Page 75 of The Prince's Game
“And I . . .” I had no idea how to respond to that. “I’m an idiot.”
“No, we’re both at fault here. I should have been more up front with you. Maybe then my proposal would have gone a little better.”
“Your proposal? How exactly? By reminding me about our contract?”
“Well, yeah. I thought it would make you smile, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.” He ran his hand through his hair and gave me a look. “You did not react at all how I expected.”
“You were reminding me that I had to reject your proposal, like you thought I’d renege on our agreement or something. I know I didn’t stay until the end to say no properly, but it pissed me off that you had the nerve to doubt me. You were mad that I didn’t have faith in you, so I’m sure you know how that felt.”
“Wait, you thought I was telling you to say no?”
“Isn’t that what you were doing?”
“No. I was trying to be cute, which clearly failed.” He combed his fingers through his hair and smiled sadly. “Did you even hear what I was saying when you rejected me?”
“Uh, I started to tune you out after you reminded me that you mean what you say.” Our catchphrase that I thought he was using to mock me.
“Then let me tell you where I was. I’d just said, ‘I’ve fallen in love with you, Sarah. I know it’s not what we agreed upon, but . . .’ and you cut me off to say, ‘I can’t.’?”
38
Red Lace
“I thought you chose the money over me, Sarah.” His quiet words suffocated me. My mouth was stuck in the open position and refused to close.He loves me? “I realized how I felt while we were in Iceland, which is why I suggested Thailand. When you suggested we stop seeing each other, I shut off my emotions and decided on an alternative plan to propose. I knew it was a gamble, but I thought you felt the same way, until you ran off. Then you showed up and asked me about the money.”
I gaped at him. “No, you accused me of being there about the money, and I answered sarcastically that I was.”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “More misconceptions.”
“No shit. I’ve never cared about the money. Okay, well, I did at first. It was my primary motivator for saying yes to our agreement, but I also stayed because I liked you. And that like grew into something foreign and scary, and—”
He pushed off the couch and was on me before I could finish. His lips captured mine, silencing anything else I would have said. I spread my knees to bring him closer, but he pulled me into his lap instead. I straddled him on the couch and grabbed his shoulders.God, I missed this.
The hand in my hair slid down to my neck as he devoured my mouth. Heat swam through my veins, touching each nerve and lighting my skin on fire. His tongue twisted with mine, reminding me that he was a master of seduction. It wouldn’t take much to get my clothes off tonight. Seven weeks without his touch left me craving anything he would be willing to give me, but there were things left unsaid between us.Why now?
I tore my mouth from his and narrowed my eyes. “If you love me, then why wait to come after me?”
He nipped my lower lip. “I thought you wanted my money, not me.”
“Yeah, but wasn’t it obvious when I didn’t take any of the funds?”
“No, I left my finance guy in charge of it, and he failed to mention that you weren’t using the money. And before you ask, I didn’t oversee the funds, because I didn’t want to think about you. Proposing and meaning it was hard enough. Having you reject me? It sucked, Sarah. Needless to say, I was pissed afterward.” Some of that anger still swirled in the depth of his eyes.
“Okay, so why now?”
“Will.” It was a short answer that had my eyebrows meeting my hairline. “He called me a week ago and asked if I was aware that you were working three jobs and living with Rachel. I was in Japan for work, so it took me a few days to get in touch with my finance guy. When he told me you weren’t returning his calls, I flew to Chicago.”
“When you showed up tonight, I thought you were upset that your investment wasn’t going anywhere.”
“The money had nothing to do with it. I was upset to see you not following your dreams, Sarah. As hurt as I was that you rejected me, I contented myself with knowing you were happy and pursuing your dream career. When I found out you weren’t, I dropped everything to figure out why.”
That was sweet in a way. He cared.Because he loves me. I cradled his face between my palms and kissed him. His tongue traced my lower lip before delving into the crevice of my mouth. His fingers tightened against my neck, holding me to him as he took control. Residual anger and passion made him rougher than usual, but it suited my mood. I was furious at him and myself for our poor communication.So many misunderstandings. . . They cost us seven weeks together. I should have told him how I felt, but he should have told me, too. We were both idiots.
He cursed when the doorbell to his suite rang. “That would be dinner.”
“If we ignore them, will they go away?”
“Not likely.”
