Page 45 of His Asset
He sighed heavily.“Look, I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”He put down the trophy and leaned closer, watching me carefully as I turned slowly back to face him.“You’re not like other women, I get that.It’s one of the things I admire most about you.”
A hot flush swept through me, followed immediately by coldness.If he had any idea of the wings I hid, of the DNA I had, he wouldn’t be looking at me for forgiveness, he’d look at me with the same disgust he’d reserved for Taurus.
“Taurus mattered,” I said fiercely.
Reuben blinked, then said, “Maybe you’re right.Maybe I’ve been blinded to the truth for so long I can’t see through the veil anymore.”He sent me a strained smile.“Maybe you’re taking off my rose-colored glasses.”
I frowned.I had no idea what he meant.But something about the way he said it felt rehearsed, like he’d used similar lines before.My fingers curled into fists on my lap.I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, I just wish I could pinpoint exactly what that was.
He paused, seeming to gather himself before continuing, as if what he was about to say was difficult to admit.“I’ve been living on the streets for so long, gotten so street tough and fight-hardened, somewhere along the way I guess I’ve forgotten how to be compassionate.”
He looked down at his hands, the picture of a man confronting hard truths about himself.“It’s even worse inside the ring.My survival instincts along with the noise and adrenaline, it’s like a shot of insanity straight to the brain.”He pushed a hand through his already spiked hair.“Honestly, you’re the only woman I’ve known who makes me want to be different.”
He sounded genuine, regretful.But I’d seen him in the fight ring.The way he’d looked at Taurus with such cold dismissal, the ease with which he’d switched from tender to brutal.It made it hard to believe anything he said now, made me question absolutely everything.Yet part of me still wanted to believe this version of him was real.“You’re not just saying what I want to hear?”
He inhaled sharply.“Do I look like a man with a silver tongue?”He snorted.“I’ve never had to talk my way into someone’s life before, I’ve never needed to.”
My stomach clenched as I recalled the woman who’d thrown her thong into the ring.Little wonder Reuben used women for physical release, they were literally clamoring to get underneath him.
His piercing blue eyes turned to me, holding my gaze with an intensity that made it hard to look away.“Youdobelieve me, don’t you?Bella, please say you’ll forgive me.”
The way he said it made me feel like the wrong answer would break something fragile between us.I wanted to push back doubts, to find excuses for what I’d seen.He was a fighter, a man of the streets who’d learned to survive using his fists and his body.Of course he’d do whatever was necessary to get to the top, including fighting people who weren’t ordinary.
And though the explanations felt thin, I needed them to be true.I couldn’t handle another betrayal.It was bad enough Adam had broken me in ways I’d yet to understand.I nodded slowly.“I guess I do.”The words tasted uncertain on my tongue.
“Youguess?”He exhaled.“Looks like I’m going to have to work hard to rebuild your trust.”
“I’m not going to lie—you really will.I don’t trust easily.”
He reached out and clutched my hand.“I’ll do whatever is needed to regain it.”
Something inside me melted just a little and I managed a smile before looking out at the bright lights, the taller, straighter buildings.“Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you to a luxury hotel.”A satisfied smile flashed across his face.“Where you’ll be hidden in plain sight.”
Chapter Seventeen