Page 39 of My Playboy Neighbor

Pieces clicked into place—his reaction to her photos, his fear of being exploited, his assumption that she might be using him.

"So when you saw my folder of pictures..."

"I panicked.Because this is exactly how Elena operated—collecting evidence, documenting private moments, building a case she could use later."He stepped closer, his voice urgent."I know it doesn't excuse what I said to you.I know you're nothing like her.But in that moment, all I could think about was how she'd done the same thing—made me believe she loved me while secretly planning my destruction."

She stared at him, seeing the fear and vulnerability he'd been hiding behind his anger."You thought I was setting you up."

"For about five minutes, yeah.Then I actually looked at those photos, really looked at them, and I realized they weren't evidence of manipulation.They were evidence of love."His voice broke slightly."Evidence of someone who saw beauty in my broken pieces instead of ammunition to use against me."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she understood the magnitude of what he was confessing.He wasn't just apologizing for his accusations—he was laying bare his deepest fears, the trauma that had shaped his inability to trust.

"I'm sorry," she whispered."I'm sorry she did that to you."

"Don't."His voice was fierce."Don't apologize for her actions.And don't let my damage be an excuse for how I treated you.You deserved better.You deserved trust, not suspicion."

She wiped her tears, studying his face."Is that why you've been so guarded?So afraid to let anyone close?"

"Elena taught me that vulnerability is a weapon people use against you.That the moment you let someone see your real self, they'll find a way to destroy you with it."He took a shaky breath."You're the first person since her who made me want to try anyway."

"And?"

"And I'm terrified," he admitted."Because what we have—what I feel for you—it's real in a way that what I had with Elena never was.Which means you could hurt me so much worse than she ever did."

Her heart broke and mended simultaneously at his honesty.This was what she'd been fighting for—not just his love, but his trust.His willingness to be vulnerable despite the risk.

"I love you," he said simply, and the words hung between them like a bridge neither of them had expected."I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified of that, but I'm more terrified of losing you.Of spending the rest of my life wondering what might have been if I'd been brave enough to admit what you mean to me."

Her heart stopped."You love me?"

"God, yes.I've been in love with you since that first day in the studio when you refused to be intimidated by me.Maybe even since Milan, when you chose not to sell photos of my breakdown."His voice was thick with emotion."I love your strength, your talent, the way you see beauty in broken things.I love how you challenge me, how you make me want to be honest instead of performing all the time."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as years of longing and hurt and hope collided in her chest."You have a hell of a way of showing it."

"I know.I'm learning that I'm terrible at this."His smile was tremulous, vulnerable in a way she'd never seen."But I want to learn.I want to learn how to love you the way you deserve to be loved.If you'll let me."

She stared at him, seeing past the famous face and perfect body to the man underneath—flawed, scared, but genuine.The Elena story explained so much about his walls, his fear, his need for control.

"What about your career?Your reputation?"

"Fuck my career."His vehemence surprised them both."I've spent fifteen years building a reputation that apparently crumbles the moment I show real emotion.But you—you're everything that actually matters."

"You don't mean that—"

"I do mean it."He reached for her hands, his touch gentle and reverent."I'd rather be nobody with you than somebody without you.I'd rather take pictures of you drinking coffee in the morning than pose for Vogue without you there to capture something real."

The careful distance she'd been maintaining dissolved under the weight of his honesty.His confession about Elena had changed everything—not because it excused his behavior, but because it helped her understand the depth of courage it had taken for him to trust her at all.

"You hurt me," she said quietly.

"I know.And I'll spend every day making up for that if you'll let me."He brought her hands to his lips, pressing soft kisses to her knuckles."Tell me what I need to do.Tell me how to fix this."

She looked into his eyes, seeing the truth there—not just love, but the kind of desperate need that matched her own."You need to trust me.Really trust me.No more walls, no more running when things get complicated."

"I can do that."

"And you need to let me in.All the way in.Not just your body, but your heart, your fears, your dreams."Her voice was steady despite the tears on her cheeks."If we do this, we do it completely.No more friends with benefits, no more casual arrangements."

"I want that.God, I want all of it."His hands framed her face, his thumbs brushing away her tears."I want everything with you."

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