Page 105 of Bitter Heat

“Leave him to me.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know him like I do.”

“I know how he works.”

“But he means it. He’ll destroy you.”

“Don’t worry about that. Do you want to marry Ford?”

Before she met Roth, she thought she wanted Ford. Now she wasn’t sure. She hovered on the precipice.

Roth brought out a side of her she didn’t know existed. She didn’t have to put on an act. He liked her for who she was. For the first time in her life, she truly understood what it meant to be happy. All her life, she followed the path her father plotted out for her. She’d been content because she didn’t know anything existed beyond her father’s outline and then she met Roth. She loved the way he made her feel—empowered, desirable, strong. He listened to her and asked for her opinion. He made her yearn for a different path. With Ford, she already knew what her life would look like and where it ended. With Roth, the possibilities were endless. She had no idea how he felt about her, but he was offering marriage. Maybe he did love her.

“Jasmine.”

His voice was terse and impatient.

“What?”

“Stop thinking about what others want for you. Do you want him or not?” Roth bit out.

As she struggled to answer, he closed the distance between them.

“You don’t want him. You want me.”

Her lip trembled as she tried to keep her emotions contained.

“You want me, don’t you?”

With everything in her. “We can’t.”

“Why not?” he asked gently.

“My father’s going to…”

“What doyouwant?”

She hesitated.

“Come on,” he coaxed.

“I… I want you,” she said in a rush. “But I can’t have you!”

He caged her against him. “You can.”

He was willing to risk his livelihood on her? She couldn’t believe it. “No.”

“Don’t worry about your father or what people will say.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. “I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” He stroked her cheek. “Are you going to marry me?”

All the wounds her father inflicted instantly began to mend. Her heart swelled so large, she couldn’t take a breath. “Are you… Are you sure?”

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