Chapter 25
POV
“Did you really not think of me when you flew back here from another fucking country?
Dorian’s question hung i in the air like smoke, suffocating His calloused grip on my waist was tight, keeping i
gme trapped in place, my body pressed against his as I sat on his lap. His thumb grazed my chin, rough yet tender, as if he was daring me to lie to him. The sharp edge of his words still burned in the air around us, and I felt my pulse quicken, my thoughts scrambling for something–anything that wouldn’t set him off furtherr
But how could I answer that? How could I tell him the truth when it wasn’t just about him?
ir my mother, for the mess that was my
No, I didn’t think about you. It was a he, but it was also true. I hadn’t come back to him, I’d come back for my family, for the chaos my stepfather had wrapped around me like a noose.
But not for him.
Yet there he was, looking at me like he was daring me to say otherwise, eyes burning with more than just anger. There was hurt, too, deep and raw, something I couldn’t fix even if I wanted to Furk
“Talidn’t-“My voice came out too shaky, too weak. I cleared my throat, trying again. “I didn’t come bark just for Scoot. You know that..”
Dorian’s lips twisted into something that wasn’t quite a smile, more like a sneer, and it made my chest tighten. “Then for what, huh?” His voice was low, dangerous “For your Mom?” He leaned in closer, his breaths hot against my skin. “Or was it just to make sure your little stepbrother got what he
I winced at the mention of Scott. That name alone was enough to make me want to crawl out of my skin, but the way Dorian said it—with that bitternesss, like he was spitting poison–it made everything worse.
“You think I’m doing this because I want to!” I shot back, my frustration bubbling over before 1 could stop in. “I’m trying to keep the peace, Dorian For my mother. You think I give a damn about what my stepfather wants?”
His grip on my
waist tightened, and I felt the heat of his body sear through my clothes. His face hardened, jaw clenched, but his eyes–there was something deeper, something wounded. His anger wasn’t just about Scott. It wasn’t just about my stepfather.
It was about me.
Fuck
He let out a harsh laugh, but there was no humor in it. “So that’s it! Just to make sure Scott gets what he wants, huh? You’ll throw yourself at me for thgat?” His voice was venomous, dripping with accusation, and I could feel the burn of every word.
“Did you even think about me, Selene? Or was this all just a fucking game?”
I froer, hiss words surged onto me. The Greek God before me is showing a weakness–his Achilless‘ heel and it’s me. My mind raced for an answer, but there was nothing. Nothing that wouldn’t sound like a lie. Nothing that wouldn’t shatter whatever fragile thing burning in those sage green eyes of Dorian I have loved so much back then.
Bold of him to say that when he was the one who abandoned me. Hold of him.
I hated how close he was, how much his presence consumed me, but I hated even more how much I felt drawn to him despite everything. Despite the anger, despite the bitterness, despite the past we could never undo, Amara is here now, so is their child. I have no room in the picture even if I for e myself in, so why is mihe making it seem like he would fuckig enlarge the frame just so I would be in his life again!
His hand slid from any chin to the back at my neck, pulling me closer until his lips were almost brushing mine. His eyes, dark and intense, searched mine for something–anything—but I couldn’t give him what he wanted. I didn’t even know what he wanted.
“Tell me.” he whispered, his voice softer now, almost desperate. “Tell me you thought about me, Selene”
My heart hammered against my ribs, and I could barely breathe under table clattering at my squirming to pull away, but his hand at my neck held me in place. His other hand moved to my lower back, fingers pressing
his gaze. I tried to move, the sound of the steel–made equipments on the like far was afraud Til slips awayy
Dude’i thank about you. That’s what I should’ve said. But I couldn’t. Not when he was looking at me
it my throat, tangled up with everything else I couldn’t say.
gat me like thi
that. Not when his touch sent sparks
He waited, his breathing heavy, his chest rising and falling beneath me. The space between us felt suffocating, but I couldn’t into the back of my ek, not painfully, but enought to remind ine that I wasn’t going anywhere until he got an answer.
move. His fingers dug
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Chapter 23
Han what answver could I give him!
“I did,” I finally whispered, my voice barely audible. It was the closest thing to the truth I could give him, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.
Dorian’s expression softened, just for a second, before that familiar coldness returned. He pulled me closer, his forehead brushing against mine. “That’s not good enough,” he growled, his lips grazing the corner of my mouth.
And then, without warning, he let go, pushing me off his lap and standing up, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t quite place. Something that looked too much like disappointment.
help Scott” he muttered, turning his back to me. His voice was low, rough.
“But don’t fucking lie to me again.”
I opened my mouth to say something, to fight back, to apologize–1 don’t even know anymore–but the words stuck in my throat. for me to speak, didn’t look back as he walked toward the door, leaving me sitting there in the sterile, too–bright room, my heart mind still spinning
wall
racing, my
As the door clicked shut, the silence felt deafening. And just before he vanished, I heard him say, low and twisted, “I do whatever it takes to get you back, whether you like it or not”
I felt a wave of uncase crash over me. This wasn’t what I wanted, definitely not what I needed. Dorian helping Scott? It felt wrong, like I walking into a trap. He wasn’t doing it out of some sense of responsibility. It was about control, about keeping me close.
Still, a small part of me wondered why shouldn’t be relieved? He was making things easier for me. If he handled Scott, I wouldn’t have to. I could stay in the background, watch it all play out. As long as I got what I needed, what did it matter who was pulling the strings
But I knew better. Dorian’s help always came with a price. I wasn’t stupid. He wanted something from me, something I wasn’t willing to givee.
Theed to go
1 packed up the first aid kit quickly, my hands moving faster than my brain could keep up. The smell of blood and Dorian’s scent still lingered, clinging to me like a bad memory. I just needed to get out of heret
Throwing the kat over my shoulder, I headed for the door. This was temporary I reminded myself of that with every step. Just a means to an end. Dorian could play whatever game lae wanted, but one this was over, Fl be gone.
mattered
