Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Why would she do that?
She should talk to him. No matter how angry he is, she owes him that much at least.
“Would you like company while you read it?” I finally offer.
I have a feeling Tarian would never ask for my help. He’s too proud to admit he’s scared, or angry, but his expression speaks volumes.
“I don’t want to talk about the contents,” he says, but before I can respond, he continues. “But I’d like it if you’d stay here with me.”
There’s pain in his words, and the anguish in his confession grips my heart.
Nodding, I settle back in the seat with my drink, and sipping the alcohol, I watch as he wakens the laptop. His gaze locks on the screen, and the corners of his mouth turn down at the sides.
I’m not sure what’s written in his letter, but it’s not good.
Not at all.
When I finally swallow the last of my drink, I stand up, and Tarian’s gaze darts to me. There’s a shimmer in his eyes, and I can tell he’s trying his best to hide his sadness, but I can see it written all over his handsome face.
I hate that I want him because I know he can never offer me the relationship I need.
He’s too closed off to feel anything. Deep down, I thought if I stuck around and showed him he’s worthy of love, he would change. But you can’t force someone to be who you want them to be, and you can’t make them see something they’re not willing to accept. And as much as I want Tarian, I’m just as afraid of what could happen if he did relent and we took that step into unknown territory.
The truth is, whatever happens between us, the chances are I’m going to end up losing him anyway.
I grew up watching Tarian Calvert from afar. He was my first crush, and my unrequited obsession. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done to be near him. But he never saw me as anything other than a naive young girl who tagged along to the Sovereign family get-togethers.
Every year I watched him change—he became more distant, he got colder, and he switched off everything inside that made him human. Maybe having to come to terms with his mother’s choices and his uncle’s actions will finally push him outside his emotionless comfort zone where he likes to hide.
The only time I’ve ever seen Tarian let go of his icy exterior is when he’s with Etienne and Ares—the two men who are like brothers to him. I’ve watched him give them genuine smiles of happiness, rather than the fake, plastered-on grins he gives everyone else.
“Thank you for sitting here,” he tells me, dragging me out of my thoughts. “I’m not someone you should want to be around, Grecia. To be honest, I’m not sure why you’re still here.”
“I’m here because I don’t believe in giving up on my friends.”
Even though I call us friends, it’s a lie.
I know it is. He knows it is.
We’re not friends. We’re something else, something more.
I’ve felt the electric current that flows between us. It was present on the plane when his body pressed into mine and he nearly kissed me. He let go of his control for just a second. His walls toppled, and I saw the broken boy underneath the cool exterior.
Tarian pushes up from his chair and stalks around the desk. He closes the distance between us, and when he’s inches from where I’m sitting, his hands grasp the arms of my chair and his face leans into mine. We’re a hairsbreadth apart, and his warmth cocoons me. He may not be touching me, but it feels as if his palms are all over me.
“Are we friends, Grecia? The only people I consider to be my friends are Ares and Etienne,” he responds, keeping his voice as cool and calm as ever.
Tarian doesn’t lose control, but this is one of those moments when I wish he would. I know if I move or attempt to kiss him right now, it will change our dynamic, but I’m still not sure if it will push him away or finally make him accept the connection between us. It might bring us closer, but I could also end up losing him forever.
I’m not ready to take the risk, so instead, I settle back in my seat and smile. I shrug off his comment as if it’s nothing, but my body is trembling, and I know he can see it. He’s reading me, his gaze trailing from my shaking hands, up to my mouth, and then to my eyes.
“Tell me you want me to fuck you,” he murmurs, his voice so low I almost can’t hear it.
My heart is thudding against my ribs painfully.
“Why should I tell you that?” I choke out past the lump in my throat.