Page 58 of The Sweetest Devotion

I only halfheartedly rolled my eyes. “Can’t help it that I have a heart. There’s still time foryouto grow one.”

Cain glanced down at his glass. “In another life, perhaps, I would’ve had a chance.” He observed me limply. “Guess we’ll never know.”

I didn’t know his entire life story, but it was clear that Cain wasn’t born this way. Rather, he was made.

His mother died young and suddenly. He had no father or other family to raise and nurture him. And then the foster care system had been cruel to what was left of the impressionable little boy.

I wanted to touch his scar, but I kept my hands in my lap instead.

I chewed on my cheek, feeling conflicted. “And when you said you wouldn’t cheat, you meant it?”

He nodded. “You never have to question your trust in me. I took a pay cut for you, to do that and fuck up by being weak would be foolish.”

“Pay cut?” I questioned.

Cain ran his finger along the rim of his glass. “Damon wasn’t going fifty/fifty after I proposed adding you to my end.”

Shit.

Cainwantedme. There was something off about him, but then there was something nice, too.

Blair swooped back by, and this time, to distract myself, I ordered a Sprite and forced myself to get a Mediterranean salad with salmon. Cain ordered wine and a lamb chop meal, and once more we were alone as Blair went to turn our orders into the cook.

Another song by Etta James was playing and around me I could see some men and women swaying to the melody and giving their lovers the eye.

Cain undid his cuffs and pushed his sleeves up, revealing naked skin. Aside from that thorny-stemmed rose tattoo on his hand, his skin was bare of ink. Tattoos didn’t quite seem his style anyway.

Blair came and handed me my Sprite and Cain his glass of red wine before going on to her other table.

“Can I ask you something?” I grew the courage to speak up. “I-I pretty much know the answer, but I gotta ask. Would you really do it? Would you kill someone who touched me?”

Cain didn’t even look at me as he answered. “In a second. I wouldn’t recommend testing that theory.”

My heart dropped. “I wouldn’t… I don’t think I’m worth it. The hassle of doing all this.”

“What’s mine is mine,” Cain declared. “I don’t like people touching what belongs to me.”

I belong to me.“How do you know I won’t go to the police?”

Fear didn’t register on Cain’s face. “Guess Idotrust you.”

Either that or he was arrogant.

“I am going to have my hands full in the coming weeks and months,” Cain said. “I’m aiming to open The Residence at Cartier next year.”

Next year? Most of my father’s hotels took more than a couple of years to go from designs to opening day.

“That can’t be done,” I commented.

“It can when you light a fire,” Cain responded. “I also think we should speed up the wedding, maybe do it in December.”

“Cain—”

“It’s just for appearance, mainly your father. I don’t want to push it and he notbehere in the end. We won’t have to consummate it or anything.”

A lump lodged in my throat at the possibility of my father passing before I saidI do. “We wouldn’t have to do anything?”

Cain shook his head. “You have my word. Not until you’re ready.”

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