Page 129 of The One
Oh God!
It’s the natural progression of things.
My assumption seems confirmed when we reach the first landing.
Mateo doesn’t release my hand to bid me goodnight or let me head down the corridor to my room. Instead, he tightens his grip, tugging gently as he leads me up the first few steps toward the top floor.
The floor that houses his suite. His bedroom.
My hands begin to tremble, my legs freezing on the spot.
No!
I can’t.
As infatuated as I am with Mateo, as much as this crazy energy between us crackles whenever we’re together, I can’t be just another one of his conquests.
The mere idea that he sees me as just that sends a crushing weight through my chest.
I yank my hand from his, my fingers clutching the banister as if it’s the only thing keeping me upright.
“I can’t,” I gasp, wishing my voice sounded stronger.
He knows it’s expected of girls in our circles to remain untouched until their wedding night, especially when they’re nothing more than pieces on a chessboard, like me and my sisters.
If my father knew Isabella wasn’t a virgin anymore, all hell would break loose.
Mateo knows the expectation!
Hell, he’ll probably demand it of his own bride one day. And yet, he wants to drag me to his bedroom? He really does think I’m just like all the others.
My throat burns, and my eyes sting with the threat of tears. My disappointment is suffocating.
Something inside me breaks.
But I won’t let myself become another name on his long list of fleeting affairs.
“I’m not a whore,” I push out through the lump in my throat.
But I behaved like one.
This is on me.
He’s just being who he always is.
He steps back, as though my words physically struck him, his eyes clouding with a mix of surprise and horror.
Yeah right. As if he’d waste a second worrying about what I think.
Mortified, and with a barrage of tears I can’t hold back any longer, I turn to run to my room.
My feet barely touch the bottom step when a strong arm snakes around my waist, lifting me off the ground as if I’m light as a feather.
“Let go of me,” I sob, struggling against his hold.
I lash out, kicking at him, desperate to inflict even a sliver of the pain that’s tearing me apart inside.
How could I have been so foolish to believe a man like Mateo could ever want more between us?
