Page 28 of Never Gonna Lie (Forbidden #2)
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JAMES
B ring another woman home? Has she lost her goddam mind? Of course, I won’t be bringing another fucking woman home.
She’s been so out of it the last four days, she hasn’t seen the constant state of despair I’ve been in.
How my heart broke every second of every day she was trapped inside her tortured mind.
How I’ve barely eaten or slept myself for constant fear of something happening to her if I left for more than a second.
I’ve desperately tried to get her to eat and drink, but it was like she was a zombie—eyes glazed over and incoherent mutterings.
I wanted to help her, but I didn’t know how. I just sat in the chair across from her for hours on end because she’s been through so much, and I wanted to be there for her, however she needed me.
The nightmares got me. Her screams of terror woke me on an hourly basis.
I’d jump up and race to her, whispering that she’s safe over and over again until she settled.
At first, it didn’t work, so I’d haul her onto my lap and hold her until the worst of it ebbed away.
I don’t know if she remembers, but it’s definitely not something I’ll ever forget in a hurry.
So no, I won’t be bringing a woman back here when she consumes my every thought. I just have to get over this infatuation before something happens that neither one of us can take back.
I’m not oblivious to the way Raven looks at me and has been doing for a while. The night of the kiss… fuck, my world was altered, shifted, and flipped upside down on its axis, but she’s sixteen years younger than me. She’s Drew’s daughter. There’s no future for us.
“Bringing another woman back here won’t happen,” I reply, bracing my hands on the kitchen island.
I watch as her shoulders sink in relief, but she tries to brush it off by moving to sit at the dining table.
“I know you, James,” she scoffs. “Your house is like a revolving door of women. You wouldn’t be able to last five minutes without a hook-up.” She rolls her eyes at me before taking a sip of her coffee.
I smirk. “Is that so?”
“Uh huh,” she says around her mug, her own smirk clear to see as her eyes light up with mirth. “I guarantee there will be someone doing the walk of shame out your front door by the end of the week.”
This poor, sweet, innocent girl. She has no idea that I haven’t touched a woman in months. Haven’t wanted to. It’s her lips, her touch that’s been burnt into my soul.
“Wanna bet?” I grin, still leaning against the counter.
After what happened, I’m glad her sparkle hasn’t dulled and she can still keep me on my toes. I was worried that it might have been too much for her, but I should’ve known she’s stronger than she looks.
“Sure. I know I’ll win anyway.” She shrugs, confidence oozing from her .
Taking a couple of steps to the coffee machine, I pour my own cup and gesture to Raven for a refill. She nods and stands, bringing me her cup. After we both have a refill, she sits back at the table, and I go back to my spot leaning against the counter, where we pick up our conversation.
Leaning back in her chair, she asks, “So what do I get when I inevitably win?”
“I don’t know. What do you want?”
“Hmm, let me think on it a minute.” She taps her finger to her lip. “What do you want?”
I can’t voice what I want, so I go with something simple. “A new watch.”
She laughs. “With all the money you have, that’s what you want? A new watch?” Her nose wrinkles. “Why a new watch?”
“My grandfather was a good man. He gave me a vintage Rolex when I was eighteen. I lost it, and I’ve been meaning to get a replacement for it. Not that it’ll replace the one I lost, but to remind me of him when I look at it.”
Raven’s face softens as I tell her my story. Istvan Smith was a good man; it’s just a shame he didn’t pass that gene along to his son.
Clearing my throat, I change the subject. “You thought about what you want yet?”
“Yeah, I think I have,” she says, a look of mischievousness entering her eyes.
Oh, shit . This can’t be good.
I bring the mug to my mouth and take a sip just as she says, “I want you to take my virginity.”
My ears ring as I slowly lower the mug to the counter. “Come again? ”
Raven smirks. “You heard me. If there’s a woman walking out of that door by the end of the week, I want you to take my virginity.”
“Raven, that makes no sense. Surely you won’t want to touch me after I’ve had another woman in my bed? Doesn’t that go against girl code or something?”
My dick is rock hard, my shorts painfully tight at the knowledge Raven’s a virgin. This woman is certifiably insane. She can’t be serious about this?
“Maybe I’ll be the last woman to ever leave your bed.”
Fuck.
The problem is, I think she’s right. If I were to have Raven in my bed, even for one night, I don’t think I’d ever be able to let her go. And that is a serious problem.