Page 57 of Lust & Lies
The plan had been simple. Make sure Noe never ended up at the warehouse during that time, and make sure the explosion took down the entire building. I’d personally gone to the site with my team to make sure there were no fuck ups.
Everything had gone according to plan. Except that Noe’s stubborn ass had gotten into an argument with the person I’dsent to bring her to me and keep her away from the warehouse. That argument led to the unplanned car wreck.
The car crash had thrown a wrench in my plans. I’d nearly lost my fucking mind when I’d gotten the call. I’d rushed to her side. Watching her in that hospital bed, pale and fragile, wounded because of me, had filled me with so much damn guilt.
The doctors I brought in had assured me that she would be fine. They’d followed my instructions, handling things the way I’d told them, saying what I’d wanted them to say, falsifying records the way I’d instructed them to.
And I’d remained by her side during her entire treatment, making sure she got the best care, making sure she was never alone. The only time I’d left her was to go to her funeral and stare at a closed casket that contained no body.
After the funeral, I returned to Noe’s side, where I remained until she woke up. When she’d awakened with no memory of me, that had felt like both a knife to the gut and a gift wrapped with a bow at the same time.
It hurt because she didn’t remember our love, didn’t remember how far we’d come, didn’t remember any of the special moments we’d shared or the promises we’d made. It was a gift because she also didn’t remember the pain, the fights, the nonsense that had torn us apart, none of it.
That gave us a chance at a fresh start. It gave me the opportunity to give her the life she was always meant to have... with me. But if her memory returned, would she see things my way, or would she think I was no different than my grandfather?
Would she forgive me for the past? Would she forgive me for our time apart? Or would she want to go back to her life without me? Back to the man she didn’t love, the one grandfather had chosen for her?
Fuck that!I was never letting her go back to that asshole and that loveless relationship. I rubbed a hand over my face, then let it fall to the desk, fingers curling into a fist against the wood.
It didn’t matter how she saw things if she got her memory back. I’d told her there was no leaving, and I’d meant it. I’d tried to take my time with her, but she’d rushed things. She’d stared at me with love in her eyes.
She’d kissed me so fucking tenderly, smiled at me so damn sweetly. I fell asleep holding her in my arms yesterday. I hadn’t done that in so damn long. How the hell could I let her go after all that?
I wouldn’t. I refused to. I was confident that I could rebuild the relationship we’d lost. And yet, there was a part of me, a tiny, unwanted part, that wondered if love rebuilt on shaky ground, trust rebuilt on lies, could withstand the truth when it finally broke through.
That thought made my chest ache, and the ache made me angry. I didn’t have time for doubts. I didn’t want to bother with these types of questions and possibilities. I wanted her. I had her. And I’d do whatever it took to keep her. That’s it.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and told myself that Grandfather wouldn’t find anything that pointed to Noe still being alive during his investigation. The bastard he’d chosen for her would not notice anything strange about me and my actions.
And if he did somehow catch on, I’d kill him. He didn’t deserve Noe anyway. And if Grandfather grew suspicious of me, I’d take Noe and leave Mississippi. Opening my eyes, I exhaled slowly.
Everything would be alright as long as I stuck to my plan and stayed three steps ahead of my grandfather and Seo-Jin. I already had my guys watching over Seo-Jin. If he came near any of my properties, they would alert me.
If he knew what was good for him, he’d stay the fuck away from me. I took a few more seconds to calm myself and assure myself that nothing was going to go wrong with my plan. When I finally stared at the clock again, I cursed.
Damn, I hadn’t meant to stay away from her for that long. I rose from my seat and left my office. When I eased the bedroom door open and peered into the room, I found my Noe curled up on her side with the cover pulled over her.
There was no way she’d fallen asleep that fast. Was she mad at me for being gone too long? If so, I had no problem licking the anger out of her, then fucking her until she was smiling again.
I entered the room and shut the door as quietly as I could. She didn’t stir. I eased into bed, closing the space between us until her warmth brushed against me. Pulling the cover back just enough, I found her still bare beneath it.
My mouth went to her shoulder, pressing a soft kiss there as my cock stirred, waking up again. I trailed my lips up the curve of her neck, breathing her in. We’d only been apart for a few minutes, yet I’d missed her.
I was gone for this woman. Crazy about her. Obsessed with every part of her... mind, body, and soul. As I wrapped my arm around her, she stirred, stretching before rolling onto her back and staring up at me.
“You’re back,” she murmured, voice still heavy from sleep.
“You were really asleep, huh?” I said, watching her lashes flutter.
A faint, drowsy smile touched her lips. “Sorry. I tried to wait up, but it got chilly, so I pulled the covers over me. After that, it was a wrap. I don’t even remember falling asleep.”
“That’s okay.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Go back to sleep.”
“What about you?” she said, then yawned. “I got mine, but you didn’t get yours.”
“I’ll get mine when we wake up,” I told her.
“You sure?”
