Page 57 of Risky Obsession

I tried to swallow down my guilt. “Why would women do that?”

“To sleep with me.”

I laughed. “Really? And you’re complaining about that?”

His gaze pierced mine. “I am, actually.”

My laughing grew louder. “Oh, that’s priceless.”

His jaw clenched.

I’d hit a nerve. “I’ve never met a man who didn’t want sex.”

“I never said I didn’t want sex.” He rolled his lips like he was trying to piece his words together carefully.

“Sorry,” I said, “but if this is your way of changing our sleeping arrangement tonight, then you’re way off base.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” He released a soft breath. “I didn’t ask to inherit Pops’ antique shop. I’m not saying that I’m not grateful that he left it to me, especially knowing what my family would have done with his things.” He shook his head like he was shaking his memory free. “But people change when they know you have money. It’s hard to know who to trust. Especially women. I’ve met many women who went to great lengths to meet me or pretended to be someone they’re not, just to be with me, but all they want is my wealth.”

He clenched his hands around his beer stein. “It’s nice to meet a woman who is brutally honest. I feel like I can really relax around you.”

Oh God. I have done nothing but lie to him.

“There’s an honesty about you that is so rare in my world, Tory. It’s refreshing.”

I struggled to maintain eye contact with him as swirling emotions churned inside me: guilt, shame, dread. Kane’s honesty about his struggles with trust and the superficial relationships he faced made me feel so sick, I wanted to vomit.

How could I continue this cruel facade when all I wanted was to bare my soul to him?

CHAPTER 13

Kane

Tory looked like she was about to pass out and I wanted to yank back my stupid rambling. What the hell was I thinking? We’d only met a few days ago. I didn’t know her and yet here I was saying how much I trusted her.

Christ! No wonder she was looking at me like I was a fucking psycho.

“Well, that was a bit heavy. Sorry about that. Must be the mulled wine.” I raised my copper stein.

“No. Please. Don’t be sorry,” she blurted. “Your honesty is also . . .. It’s refreshing.”

Feeling like a fucking idiot, I tore off a chunk of pretzel, stuffed it into my mouth, and forced my gaze away from her to the crowd around us. Nobody seemed to be looking our way, yet I had a weird feeling I was being watched.

That wasn’t unusual though. It was nothing to see women I didn’t know peering at me through a crowd. I’d had several women ask me if I was one movie star or another, and I couldn’t decide if they were trying to flatter me or were genuine. Sometimes I cursed my appearance and wished I could just vanish into a crowd. Like now. Especially after what I’d dropped on Tory.

“Kane.” Tory’s voice was low and steady as if she didn’t want to alarm me. “Did you think Gunter was acting strange?”

“Yeah.” I shoved the last bite of pretzel into my mouth and washed it down with a gulp of wine.

“I think he saw something on your pops’ map that spooked him.”

I shook my head. “I’ve been over that map dozens of times.”

“I know. You said that. But he acted very odd after you showed him. Now that we have this map,” she said, patting the frame of the map leaning against the wine barrel, “we should compare the two. Maybe something will stand out.”

Beyond the crowd stood the rows and rows of antique stalls in the large courtyard. A stab of pain pierced my heart. Pops should be here with me. Treasure hunting was our thing. We were good together . . . spotting impossible finds amongst the chaos. I missed Pops, and the thrill of a treasure hunt was the only thing that helped to fill the void that had been inside me since he died.

Being here was both confusing and amazing. Just like Tory.