Page 21 of The Photograph

Her fingers clench around the bulb of her glass.Nerves?“Good, thank you. What about yours?”

Coy and innocent, it is.“I won’t bore you with business talk.” I wince a little at the hardness of my tone. I have to be careful until she shows her hand.

When she bites her bottom lip and dips her eyes to her glass, I wait.Come on, make your move.

She raises her head.

Here it goes.

After setting her glass on the coffee table, she shifts to face me. Her long fingers curl her hair behind her ear, and she clears her throat.

“Gabe, you’ve been very generous, and I love the pendant.”

Did they not deliver the dress?

“But the other gifts, the dress and the bangle, it’s too much…”

Ah. The I couldn’t possibly accept something so expensive bullshit.Almost admiring the dedication she keeps at her sweet sex bomb persona, I lean in as she continues.

“…and it makes me a little uncomfortable.”

Chanel not good enough for you? Let’s see how much you think you’re really worth.

“Aelin, it’s—”

“Would you mind terribly if I return them?”

Fucking what?I exhale slowly to hide my anger, but not well enough because her eyes widen while she pales.

I hook my elbow over the back of the couch. “I bought them for you. Do whatever you want with them,” I grit between clenched teeth.

She sets her glass on the coffee table and when she turns to me, her eyes are soft. “Gabe, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It’s just … I understand you’re busy. You don’t need to send me gifts to apologize, your word is enough.”

Bullshit.“Good to know.”

After a couple of seconds of silence, Aelin pinches her lips and, in one graceful move, she picks up her clutch and gets to her feet. “I’m sorry. Maybe … me coming here was a mistake. I think it’s best if I go.”

What the f—?

As she rounds the table and hurries to the door, I leap off the sofa to catch her arm.

“Aelin.”

She twirls toward me, and her gaze locks onto mine. “Gabe, I don’t understand what you want.”

I tense. “What do you mean?”

She frowns and shakes her head slowly. “I haven’t… I don’t know how to play … those games, and I’m not even sure you’re—” She dips her chin before lifting her eyes up to mine.

“Why am I here?”

Because despite knowing what you did and what you are, I want to fuck you.

“I want you, Aelin.”

Her eyes darken and she touches my chest.

“I want you, too,” she whispers.

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