Page 78 of Dirty Hearts

I’d pushed my luck for asking, but I wanted to know. I felt some entitlement to know.

“I can’t talk about it. I don’t know what’s going on, and whatever it is, I can’t tell you.”

I folded my arms under my breasts. “Why the hell not?”

“The less you know, the better.”

“So, there’s something you know that you aren’t saying?” This man held my heart, but he made me crazy at the same time with that damn mystery about him that had driven me to him in the first place.

“No. Doll, you have to come with me.”

I clenched my jaw, whirled around, and walked down the path. In the opposite direction. Away from him. Ahead was the other door that led back to the wine cellar.

It was fine. If he was going to be like this, then I would leave him to it.

Of course, he followed after me like I knew he would, catching my arm and pulling me to him.

“Let go of me,” I scoffed.

“No, you have no idea what this could be. I have no idea what this could be. Until I know what’s going on, you’re staying with me.”

“I have stock to count, thank you very much. Next time those goons come here,ifthere is a next time, I’ll throw them out and tell them to take their cryptic shit elsewhere.” It was fear and anger rolled into one talking because realistically, if I had the balls it took to throw those guys out, I wouldn’t have called Claudius. I would have indeed kicked them out myself.

He looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything right now.

Actually, that was a lie. I did know one thing. One thing I never wanted to admit.

It was him. This was happening to me because of him. The people who knew him were dangerous, and what kind of fool was I to jump right back into the flames of hell after being burned once?

And for what? What was it we had?

“I love you.” His voice…

His words cut straight into me, snapping off the source of the myriad of thoughts that flowed through my mind.

I had to wonder if he’d actually said what I thought he said. He’d never told me that before. Not in the whole time we’d been together. I’d known he loved me, I had hoped he did, but those three words had never been words spoken between us.

I’d never seen him blush before. In fact, it looked strange to see it, and it disappeared as soon as it appeared. Like it never happened. Like he was immune to emotions that could show any softness to him.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and made a fist with his left hand.

“I told you that before, except it wasn’t… you. It wasn’t you. It was her. I know whatever is between us has this weight of uncertainty, but you need to know that. You need to know that I love you, and I can’t let them take you. Again.” He shook his head.

He released me, but I moved closer to him.

It was this…

Thiswas what we had.

“I love you too.” As I spoke, it felt like a release of something that had been resting heavily on my mind, on my heart. And… it explained it all. It was just like weeks ago when I knew all I wanted was him. That’s how I felt now. “I’ll just grab my bag.”

I was tempted to insist on staying here a little longer, because I really was pressed for time with everything I needed to do here, but I didn’t want to spoil the moment.

“Come here.” He reached for me again, and I leaned into him while he circled me with the warmth of his protective arms.Protected.

I felt it and how important I was to him.

Like everything, I felt it all with this man. But… a dark thought entered my mind.