Page 45 of Glorious Sinner

“He’s not going to give up, is he?” she said, panic clear in her voice.

I held her tighter. “Steph…”

She gripped the front of my shirt. “I found my old phone in your desk. I saw Ryan’s texts. He means it, he does. He’s going to hurt you, he’s going to—”

“He won’t, Stephanie. That fucker won’t come near either of us. He’s living rough, making it hard to find him, but I will. I promise you that.” I gently lifted her chin so I could see her face but she kept her eyes averted. “But that’s not what this is about, not really, is it?”

She didn’t answer and still wouldn’t look at me.

“Steph?”

Finally, she looked up at me and, shit, the look in her eyes destroyed me, but not as much as the words that came out of her mouth. “This…this isn’t real, is it?”

“What?” I whispered.

“How can you want me?” she said, starting to sound hysterical. “You see me as this broken…thing. Not a woman; a broken, damaged bird, her wings clipped. Pathetic, helpless. That how you see me.”

I stared at her, stunned. How could she think that? “Where’s this coming from?”

“Or do you look at me, the scars, remember the bruises I had after you saved me, and see your mother?” Her lips trembled, tears streaming down her face.

I froze. There was no accusation in her voice, just pain and fear. Fear that what she was saying was the truth. Jesus fucking Christ. I brushed her hair back carefully, trying to control my own fear that I could lose her. That she could walk away from me if she believed this bullshit. “Who told you about my mother?”

“Does it matter?” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you hide your past from me? It’s because it’s true, isn’t it? You want to save me because you were too young to save your mother from your father?”

Her words were a knife to the chest, cracking what was left of the stone around my heart, releasing all the pain and hurt I’d locked away. It wasn’t hard to figure out who told her about my family. Willa and her were close. Jude knew my history, had seen the bruises. I shook my head. “You’re wrong, Angel, so fucking wrong.”

“Am I?” More tears streamed down her face.

I brushed them away, the knife twisting. “I told you that I’ve wanted you since I first saw you, and I wasn’t lying. Christ, Stephanie, I’m in love with you.”

She stilled in my arms, her eyes widening. “What did you say?”

“I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for a fucking long time, but you weren’t ready for me, not back then and not a year ago. Why do you think I came in to see you nearly every day? I was waiting for you, for that emptiness to leave your eyes, for you to tell me you were ready, that you wanted me, too.” My voice sounded wrecked, my words coming out harsher than I’d intended, but, fuck, I was so in love with this woman and she couldn’t see it. That hurt. I knew it was unreasonable of me, but it hurt all the same.

“You love me?” she whispered.

“Jesus, woman, of course I do. I’d give it all up for you, all of this. I’ve already started. I closed down several of my operations right after you came back into my life. Shit that I didn’t want any part of anymore. Because you make me want to be a better man, Stephanie.”

She blinked up at me, the tears not slowing. “You did that for me?” she said.

“Nothing else matters but you,” I said simply.

Her hand lifted to my face, her eyes searching mine. “I love you, too, you know?”

All the breath was punched from my lungs. I stared into her green eyes, heart pounding. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that from you?”

“This is the first time I’ve truly understood what it meant,” she said.

“Kiss me,” I growled.

Her fingers curled around the back of my neck and she did as I asked. She kissed me. A press of lips that wasn’t enough. I was about to take over when she pulled back a little.

“Make love to me, Tomas,” she said, a breathless hitch to her voice that had my gut in knots. “Please.” And then she kissed me again, this time holding nothing back.

13

Stephanie