Page 80 of Tainted Obsession 1

I pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her as though that’s enough to bind her to me.

“I know,” she whispers, but she isn’t reassured. The words are soft with horror.

So, she does see me as her captor, not her savior.

“Why?” I beseech. “Why did you try to leave me? I thought you wanted to be with me.”

Was it all a lie? A careful deception so that I’d leave her unguarded and give her the opportunity to slip away from me?

The prospect makes my chest ache.

Her delicate features tighten with pain. “You made me think you cared. And then you set me aside. Why would I stay when I’m nothing more to you than a possession, a plaything?”

Confusion pinches my brow. “What are you talking about? Of course I care.”

I care so deeply that it terrifies me. I almost lost her last night. Maybe I already have lost her in all the ways that truly matter.

Her expression is shuttered, her eyes guarded.

“You bought that girl,” she says, her lips twisting with disgust. “And then you asked your drug lord friend to take me away. I wasn’t going to wait around for you to come back and manipulate me into your bed. I won’t be fooled again.”

My insides twist. She has it all wrong, but the damage might be irreparable.

“I did it to save her,” I insist. “She’s safe with Adrián now. I set her free and made sure no one could touch her.”

She blinks, her cautious gaze searching mine. She isn’t sure if she can trust me anymore.

“I can call him if you want. He can put you in contact with her, and she’ll tell you what happened last night. She’s safe, Evelyn. I wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to her. She’s innocent.”

Her lips part in a soft inhale at my final words. That seems to sway her more than anything, but her eyes are still dark with doubt. She’s scared to trust me.

“Why didn’t you just tell me instead of dismissing me?”

Fuck.I’m not accustomed to explaining myself to anyone. It hadn’t even occurred to me that Evelyn might require an explanation. All I’d cared about was removing her from the awful scene and getting her to safety. I didn’t stop to consider how she might perceive the situation.

“I’m sorry,” I confess, meaning it with every fiber of my being. “I should’ve told you what was happening.”

She mulls it over for a minute, deciding whether or not she believes me.

“Yes,” she says quietly. “You should’ve told me. I’m a person, Massimo. Not a possession. You can’t just put me wherever you want me and keep me locked away.”

I lift my chin. “I will do anything to protect you. Even if you don’t like it.”

She shakes her head. “I’ve never doubted that you’ll protect me. What I want is your respect.”

I clasp her hand in mine and hold it over my heart. “I do respect you, Evelyn. You’re brave and kind and far better than I deserve. I fucked up, but I won’t make the same mistake again. I’ll explain myself in future.”

Something like longing sparks in her eyes. She wants to believe me.

“I didn’t want you to see what happened after the auction ended,” I continue, needing to explain my reasoning. “All I could think about was shielding you from that.”

She pales.

“And what happened after I left the club?” she asks, a soft challenge.

I grind my teeth, holding in the admission. She was horrified by my violence. I don’t want to admit how I slaughtered the lecherous men.

She wants honesty, but if I tell her what I did, she might look at me with revulsion again.