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I held her even tighter to me, rubbing her back, worshipping her with every inch of my soul.

She lifted her head, a frown on her flushed face, and I waited for her question.

“How did you know about Andrew?”

She just shared a lot with me. And I knew she deserved something.

Hell, Clementine deserved everything.

“I suppose I should start with the truth,” I murmured.

So, like the suddenly stupid and sappy fuck I was, I told her. Shooting myself right in the goddamn foot, as it were.

She frowned and waited.

“Balor told me Andrew’s name.”

“Balor? How did he know?”

“By looking through your computer files.”

“But I had my computer with me all day,” she said, frowning harder.

“I know, Darlin’. But you see, I sort of planted a virus on your computer, granting me access to your system.”

“What? Why? To stalk me?” she said, laughing at first.

She pushed against my chest, sitting up.

Her face was scrunched adorably.

But I knew she wasn’t going to like what I was about to say and since I wasn’t a complete moron, I sat up too, scooting up the bed to lean against the board as I told her what I’d almost done.

“I need you to listen to what I’m about to tell you with an open mind, okay?”

She nodded.

“About a year ago, I started surveilling you,” I said, liking that word better than stalking.

“What?”

“My father fucked my family, Clementine. He was a double-crossing abusive piece of shit who cost my family everything. And I don’t just mean my mother and sister, both of whom want to meet you as soon as possible, but I mean the Callahan family.”

“The Callahan family,” she repeated. “So, you what? ‘Surveilled’ me to try to set me up for what? To seduce me?” she asked.

“No. Not at first. The plan was to use you to get access to Sigma International’s database,” I said and knew in an instant it was a mistake.

“You sonovabitch,” she whispered, and tears welled in her eyes.

“Clementine—”

“You used me to get to my father?”

She shuffled backwards off the bed, her voice growing louder with each word she uttered.

Those pretty eyes didn’t look sad anymore. Oh, no. they were spitting green fire at me. And, goddamn , she was so hot when she was pissed.

“Darlin’, listen, it started out that way but?—”

“Don’t you call me that!” she yelled, pacing up and down my bedroom floor with the sheet wrapped around her.

I moved to stand, but she pointed at me, glaring at me.

“Stop right there. Y-you used me. Oh my God! I am so stupid. You just fucked me to get to Pop! How could you do that? This was all a game to you! Just a-a lie!”

“No! Dammit, Clementine, listen to me. It started that way, but then you and I, fuck Darlin’, can’t you see how good this is between us,” I said, trying to reason, but panicking since it looked like she was going to hit the ceiling.

“It was just sex,” she lied, and it made me so fucking mad.

I had to admit, I was impressed by her grit. She wasn’t done throwing insults, all of which I deserved, and I was eager to see what she’d say or do next.

Clementine was a spitfire. A redheaded goddess spewing fury at me and I knew my dick shouldn’t be hard, but it was. And all just from watching her go off on me like some glorious rocket.

“If you want to try my father, that’s on you, Connor. But you shouldn’t have done this to me. I didn’t deserve this!”

She took a deep breath, expelling it roughly, and that was it. I could see she was done with the shouting. I rose as she started opening drawers.

“Clementine, just wait a minute,” I said, but she already found what she was looking for and shoved her feet into a pair of my sweats.

She looked cute as hell in them, even if they were about a foot and a half too long.

Thank goodness for elastic bottoms.

She pulled on one of my thermal shirts over the undershirt she already wore next. It was too long and bulky, but still, my cock pulsed.

Clementine looked good in my clothes. But that pause cost me, and she was out the door before I could even think to stop her.

I closed my eyes against the emotions warring inside me.

Agony.

Rage.

Lust.

Regret.

Need.

And more.

Hell, I felt it all.

But I couldn’t just dive at her like a monster.

I mean, I wanted to. And I wasn’t even denying that I was a fucking psycho where she was concerned. But this newfound realization was still fresh. It was still untested.

No, I needed to regain some semblance of control. Had to convince Clementine that the reasons I pursued her in the beginning were not the same as the reasons I had for going after her now.

Noises came from the entryway, and I cursed. Fuck. I let too much time pass.

She was already on her phone in hand and her boots were on her feet.

What was she doing? Was she trying to go? To leave me?

My suspicions were confirmed by the time I shrugged on a pair of sweats that matched hers and raced after her.

When I heard her talking to someone, I about lost my damn mind.

“Fuck,” I growled. “Clementine! Wait!”

I ran down the hall after her, hoping I wasn’t too late.

Her ice-cold glare stopped me dead in my tracks as she opened the front door.

“Stay away from me!” she shouted.

And that heart I was so proud of discovering I even had just hours ago shattered into a million sharp pieces.