Page 74 of Lust & Lies

Yet, I now remembered my own toxic behavior and how I’d spied on him, making sure he wasn’t getting close to other women during our time apart. And after my sister mentioned Julian Cattaneo to me, I even began spying on that man.

Yeah, that was wrong of me. I did it anyway. There hadn’t been much to see there since he already had a woman he was obsessed with. I pretty much stalked him only to find him stalking the local weather lady.

And there was no way I could get mad at my savage for kidnapping me since I’d had every intention of kidnapping him once my contract ended. He just got to me before I got to him.

Wait... my savage!

He’d gotten hurt in the fight against the Watchdogs. I needed to check on him. I needed to make sure he was okay. I tossed the covers off and started to sit up, but a deep voice stopped me.

“Don’t move.”

I froze for a second, then slowly turned my head to the side. And there he was. My savage. The man of my dreams. Mr. Forehead Kisses himself. The man who’d ruined me for anyone else. The one who knew how to calm me with one touch and seduce me with one kiss.

Aiden Park was in bed next to me, lying on his side, eyes on me. For a second, I forgot about everything else and just stared at him. That face. Those eyes. That mouth. My man. My heart ached with how much I missed him.

Sure, we’d spent every day together since I left the hospital, but that hadn’t been the real me. Not the me who remembered just how much I loved this man. This man was like the marrow in my bones. The air in my lungs. The destination I’d been striving so hard to reach for the last few years.

And now here we were, together again. I started to tell him just how much I missed him, but he raised his hand, and I felt a tug on mine. I looked down. Handcuffs. Our wrists were cuffed together.

“What the hell?” I whispered, lifting my arm again just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.

The handcuffs clinked as I moved. This man had really handcuffed himself to me.

“You’re never running from me again, Noe,” he told me, his glare boring into me.

Run from him? I had no intention of running from him. I wanted to run to him and never let him go.

“From this moment on, I go where you go. You got that?” he asked.

He was wearing his I mean business expression. His jaw was tight, his eyes locked on mine, daring me to argue. I didn’t. Instead, I smiled brightly, loving his special brand of insanity mixed with obsession. His brow furrowed upon seeing my smile.

“What are you up to?” he asked. “What are you planning to do? If you try to kill me, you’re going to end up forever handcuffed to a dead man because you will never find the key.”

I chuckled. “You know that I know how to pick this lock,” I told him as I leaned closer to him, wincing a little from the pain in my side.

“What are you doing, Noe?” he asked, suspicious of me.

Ignoring the question, I kissed him. Just a soft press of my lips to his. He didn’t move. Didn’t kiss me back. Just stared. Shocked silent.

“I love you so damn much, Aiden Park,” I whispered, easing back to meet his gaze.

His eyes were wide now as he studied me. Lying back down on my pillow, I continued smiling at him. He continued staring at me, body tense, as if he was waiting for me to attack or try to run.

“You’re not mad at me anymore?” he asked.

I shook my head, then winced again. Damn it, that hurt.

“Be still,” he told me. “You’re still healing.”

“Still healing?” I whispered.

Oh, right. I’d gotten banged up last night. Stomach stomped on. Side punctured. Head smashed into a rock.

“What about you?” I asked, not worrying about my own problems.

“I’m not the one you should be worried about,” he told me. “Your side had a nasty gash. Luckily, Gertrude was able to stitch you up and give you some antibiotics.”

“Did she stitch you, too?” I questioned, still wanting to know how he was doing.

Aiden sighed. “Woman, I’m fine. You’re the one who was badly hurt and out for two days.”

“Two days? I thought it was just last night when I ran away.”

His glare returned. “You dare mention running away to me?” he growled.

“Oh...” I smiled. “Sorry.”

“None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t tried to leave me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“And then you almost got taken...” he paused. “Wait. Did you just apologize for leaving me?”

I nodded, ignoring the wave of dizziness that act caused.

“I’m a woman who owns up to her faults. I’m sorry for running away, Aiden. It’s my fault they were able to find me. It’s my fault we both got hurt. It’s all my fault. Please forgive me, Oppa,” I said, calling him the cute Korean term of endearment I used whenever he was upset with me.

“You called me Oppa,” he whispered, eyes widening. “You haven’t called me that in almost three years. Do you... Do you remember everything?”

“I do.”

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Do you hate me, Noe?”

With tears shimmering in my eyes, I told him, “I could never hate the man of my dreams.”

“But I... I kidnapped you.”

“I know. How romantic!”

He cocked his head to the side. “Are you serious?”

“Very. And we can’t really call it kidnapping. I’m yours. You can’t steal something that already belongs to you.”

My man looked so damn confused right now, it was almost comical.

“But...” he started, then went silent, seemingly trying to process his thoughts. “But you used to hate me. You believed I cheated on you. And you hated me for...” He went silent again.

“Hated you for marrying my twin sister, and then you had the nerve to force me to live under her name after I lost my memory,” I added for him.

Looking guilty, he stared down at the bed. “So, you do still hate me.”

“We have a lot to talk about,” I told him. “We have a lot of things to clear up and to apologize for. Both of us do. But let’s start with one very important truth. During our time apart, I never hated you. I’ve always loved you and only you, Aiden Park.”

His dark gaze snapped to mine.

“You are My Heart, Aiden Park. And I will never leave your side again.”

He swallowed, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. And then he did something that made me smile. He leaned down and gifted me with a sweet kiss. I closed my eyes, heart swelling with love for this wonderful man.

There was that forehead kiss I craved.