Chapter 17
pushed at his chest, not that it did anything. He was solid, unmoving, a damn wall of muscle and stubbornness. My hands balled into fists against him. then, realizing how pointless it was, I let them fall to my sides. My throat burned, the pressure of everything I’d bottled up rising fast, choking me. I lowered my head, blinking rapidly at the sparkling floors, refusing to let it happen.
Not now. Not in front of him.
“Move,” I said, but my voice cracked, giving me away.
His fingers curled under my chin, tilting my face up. I wanted to jerk away, but he had me trapped, and when I met his eyes, I froze
There was rage in mine, but his… his had softened. I didn’t know what I expected to see, probably something smug, something cold. But this? This wasn’t that. It was something else entirely, something I couldn’t name. A single tear slipped down my cheek. I cursed under my breath, hating it, hating myself for letting, it spill.
His thumb brushed it away, his palm warm against my skin. I swallowed hard, still locked in his gaze.
“Do you think I’m cheap?” The words fumbled out before I could stop them.
His brows pulled together. “What?”
I ignored him. “Is that why you’re messing with me? Trying to prove the tumors are true?”
His jaw ticked. “Layla”
“Is that what they said?” he pressed, and I watched as his nostrils flared as something dark and lethal crossed his face.
You that I’m just like my mother? That I’m after money?” I let out a hollow laugh. “Are you trying to confirm it?”
His grip on me tightened just slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to keep me there: Enough to make sure I couldn’t pull away when I should have.
“Let me go.” The words came out weak, not at all the sharp warning I wanted them to he
He didn’t move.
I pushed against him again, harder this time, but it was useless. His other hand found my waist, steadying me as though I was fragile, like I was something worth steadying.
1 hated him for that.
Hated how easily he broke down my walls, how effortlessly he peeled back the layers 1 spent years building up. I dropped my head against his chest, Squeezing my eyes shut, willing my body to stop shaking.
“This is humiliating,” I muttered, voice barely above a whisper. “I just want to leave. Why won’t you let me leave?”
“Look at me.”
I didn’t. I kept my gaze locked on the floor, blinking rapidly, trying to keep my emotions in check. His fingers flexed against my skin, a subtle reminder of his hold. “Layla,” his voice dropped lower, softer, but still firm, “Look at me.”
This time, I did.
Slowly, hesitantly, my eyes met his
There was no anger there. No mockery. Just an intensity that burned into me, making it inspossible to look away.
“I need you to listen,” he said. “And I need you to hear me clearly.”
pulse skittered. I swallowed, waiting.
“I don’t give a damn what those people out there think,” be continued, voice steady, deliberate. “And if you think for one second that my pursuit of you has anything to do with their stupid rumors, then you’re completely mistaken.”
I frowned, my breath hitching. His fingers tightened ever so slightly. “You think this is some kind of game? That I’m just occupying my time with you out of boredom A humorless chuckle left him. “If only it were that simple.”
12
Chapter 17
I stared at him, stunned into silence.
His Jaw ticked, like he was debating how much to any. Then he exhaled sharply, voice dropping to something almost raw, “I couldn’t help myself even if I wanted to, and the truth is, I don’t want to.” llis eyes darkened, locked onto mine. “I don’t mind being under whatever spell you put me under, flower,”
A shiver raced down my spine,
I wanted to deny it, to call bullshit, but the way he was looking at me? It was like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
“You’re all I think shout,” he admitteil. “Even when I shouldn’t be. Even when I should be focused on more important things. You’re there, in the back of my head, making it impossible to think straight.”
I narrowed my gaze slightly, still unsure, still wary. “You” I hesitated. “You don’t mean that.”
His expression didn’t waver as he ignored my cominent,
“Do you understand me?” His voice was quiet, but firm
I hesitated. Then, finally, I nodded,
