Page 70 of Secrets, Lies and Love

“I’m hungry too.”

“Come with me,” I say, offering my hand.

“I need to get dressed.”

“Are you ashamed of me?”

Her face flushes. “No. You’ve seen it all.”

“Yes, but I never get tired of seeing you naked. No one will come today, just the bodyguards, but they don’t come in when I’m here.”

I go to the closet and take out one of my shirts. I’ve already changed into boxers, so we’ll be relatively decent.

I stop in front of her and hold out the shirt, but when she starts to take it, I move away because I don’t want her to cover herself.

“I don’t know if I should lend you a shirt. Why hide my paradise?”

The blush increases. “You think I’m pretty?”

“No, I think you’re fucking perfect. Pretty doesn’t even come close to defining it.”

I see her hiding a smile at the compliment.

“You weren’t aware of that?”

“No. I’ve never given much importance to appearance, except at your brother’s wedding, when I felt like a princess.” She stretches out her hand. “Can I borrow it, please? I can’t eat naked.”

Instead of handing her the shirt, I move closer and put it on her. I fasten the buttons and roll the sleeves up to her elbows.

“I’m not a child. I could have done that on my own.”

“I know, but my need for control is too great.” Despite what I say, I am confused again because, yes, I am a born controller, but never in relation to my women, only to my life in general.

What the hell are you doing to me, girl?

“You said you felt like a princess at Madison and Zeus’s wedding. Never been to a party like that before?” I take her hand and pull her with me out the room.

“My hometown has five thousand inhabitants, and the people are simple. There are no parties like that. When they get married, it’s homemade food, loud music, and lots of dancing. Just that. No eight-thousand-dollar dresses.”

She pauses, and when I look at her, I see that she seems embarrassed.

“It makes me sick just thinking about how much it cost. Zoe forced me to accept it as a gift. And the sandals. I’ll never be able to pay her back.”

“I’ll have a credit card drawn up for you. Buy whatever you want.”

“No, my salary is already more than enough, and please, right now, I don’t want to talk about money.”

I stop walking and turn to face her. “Money is a means to an end. I just want you to have everything you want. It has nothing to do with what happened between us.”

“What I desire cannot be bought. Don’t worry, I don’t need anything. Unless there’s another wedding coming up soon. But I have more than a year’s worth of clothes. Elina changed my entire wardrobe when I started working at the library. I don’t like talking about money with you. It feels wrong after what we did.”

I look at her innocent face and understand for the first time that the difference between us is not just about age or social position. Cecily, no matter how sassy she is, is naïve and pure.

“I want to talk about our arrangement,” I say.

She stares at me in silence for a few seconds, and I know she understands what I’m talking about: I want more.

“I can’t think when I’m hungry. My stomach is growling, Mr. Kostanidis. I need a lot of food.”

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