Chapter 12 #2
“I’m sorry.” His apology is barely audible, but no less sincere.
“I wasn’t trying to tease and frustrate you.
I can’t keep my hands off you, Ari. I don’t want to keep my hands off you.
But you’ve …” He loosens his arms and turns me to face him.
“You’ve been through so much, Arianna. I just want you to know what you’re doing and not feel like it’s what you should be doing.
You have a choice, you always have a choice, and I’m going to make you see that.
” The lines of his jaw are still sharp and angular, but his features are soft.
The look in his eyes is enough to get lost in and the little smile he is giving me hints that the best is yet to come.
I scold myself for immediately thinking the worst. I need to start ruling my past and not let my past rule me. “I’m sorry too. Can we start today over?” I ask hopefully.
“I’d like that. Can I cook you breakfast?”
“I don’t know. Can you cook?”
“Smart ass. I’ll have you know that I make the best pancakes and bacon. Now, go get some clothes on that hot little tush.”
Denham steps to the side and swats my ass as I walk past and I squeal and jog to the bedroom, unsure if he’s going to follow.
I secretly want him to, but I know he won’t.
He’ll be the gentleman and give me space to get dressed without the distraction of his impressive body and the risk of us hitting that damn wall he’s decided to put up.
I throw on dark blue jeans and a white tank, then rake a brush through my unruly hair and tie it all up in a messy bun. I decide against putting shoes on as we are only going across the hall. “Okay, let’s go, chef,” I call out as I walk back through the lounge.
Denham is in my now favorite spot on the balcony.
The morning sunlight dances across his broad shoulders and I take him in as he takes in the world below.
His triangular torso is sculpted to perfection—the kind of body that makes your fingers itch with the desire to touch.
If he stood still in the street, I’m sure he would have people stopping just to admire.
He turns and smirks. “Ready for breakfast, Stunner?”
I nod, and he steps into me, taking my hand in his and kissing my cheek before leading me through the penthouse.
He pulls open the door with his free hand, strides through, then stops abruptly.
I slam into his shoulder and look up to find a tall, skinny blonde propped against the wall by the elevator.
She looks almost as surprised to see us as we do her, but she composes herself quickly and slips on a mask of confidence.
“Well, well, well …” the blonde says, drawing the words out. “What do we have here? A little whore to keep you busy for a few days?”
Denham strides forward, taking me with him. His grip on my hand is tight, bordering on uncomfortable. “What the hell are you doing here?” he grates out.
“It seems we do have things to discuss after all …” the blonde replies, starting to look smug.
“Like what? The only thing I’m discussing with you is which way you are going to leave this building.”
“Denham, baby, that’s not very well mannered of you.
You haven’t even introduced me to your …
friend.” She looks me up and down, taking in our joined hands and curls her lip.
The way she calls him baby makes my hackles rise and I’m consumed with jealousy that she uses an endearment for him. I’m also repulsed.
I’ve never felt such an intense dislike radiating from someone, the way it’s coming from Denham at this moment. I know his grip on my hands indicates that he still wants me here, but I’m starting to feel really uncomfortable. “I’m going to leave—”
“No,” Denham barks. “You’re not going anywhere. Amy was just leaving.” He steps forward and pushes the button for the elevator. He still has my hand, so when he moves I’m jerked forward. I wiggle my fingers to free myself of his grasp, but he tightens, not letting me go.
“Denham, you seem to have lost your manners. I don’t know why you’re getting so uptight.” She speaks in a confident voice, but I don’t miss the underlying unease.
The elevator doors open and Denham gestures with his head toward them.
Amy stands in the opening, one hand braced on the side, her body slightly twisted to show off her long twig like legs.
She’s as tall as Denham, so she levels him with her slate-blue eyes.
There’s no softness there; just a hard, cold sneer.
“Call me … lover,” she drawls, the sickly sweet sound of her voice making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
I’ve never taken such an instant dislike to someone.
“This one you have here is pretty. Call me when you’re starting to get bored with her, maybe we can have a three-way.
It’s been a while since we’ve done that, and I know how much you enjoyed it.
” She ends her words with a loaded smile before stepping back and pressing the button to descend.
She manages to blow a kiss just before the elevator doors close.
“Fucking woman!” Denham yells. He pounds the elevator door with his free hand out of frustration, and I finally manage to wiggle my fingers out of his grasp, but he spins and reaches for me, his face softening. “I’m so sorry, Arianna, Amy is …”
While he searches for the words, I fill them in for him. “Your ex? A bitch? Psychopathic?”
He lets out a strained laugh. “Yes, all of those things plus a few more.”
“Was she the one you were arguing with the other day?”
“Yes.” His brows crease. “How did you know that?”
“The door was ajar when I came back and I heard a guitar playing, so I stood to listen. Then there was yelling, and I didn’t want to stand there and hear it all. It was none of my business.”
I clasp my hands in front of me and wonder if I’m strong enough to deal with his complications.
I have enough of my own without getting involved with a man who clearly has a very pissed off ex-girlfriend.
Plus, there’s the little mention of him being involved in a three-way.
