Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
What now?
My mind was so numb I could hardly think except to wonder over and over again.
What now?
There was a crunch of gravel behind me.
I didn’t turn.
I knew who it was.
A warm jacket settled over my shoulders. I rubbed my cheek against the soft fabric as I inhaled the spicy cologne scent.
Pierce wrapped his arms around me from behind and pulled me close.
“So, it’s done,” I whispered.
He rested his chin on my shoulder as he nuzzled my neck. “It’s done.”
“The police won’t—”
“The police will do as they are told.”
“And what exactly were they told?”
“The guests were told that a servant had injured themselves. As far as the police are concerned my brother is dead and buried. This corpse will be disposed of in an unmarked grave. Let the poor soul he took advantage of rest in a place of honor in our family plot.”
I stepped out of his arms. “How can you be so unfeeling to your own brother?”
Pierce advanced and placed his hands on my upper arms. “How can you offer him a shred of kindness, after all he has done?”
I sniffed. “Are his transgressions that much more egregious than your own? He acted out of bad temperament and bitterness. But what about you?”
“What about me?” he asked, each word slow and measured.
I backed up a step, too emotionally wrung out to be cautious. “You acted with cold calculation. You manipulated everyone around you for no other reason than you were bored.”
“My brother was planning on killing me, you remember?”
“And you will not convince me there was no other way to rectify that situation than blowing up my life!”
“What is this?”
“What do you mean?”
He moved forward.
Startled, I stumbled over my skirts as I attempted to move back.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. The wind swirled and whistled around us as we stood dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
He tightened his grasp as he growled, “Testing me.”
I searched his face as the words scratched and clawed at my throat. I tried to break free, but he wouldn’t allow it.
“Tell me,” he ordered.
Finally, unable to take it any longer, I blurted. “I don’t want to love you!”
His eyebrows rose. “What?”
Saltwater spray stung my cheeks as I cried out, “I don’t want to love you! I don’t want to forgive you. I don’t want to forget what you’ve done. I hate that I’ve started seeing you as a human being and not a monster.”
“Madison—”
I balled up my fists and beat them against his chest. “No. Don’t Madison me. I don’t want glimpses of your capacity for kindness. I don’t want your tenderness. I don’t want the hope that you…that you—”
I couldn’t finish. With a sob, I rested my forehead against his chest.
He gently cupped the back of my head and held me close.
We stood there for several minutes. Me enfolded within the confines of his jacket and held tightly within his embrace.
He remained silent.
Turning my head, I stared up at him. “Have you nothing to say?”
He looked down at me for another moment before caressing my cheek. “I love you.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
After a long silence, he looked out over the sea before returning his sharp gaze to me. “I have spent my entire life taking what I wanted and feeling nothing. I have burned things down and walked away from the flames without looking back. I have never once asked for anything I could not simply reach out and take."
He released me and stepped back.
The wind filled the space between us.
His throat contracted. “I am asking now."
I stared at him. The rising dawn light carved his face into something unfamiliar. Not gentle. Not soft. But open in a way that was almost violent in its raw intensity.
He continued. “I don't know how to be what you need. I know what I am. I know what I've done. I am not asking you to forgive it. I am not asking you to forget it. I am asking you to stay anyway."
I could only just stare up at him. At a loss for words.
He closed the distance between us and cupped my face, his palms warm against my chilled cheeks. “You said you don't want to love me. Too late, Madison. For both of us."
I laid my hand over his. “And if I need more time?”
"I will spend whatever time you give me making it worth what it cost you." His voice dropped to nothing. "Don't go, my sweet babygirl. Please.”
For the first time in his life, Pierce Worthington stood utterly still and let someone else hold the power. What folly to think I would ever use that power against him, against the man I was so desperately in love with.
Sunshine spread golden warmth between us.
I smiled. “In case you’re wondering…the moment I decided to stay…was when you said please.”