Chapter 31
Dilynne
Letting Myself Fall
“You owe me an explanation,” I say, ready to confront this thing with Elliot head-on. Today was the final straw for me, and I know that both of us need to say some things before we can entirely be on the same page.
“Okay…”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I arch a brow at him. “Tell me what’s going on with your dad.”
His brows lift. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not stupid, Elliot. In fact, I’m surprised I didn’t realize it sooner.
” Sighing heavily, I continue. “It dawned on me when we were driving back to the hotel just now. The only reason why you would want to keep me in the dark is because you think that I can’t handle Vinnie, Motorlux, and what’s going on with you.
Well, newsflash, that’s what I signed up for when I suggested being your fake fiancée. ”
He mimics my stance. “Well, I told you that I didn’t want to make this week about me…”
“And I’m telling you that I want to know what’s going on with you, so open up, jackass.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Back to insulting me, huh?”
“Yes, when you deserve it,” I take a step closer to him and grip his chin as my eyes search his. “I’m not some delicate flower that can’t handle real life right now. You and I have gone through enough real-life shit together over the past six weeks. You told me you would be honest with me.”
He closes his eyes and sighs. “I’m handling it, Dilynne.”
“When are you going to realize you don’t have to handle everything on your own?”
When his eyes pop open, I see a hint of challenge in them. “And when are you going to take your own advice?” I release his chin and turn away from him. “What? You don’t like the truth?”
Something snaps into place in my chest. “Fine. You want the truth?”
“I haven’t wanted to push you, but since you’re demanding it from me, then yeah. I want your fucking truth, Dilynne.”
I toss my hands in the air, irritated and yet finally ready to admit what I’ve been feeling. “Fine! I think I like belonging to someone again! There! You happy?”
His brow lifts as he processes my words. “Someone…or me?”
I huff out a laugh and roll my eyes sarcastically. “Definitely not you.”
His grin grows. “Oh, yeah. That makes perfect sense, especially after the way you were just screaming as you came around my cock.”
I roll my eyes again, but he pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me. “I hate you,” I mutter.
He kisses my temple and then my cheek. “No, I don’t think you do.”
My lips start to tremble as moisture builds in my eyes, and I avoid looking at him. “No. I—I definitely don’t.”
“Then why are you crying?” Elliot backs us up to the bed and lays me down as he hovers over me, stroking his finger down my cheek and across my lips as I close my eyes. “Look at me, Dil.”
I shake my head, so afraid to let him see what I’m feeling.
“Dilynne Marie Clark. Open your eyes and look at me.”
“I did not give you permission to middle name me.”
“I don’t need permission. You’re my fiancée, remember?”
“Fake fiancée,” I correct him, my eyes still closed. His lips land on mine, so soft and reverent that it makes me tear up more. “Fuck, Elliot. Please stop.”
“I don’t think that’s what you want.”
When I open my eyes, he’s staring down at me, but then I see it—the same feeling I have in my chest staring back at me—pure agony.
“I don’t,” I say, pulling him to me again, deepening our kiss this time and drowning in the way this man I thought I hated actually makes me feel.
“You like being mine, don’t you?” he mumbles against my lips.
“Yes, and I hate it.”
“Why?”
“Because watching you stand up for me today and protect me made me fall for you even more.”
When he lifts his head, our eyes lock again before he takes my hand and places it over the center of his chest. “I don’t hate it either, Dilynne.”
My lips tremble. “You’d better not hurt me, or I will find something way worse than bear shit to torture you with.”
“I promise I won’t ever hurt you again, at least not intentionally. I want this with you, Dilynne. Are you telling me that you want the same? That you don’t want this to end when Motorlux is over?”
“This is insane,” I whisper. Hearing him say that lets me know we are on the same page, and we do want the same things.
“No, I think we’re both just seeing clearly now.
We’re finally acknowledging what’s always been there but were too stubborn to admit.
” He sighs as his eyes move across my face.
“Look, I have a confession to make,” he says, blowing out a breath.
“Something shifted for me months ago, Dilynne. Long before The Charming Bull.” His lips meet mine softly before he continues.
“The moment you showed up for me after Tori, I saw you differently. I fought it, lord knows I tried, but I—”
“You hated that I was there, but I couldn’t leave you alone,” I say, interrupting him. “I didn’t want you to suffer the way I did after my breakup. I…”
“I know, but that stubbornness of yours? I think that’s what I finally let myself admit I love about you the most.”
My eyes go wide. “You—you love me?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I do, Dilynne Marie Clark.” I open my mouth to speak, but he places his stupid finger over my lips, silencing me the way he always does.
I pretend that I hate it, but honestly, it’s growing on me.
“Yes, I know I used your middle name again, but I think it’s fitting in this case, so just drop it. ”
I clear my throat. “Fine.”
“Good girl.” Those two words travel right between my legs. “Now, as I was saying, do you want more with me after this?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “And I…I love you too, Elliot. It terrifies me, but I—” His mouth cuts me off as he wraps his arm beneath me, rolling me on top of him.
I love him.
Maybe in some twisted way that only he and I can understand, we’ve both always shown our love for each other, just in our own unique way.
“Don’t be scared, Dilynne,” he finally says when we part.
Clearing the emotion from my throat, I whisper, “I can’t let another man break me again. I promised myself that I would never put myself in that position a second time.”
Elliot pushes my hair from my face. “I get it. Trust me, I do. After Tori, I swore I’d never open myself up to the idea of love again. But it’s different with you, Dil. It’s—it’s fucking right.”
“What about my brother?”
Elliot laughs. “I already talked to him.”
Sitting up tall, I stare down at him. “What? You’ve been keeping that from me too?”
“Not vindictively. I just wanted him to know my intentions.”
“Which are?”
“Well, if you hadn’t just yelled at me and admitted that you were falling for me too, I had planned on asking you to continue our relationship anyway, and I thought it was best that I didn’t give your brother a reason to contemplate my murder.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
“No, I just knew that no matter what he said, I was willing to risk our friendship for you. I just thought I’d at least give him the courtesy to warm up to the idea before I begged you to be with me.”
I hover back over him. “Beg me, huh? And what if I had said no?”
He thrusts his hips up underneath me, letting me feel how hard he is again already. “I would have fucked you into submission.”
“If you think I’m going to submit to you, you have another thing coming.”
He rolls us over, hovering above me again. “No. I don’t want that type of relationship, except maybe in the bedroom.” He bounces his eyebrows. “What I want is a partner, someone I feel like I can get through anything with, and that person is you.”
“Okay, so now that you’ve admitted that, tell me what’s going on with your dad.”
He sighs, but finally opens up to me, and by the time he’s caught me up to speed, I’m fuming. “God, what a bitch,” I say as he finishes telling me about Tori’s role in all of this.
“I know. But she’s the least of my worries. The plan I need now is how to confront my father.”
“I want to help. Please,” I beg. “If anything, just let me be in the room so I can see the look on his face when he realizes that he’s been caught.”
He chuckles. “I’ll take it into consideration. All I know is, I need to make sure that he doesn’t see this coming.”
An idea comes to me. “I think I just figured out a way to get him to meet with you that will totally throw him off.”
“Oh really? And what is that?”
“Hold on. Let me get a piece of paper. We’re going to need to write this down.”