Page 63 of The House Guest
I cringed. There was no way Dorian could spin the story so I didn’t sound like a complete lunatic.
“It’s a long story. But she freaked out a little because of how fast things have moved. She says she loves me, yetI think she’s afraid to fully trust me. That’s partly my fault because I told her I wasn’t into monogamous relationships when we first met. So I can’t blame her. But she’s changed how I feel about that. I just have to accept that trust takes time. It can only be earned.”
“Well, I hope you told her how you feel.”
“I told her I loved her. And I do.”
“Wow.”
“I know, right?”
“And she said it back?”
“Yeah.” Dorian paused. “You know, I always thought when I found someone, I’d have this worry in the back of my mind, wondering if she loved me for me, or whether somehow she was after my money. But with Primrose? I know it’s not about that. We have this natural connection that leaves no doubt. She looks at me, and my feelings for her are reflected back. Like we’re both on the same page. I’ve never had that synchronicity with anyone before. I never imagined I’d fall in love this fast. But here I am.”
I pulled in a breath. My heart was beyond full. Between the tears I’d shed over Candace and Chandler’s love and now this, I felt ready to burst.
I waited for another pause in their conversation to pretend I was just entering the room.
When it finally came, I cleared my throat as I came around the corner, trying to seem nonchalant. “Your ladies are hungry.”
They both turned.
Dorian stood. “Sorry, Rosebud. We’ve been yapping.”
Chandler arched a brow. “Rosebud?”
Dorian shrugged.
Chandler punched him playfully in the arm. “You got it bad, dude.”
“That I do.” Dorian put his hand at the small of my back as we headed to the kitchen.
I felt like I was walking on air. He had no idea how much peace that conversation had given me. There was something so endearing about overhearing someone talking about you. No ulterior motives, nothing to prove. Just pure honesty. Though I had believed him when he’d poured his heart out this morning, any remaining doubt had been removed after hearing him tell his closest friend he was in love with me.
For the rest of that evening, I was on cloud nine. And with each passing day for the next couple of months, I fell more deeply in love with Dorian Vanderbilt—until the day my worst fears started to come true.
CHAPTER 17
Finally, my paranoia had gotten the best of me. After Dorian took off for a business trip to London, I’d invited Janelle over one Saturday evening for an emergency analysis of the situation. As I waited for her to arrive, I ruminated about everything all over again.
I could pinpoint the day Dorian had started acting strange. It was about two weeks ago, a little over three months after he and I had made a commitment to each other.
He’d gone to work that morning without saying goodbye. Normally, he’d kiss me and whisper something in my ear. Then, with a smile, I’d roll over and go back to sleep. But that morning two weeks ago was the first time Dorian didn’t wake me up.
I would’ve thought nothing of it if the rest of the day hadn’t also been strange. He didn’t respond to my texts the way he usually did, and that night he told me he hadto work late and didn’t come home until almost midnight. Every day since had been more ominous than the last.
A few days into his change in attitude, I’d confronted him about whether something was wrong. He said he’d encountered some unexpected hiccups at work and apologized in advance that he might not be able to give me the attention I deserved for a while. That night, we’d made love, but it had felt different—like Dorian’s mind was somewhere else. He hadn’t looked me in the eyes once or said anything.
I tried to chalk it up to stress, which certainly can impede someone’s ability to fully immerse themselves in a sexual experience. I went to sleep that night praying it was just one bad day.
But the next day had been almost exactly the same. While he’d kissed me before he left for work that morning, he’d once again worked so late that I didn’t get to see him until we lay in bed together. Things got progressively worse over the week that followed.
Then a few days ago, Dorian had announced that he was going to have to travel to London for business. This was the first time he’d left me alone in this house since the day he arrived after his father’s death.
As much as I hadn’t wanted to be alone and had dreaded his leaving, I had no choice but to accept it. I’d just wished I hadn’t had the weird feeling that something was off before he had to go. It made me worry that perhaps he wasn’t being forthright about the reason for the trip.
Once Janelle arrived, she sat across from me in the kitchen, leaning her elbows on the table. I could tell by her face that I’d alarmed her.
