Page 194 of The Villain We Tempt
My throat bobs as anxiety twists through my stomach.
God, this is going to suck.
I exhale slowly. “Would you mind if we went somewhere that isn't in Hawthorne Hollow?”
Ugh, he reads me instantly. I can see it right there in his eyes.
Lochlan clears his throat. “Worried about being seen with me, little villain?”
My lips twist. “N-no.” I shake my head. “Not at all.”
His brow arches. “By which you meankind of, a little, yes?”
I groan, dropping my face into my hands.
“This is going to sound so fucking stupid.”
“I promise you, it’s not,” he murmurs gently.
Finally, I spit it out. “I don’t want people to think I’m just one of your girls.”
The bathroom goes silent.
I slowly raise my gaze to his, cringing a little both at myself and the dark look on his face.
“One of mygirls,” he murmurs.
My mouth twists. “Look, it’s just…I mean…”
Why thefuckcan’t I put this into words?
Just as I’m trying again, Lochlan reaches up and cups my face with his big hand. He lifts my worried eyes to his and nods.
“You’re worried about my past and my reputation affecting yours if we’re seen to be together-together.”
I wince. “Ugh, that sounds ten times worse,” I groan.
He just strokes my cheek with his thumb and locks his gaze with mine.
“You are not, nor could you ever be, ‘just’anything, Galina,” he says softly. “I meant what I said before. There isno oneelse up here”…he taps his temple…“or in here”…his hand drops to his heart…“but you.”
“I know,” I whisper. “It’s just?—”
“You don’t want people to see us together and start taking bets on how long it'll be before I move on to the next groupie.”
My jaw tightens, and that green-eyed monster flashes in my eyes.
“That isnotgoing to happen, baby,” he hisses intensely. “There’s no 'moving on' from you, I promise you.”
Fuck.
How does he always know exactly what to say not only to make me feel better, but also to make me know unquestionably that he means it?
I mean,swoon.
He cups my face with both hands and looks me right in the eye. “It's okay. No one needs to know about us until you’re ready, baby.”
My nose scrunches up. “I know I sound like a cunt. And I feel like I’m totally slut-shaming you, even though it’s none of my business?—”
