Page 53 of The Vow

“Ask me anything,” he begged, his decadent lips charting a course along my jaw to my ear, where he repeated the sentiment.

Anything.

The plea anchored this moment to our kiss at the party, and the butterflies in my stomach fell like their wings had turned to lead. This was nothing more than his next move—the next step in whatever his plan was to win me back.

“I know you want to.”

I shivered, feeling the questions about our past hanging like fishing hooks on my tongue, drawing my writhing, resistant mind toward his answers.

I wasn’t afraid of the truth. I wasn’t even afraid to learn he hadn’t been lying. I wasn’t even afraid of having him again.God knew I was the opposite of afraid for that.

I was afraid of having something to lose. Of having him to lose again. That was what had almost destroyed me all those years ago. Not his disappearance. Not his treason. Not his personal betrayal. It was the unadulterated assault of loss that crippled me.

“Just one question,” he said, his lips taking mine again. I sank into the kiss, allowing myself into the underwater of desire for one last moment before I had to come up for air.To survive.

I clamped my teeth onto his bottom lip, biting it hard enough to draw a slice of blood as he drew back with a hungry hiss.

“Robber…” he growled low, his tongue licking away the film of red.

Swallowing, I mined the lust glimmering in his eyes, saving it for later when I could carve it into a memory. And then I tipped my head and murmured, “What time are we leaving tomorrow?”

My question wasn’t what he was expecting or wanting on many levels, and I used the surprise to step out of his hold.

“That’s my one question.” I angled my head, daring him to deny me an answer. He tried to reach for me again, but I backed farther away, demanding one last time, “What time?”

His shoulders lowered then, his head hanging in the first sign of defeat I’d seen. Scraping a hand through his hair, Damon looked up, his gaze begging forgiveness as he said, “You’llfind out tomorrow.”

My heart thundered.Of course.A sad smile creased my lips at the calm civility of his cruelty.

Shaking my head, I turned and walked away. I made it all the way to the stairs before I stopped and looked back. Damon hadn’t moved like the war inside him shackled him to the spot.

“You wonder why I don’t care about your truth,” I told him. “It’s because you dole it out in pieces just like that puzzle, and I know I’ll never get the full picture until it’s too late.”

Chapter Fifteen

Damon

“Idon’t like this, Damon.”

Running my fingertip along the felt edge of my hat, I met Pat’s eyes in the rearview mirror and smirked.

“There aren’t too many things you do like, Pat.”

The larger man grunted, and I turned my eyes to the window.

GrowTech’s headquarters stretched like a hangman up to the sky, the shadow of the towering skyscraper swinging like a noose over the surrounding buildings.

“At least let me come with you.”

“You know I can’t.” Belmont specified I come alone, and I wouldn’t jeopardize my plan even though I knew what awaited me inside.

Few people were allowed to get close to me. A hazard and necessary caution of the world I operated in. Of those who did, few were people I liked. And of the ones I liked, only Pat did I trust with my life.

I’d had less than a handful of close associates over the years; some might consider those men my friends, if men like me had such things. Less than a handful knew the truth of my auspicious origins, Pat being one of the lucky few. He saved my life no less than a dozen times, taken a bullet for me twice, and for some reason, that made the surly bastard believe he had the right to voice his opinion about my decisions.

“He’s going to hurt you.”

My jaw pulsed, and then I smiled. “Can’t be worse than what the Yakuza did to me in prison.”

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