
    The utter finality of the sound of sliding metal tore down my last defense. I laid my head down on the luxurious pillows and cried.
     

18

DAMIAN
    I closed the door and locked it carefully behind me. Alone in the darkened corridor, I could hear the muted sounds of Risa’s sobs. Guilt pricked me for a moment before I ruthlessly tamped it down.
    Her tears meant nothing if I could make her stay. And I knew I could do it. Risa’s feelings for me were the way into keeping her by my side. As long as she loved me, she’d never leave me.
    Vaguely, I wondered if I was a monster. Shouldn’t I be more upset about my actions and, more importantly, her reaction?
    Maybe, but I am who I am. I’m not about to change course. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince Risa that her place is by my side.
    Not surprisingly, my confession did not soothe Risa or bring about her mega-watt smile. Admittedly, my timing was far from impeccable. The rejection rankled my pride for a moment. How could I have miscalculated things so badly?
    Tonight Risa had practically begged for my lasting affection and once I gave it to her, she turned on me like a spitting cat. Ungrateful was the first word that came to mind to describe her. Stupid was the first word that came to mind to describe me.
    Guilt had been easy to tamp down, to stomp out as if it never was. Pain wasn’t so easy. I stared at the door, hand hovering over the knob, debating whether I should go back in and at least hold her.
    My hand fell into a fist. Nothing I could say would fix the wound I had inflicted.
    I turned away from the woman who’d taken my heart. I strode away.
    She needed to understand her place in my life and mine in hers. I would do whatever it took to make Risa understand this was as much out of control for me as it was for her.
     

19
     
    One Month Earlier: Damian’s Apartment
    “I think I should go home.”
    “Why?”
    “You need to see her off.” Risa’s breezy smile mutated into a grimace. She obviously felt discomfort at communicating any possible vulnerability.
    I stepped closer. My mouth twitched when she took one in the same direction. “I want you to wait for me.”
    “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    “Why not?” She’d just seen my ex-lover prostate herself at my feet. Understandably, Risa would be upset and uncomfortable. My inability to allow discretion and politeness to rule the day apparently irritated Risa if the flush on her cheeks was any indication. Predictably, she denied it with her quick grin and shrug.
    “I don’t feel comfortable. That’s all.”
    I knew it.
    “This is regrettable for us all, Risa. I don’t want to let it ruin our evening though. I’ll take care of her and once that’s done we can continue.”
    Risa avoided looking at the sniffling woman still hovering by my locked door. “You really are stunted,” she murmured softly.
    My ego took a blow with that but what could I say? I definitely hadn’t been showing off my best side since I first spoke to Risa. Perhaps she was right. Maybe I was stunted—at least when it came to her.
    Still, I didn’t want her to leave.
    “Stay.”
    She shook her head. “You should take her in and get her something to drink. Maybe something to eat too.”
    “You don’t really want that.” My hard stare dared her to deny it. Too bad for me she ducked away.
    “I do.” Risa reached out and smoothed the black lapel of my dress coat. “I’ll see you at the office tomorrow. Drop by…and I don’t know…make sure my file trees are properly organized.”
    “They’re not. You have too many files with indistinct classifying names. Eventually it’s going to cause