Page 120 of The Deception You Weave

"Come here often?" I ask, something just not feeling right about the place.

"A few times, yeah. The food is insane."

I glance back over to where Adrian is now welcoming another couple inside and try to force my concerns down.

"What's wrong, Let?" He reaches over the table and I can't help my pull to him and lift my own hand so he can take it. His brows pull together as he looks at me.

"I-I—" I blow out a breath, feeling ridiculous for being so weird about all of this. "It's nothing. This is just… unexpected. I'm struggling to get my head around it."

He smiles at me and I'm relieved to see that he understands.

He wraps his other hand around the base of my chair and tugs me closer.

Tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear, his nose runs around the shell and sends shivers skating down my spine.

"Stop overthinking it, Princess. Just do what feels right," he whispers.

"What has always felt right was to run as far away from you as possible."

He chuckles. "Things change, Letty. People change."

"Do they?" I ask, turning to him and holding his eyes, desperate to see something that confirms that he's telling me the truth, that this really is something, that he's not just stringing me along and waiting for the perfect time to drop me from a great height.

His hand finds the side of my neck, his thumb stroking my cheek. My body wants to lean into his touch but I'm so terrified of what's going to happen if I let my guard down too much with him.

I stare into his heated blue eyes, my heart steadily racing in my chest and I accept for the first time just how quickly everything has changed for me.

Or has it? Has there always been something between us? Was it just veiled by the hate and the need to hurt?

"They do," he confirms after a long pause. It takes a few seconds to remember that I even asked him a question, my thoughts spinning at a million miles a minute inside my head making me lose my grip on reality.

"Whatever this is, Princess. It feels so fucking good, don't you think?"

I nod because I already know I can't lie to him. He's proved to me before that he can read me like a book.

He leans in a little closer. "And I don't think I can stop, even if I wanted to." He takes my hand in his, lifting it to his head. "You've been in here for fucking years, Let." He taps my fingertips against his temple. "Nothing I've done has got you out. And I fear that somewhere along the way, you've nestled your way in here too." He lowers his hand to his chest, right above his heart and my breath catches.

It races as fast as mine under my palm as his eyes hold mine and for the first time in my life, I really believe that I'm staring at the real Kane. Not the football player, the Hawk, the boy trying to prove himself in the Creek. Just Kane. The man who's been hurt over and over. The man who wants a better life than the one he was handed. The Kane who would do anything for his family—for his brother. The Kane that, dare I say it, just wants a normal life, love, a future.

I nod at him, the ball of emotion growing so huge in my throat that I've no chance of saying anything.

"Are you ready to order?" The heavy Greek accent startles me and when I look over I find a young lady with a notebook poised and staring right at Kane.

Rolling my eyes, I look back at him but instead of looking at the waitress, his eyes are still firmly on me.

"Oh, I haven’t even had a chance to look," I confess.

"Can I?" Kane asks, glancing at the menu.

Knowing he's been here before, I agree and listen as he rattles off our order forcing the waitress to depart much to her disappointment.

Kane waits until she's gone until he leans into me once more.

"I'm sorry, Letty."

An incredulous laugh falls from my lips. "That you're so hot she couldn't help but ogle you in front of me," I blurt, instantly regretting the words when I see the cocky smirk on his face.

"Well, no, but it's good to know you think I'm hot."