I don’t know why that grates me, but it does.
It’s totally irrational that I don’t want him to have had an experience like that, and it’s even more irrational that I don’t want him to have been with anyone else, ever, in that way.
It’s jealousy that I can’t do anything about, but it’s there and I’ve never had to deal with it before.
“I’m sorry she was here. She must have been the one banging on my door this morning. When you heard us arguing it was because I’d taken her keys. She’s pissed at me for cutting her out of my personal life. I should have changed the code for the elevator …”
I just nod. If she hadn’t gotten up here, I might not have known about her at all, so best to get it all out in the open now. “You have any more ex-girlfriends I should know about?” I ask.
“None”
“Okay.” I hesitate before continuing. “Was she telling the truth about you having a threesome?” I don’t really know why I asked him that, but I want to know. I want to know what the chances are of him getting bored with me and needing more than I can give.
“Arianna.” He sighs. “I’ll tell you anything you want, but can we do it in my place …with coffee? I don’t really want to discuss this in the hallway.”
He holds out his hand for me to take and I gingerly place my hand in his.
He holds it tenderly and smiles to reassure me as we walk through his apartment.
He seats me at the breakfast bar and says nothing until he’s made me a coffee and changed into jeans and a black tee.
It’s such simple attire but really quite breathtaking on the right frame. And he has the right frame …
He rests his hands on the breakfast bar. “Can we talk while I cook?” he asks.
“Sure, you can talk and cook. I’ll listen.”
I watch him move around his kitchen, silently collecting ingredients for breakfast. He puts some bacon under the grill and whisks a mixture together for pancakes. “I’m sorry you had to bump into Amy like that. I would have told you about her you know?”
I raise my brows at him and say nothing.
“Okay, here it is in a nutshell … You know my dad died three years ago. Well, it was unexpected …” He takes a deep breath before he continues.
“He was shot. We never expected anything like that could happen to our little family and it chewed us up and spat us out. The Kingdom had debts and Dad was in trouble. Although I worked with him every day, I never knew the extent of the trouble we were in. I needed investors or it was going to be closed down. Amy invested. She is a silent partner in The Kingdom, and we were kind of together for a long time. It was comfortable, convenient.”
He looks up through his dark lashes warily, bracing his arms on the counter.
“If I had an itch, she scratched it. It was the same for her too. We used each other. It was unfulfilling, and was never meant to be long term. Before your crazy mind starts ticking away and coming to all the wrong conclusions, that is not what’s happening here.
You’re not some meaningless distraction that I want to forget about. ”
I nod slowly, taking it all in and processing his words. It’s a lot to process. I didn’t actually need him to tell me what was happening between us, and I’m hyper aware that what is happening with us is not meaningless.
“Wow, that’s a lot to take in,” I say, a little stunned “So you’re not grooming me to join in with one of your three-way sessions with her?” I look at him pointedly and he visibly shrinks.
“No! Fuck, I hate that she brought that up. Yes, we did it once, but like I said, she and I were insignificant.” He comes around to where I’m sitting and grips the back of the chair, turning me so I’m in front of him.
He pushes my knees apart with his legs and settles between them, then his hands cup my face and he tilts my head until we’re looking directly at each other.
“I know you must think I’m selfish and shallow after this morning, but I’m not.
I will not share you whether it’s male, female or battery operated.
I will be everything you need me to be and I’m damn sure I can satisfy you enough for you to never look any further.
” His determined explanation goes some way to reassuring me that I’m not a pawn in their twisted idea of a relationship.
“We have something Ari. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something.
Everything is different with you, and I don’t intend to let that go.
When I see that sparkle in your eye, and it’s coming in my direction, I feel like I’m holding all the aces.
” He searches my eyes for a reaction to his honest words.
“Does that scare you?” he asks sincerely.
“Yes,” I answer honestly. “It terrifies the hell out of me. I’ve been in two relationships, and both have ended very badly. I don’t want to be hurt again.”
“I won’t hurt you,” he says resolutely, and I believe him.
He’s right. This does feel different to anything else I’ve ever felt. I’m opening my heart wide and it scares me.
The smell of burning breaks the moment.
“Shit!” Denham flies around the breakfast bar and pulls some very black bacon from the grill, then drops the pan on the countertop and mutters expletives.
Laughter bubbles out of my chest. “Breakfast smells good, chef.”
“You distracted me! I can’t cook breakfast with distractions.”
“Me? I didn’t do anything!”
“You look too good. You smell too good. You taste too good …” His eyes narrow and he starts to walk slowly toward me. Every nerve starts to twitch as anticipation starts to take over and neither of us look away.
I’m determined not to break first, but my nerves get the better of me and I hop off the stool and run toward the balcony doors, laughing as I go.
He breaks a split second after me, but with the length of his legs and obvious prowess, he’s faster.
I manage to get to the leather couch before I’m tackled and brought down, trapped under his body as adrenaline runs rapidly through both of us.
Giggling and panting hard, we lie together in a heap of tangled arms and legs.
I have no doubt that I will never be left wanting with this man.
He thrills me. He electrifies my senses.
He warms my soul.