Page 80 of Arrogant and Merciless

“I know I worked for your grandmother. How did you and I meet?”

“You don’t want to hear that.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

I try to resist, but I can’t. I lean down and whisper in her ear, “You were naked in my bathroom.”

“Oh!” She takes a step back. The blush on her face can’t be faked, but her skin is so fair she flushes easily, so I’ll never be sure. “What was I doing in your bathroom?”

“It was in the library, the one I built for my grandmother, but I was the one who used it.”

“Was I embarrassed?”

“If you were, you didn’t show it.”

“Was I forward?”

“No. I chased you.”

The memories I’ve kept locked away start coming back.

No, she was never forward, nor did she make things easy for me. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her, but she never threw herself at me.

Suddenly, she frowns—just like she did that day in the car when she remembered something. Confusion spreads across her face.

“What is it?”

“Your father offered me a job at a friend’s house.”

“What?”

“There was a night when he came to my work. I had just been fired . . .but I don’t remember why,” she says, frustrated. “It’s like watching a movie with a damaged reel—so many scenes are missing.”

“But you’re starting to remember.”

“I think so.”

“What did my father want with you, Taylor?”

A crease forms between her brows. “Like I said, he offered me a job. Something about spending a weekend at a friend’s house.”

“Go on.”

“There’s nothing else to say . . .No, wait. He said he wanted me to be safe, that he could protect me.” Her confusion deepens. “He used to say the same thing on the yacht—that he was my friend, my protector. My . . .”

“Fiancé?” I finish, recalling what my father told me over the phone.

She looks devastated. “So it was true?”

“What? That you were getting married? How the hell would I know?” I turn my back on her, trying to keep my temper in check. As much as I want answers so I can erase her from my mind once and for all, I hate hearing her talk about that bastard.

“William?” She steps in front of me.

“If you’re pregnant with my child, you’ll never see him again, Taylor. We’ll get married.”

“What? Are you insane? You hate me.”

“I don’t love you, but I wouldn’t say I hate you.”

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