knew that it wasn’t the
reason. “Arianna?”
She managed a small nod before rising
to her feet and moving toward the crackling fire. She settled
before it, holding out her numbed hands to the flames. He settled
onto the arm of the sofa behind her, drawing his long legs up onto
the cushions as he watched her. She pulled her hair before her,
trying to dry it out and untangle it as she worked slowly through
the thick, wet mess.
She didn’t know what to say to him,
what to do. She didn’t know what he wanted from her. She started to
shake again; she was trying not to start crying once more as she
recalled the fierce, wonderful intensity of his kiss. For one brief
moment she had felt whole, and alive, again. For one wonderful
moment all of the pain of the past months had vanished beneath his
touch. All of her hurt and the anger had melted beneath the wonder
of his mouth against hers. She had tried to forget how amazing he
could make her feel, she had remembered in an instant. And she was
fairly certain that she would never be able to forget
again.
“When did Jericho tell you about
Gwendolyn?”
Her fingers froze in her hair; she
turned slowly toward him, admiring the play of light over his hard
features. “Gwendolyn?” she asked quietly, baffled by his question,
and the name.
“The woman I am supposed to
marry.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, her fingers
slipped from her hair as the numbness returned in full force. She
had forgotten about that little detail, that huge, awful betrayal.
For a moment she couldn’t breathe through the pain and anger that
constricted her chest, through the knife that stabbed deep into her
heart, destroying it. Her fingers clenched tightly in her lap, her
nails dug into her palms. If she thought she had any chance of
succeeding she might just punch him, but she had already managed to
hit him once, in the palace, she didn’t think she would get the
chance again. “I didn’t know that was her name.”
His head tilted slightly to the side,
he had slipped the dark glasses off, revealing the full beauty of
his steel gray eyes, and the bright blue band that encircled his
irises. It was so rare when they weren’t in place, so rare when he
relaxed his guard enough to take them off. She could see the faint
hint of the scars that marred his striking eyes. Scars that served
as a reminder that no matter how stunning his eyes were, they were
flawed, and unseeing around everyone but her. “When
Arianna?”
She turned sharply away from him,
unable to look at him any longer. It hurt too much. “The morning he
came to get me.”
“Why did he tell you?”
She spun angrily back on him, her eyes
narrowing fiercely as she fought the urge to punch him. “What
difference does that make?” she spat.
He stared silently back at her. “I want
to know, that’s the difference.”
“And I want peace, but we don’t always
get what we want.”
His eyes narrowed, he leaned forward as
he glared at her. “I had forgotten how annoying you
were.”
She glowered back at him, struggling
against the tears that wanted to flow. “Then perhaps you should let
me go.”
His hard mouth curved into a wry smile
as he shook his head. “That is not going to happen Arianna. Answer
my question.”
She shook her head, baffled as to why
she was here and what he wanted from her. Did he just like to
torture her by making her rehash the agony she had lived with ever
since she had learned of his fiancée? She stared at the fire,
watching as it snapped and crackled, shooting out sparks. She
didn’t want to tell him why Jack had told her about his fiancée,
she didn’t want him to know just how much she had cared about him
back then. He had enough power and control over her, without giving
him even more.
But she no longer cared for him like
that; she couldn’t care about him like that anymore she reminded
herself. She had been dumb and innocent back then. She would never
be either of those things again. Not when it
reason. “Arianna?”
She managed a small nod before rising
to her feet and moving toward the crackling fire. She settled
before it, holding out her numbed hands to the flames. He settled
onto the arm of the sofa behind her, drawing his long legs up onto
the cushions as he watched her. She pulled her hair before her,
trying to dry it out and untangle it as she worked slowly through
the thick, wet mess.
She didn’t know what to say to him,
what to do. She didn’t know what he wanted from her. She started to
shake again; she was trying not to start crying once more as she
recalled the fierce, wonderful intensity of his kiss. For one brief
moment she had felt whole, and alive, again. For one wonderful
moment all of the pain of the past months had vanished beneath his
touch. All of her hurt and the anger had melted beneath the wonder
of his mouth against hers. She had tried to forget how amazing he
could make her feel, she had remembered in an instant. And she was
fairly certain that she would never be able to forget
again.
“When did Jericho tell you about
Gwendolyn?”
Her fingers froze in her hair; she
turned slowly toward him, admiring the play of light over his hard
features. “Gwendolyn?” she asked quietly, baffled by his question,
and the name.
“The woman I am supposed to
marry.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, her fingers
slipped from her hair as the numbness returned in full force. She
had forgotten about that little detail, that huge, awful betrayal.
For a moment she couldn’t breathe through the pain and anger that
constricted her chest, through the knife that stabbed deep into her
heart, destroying it. Her fingers clenched tightly in her lap, her
nails dug into her palms. If she thought she had any chance of
succeeding she might just punch him, but she had already managed to
hit him once, in the palace, she didn’t think she would get the
chance again. “I didn’t know that was her name.”
His head tilted slightly to the side,
he had slipped the dark glasses off, revealing the full beauty of
his steel gray eyes, and the bright blue band that encircled his
irises. It was so rare when they weren’t in place, so rare when he
relaxed his guard enough to take them off. She could see the faint
hint of the scars that marred his striking eyes. Scars that served
as a reminder that no matter how stunning his eyes were, they were
flawed, and unseeing around everyone but her. “When
Arianna?”
She turned sharply away from him,
unable to look at him any longer. It hurt too much. “The morning he
came to get me.”
“Why did he tell you?”
She spun angrily back on him, her eyes
narrowing fiercely as she fought the urge to punch him. “What
difference does that make?” she spat.
He stared silently back at her. “I want
to know, that’s the difference.”
“And I want peace, but we don’t always
get what we want.”
His eyes narrowed, he leaned forward as
he glared at her. “I had forgotten how annoying you
were.”
She glowered back at him, struggling
against the tears that wanted to flow. “Then perhaps you should let
me go.”
His hard mouth curved into a wry smile
as he shook his head. “That is not going to happen Arianna. Answer
my question.”
She shook her head, baffled as to why
she was here and what he wanted from her. Did he just like to
torture her by making her rehash the agony she had lived with ever
since she had learned of his fiancée? She stared at the fire,
watching as it snapped and crackled, shooting out sparks. She
didn’t want to tell him why Jack had told her about his fiancée,
she didn’t want him to know just how much she had cared about him
back then. He had enough power and control over her, without giving
him even more.
But she no longer cared for him like
that; she couldn’t care about him like that anymore she reminded
herself. She had been dumb and innocent back then. She would never
be either of those things again. Not when it
Similar Books
