She stopped eating, giving me all of her attention. “Yeah… I can’t imagine.”
“This is the man I love. But I know everything Damien said is right. It’s not the kind of relationship that I want forever.”
“Then be with him until it burns out. You’re young.”
“I’ve thought of that, but I’m afraid it’ll just get harder and harder to leave.”
“Yeah…”
I pushed aside a big chunk of tomato then went straight for the cheese crumble. “I don’t understand why this is happening to me. I don’t know why I have to love a man who’s not right for me.” Why did the gypsy give me that reading? This was bound to happen whether I visited her or not, but why did it have to happen at all?
“I’m sorry, Cat. Did you tell him about all this?”
I shook my head. “No. If I do, he’ll try to talk me out of it, and I’ll be stuck. I need to think it over for a while, then make a clean break if I decide to.”
“Honestly, it sounds like you’ve already made up your mind.”
I looked at her. “Yeah?”
“It sounds like you’re going to leave him…eventually.”
I dropped my gaze, my heart breaking at the thought. What we had was real, true, and I didn’t want to live my life without that man beside me. But I didn’t want to lose my family either, lose the future I’d pictured in my head since I was young. My father wouldn’t be around much longer, and Damien would be the only family I had left.When I got home, Heath had already showered after his workout. He wore sweatpants without a shirt, standing in the kitchen while he put together a sandwich for lunch. His ribs were no longer wrapped and there were still blotches of discoloration on his skin, but he wasn’t the punching bag he used to be. His firm muscles were visible again, his fair skin beautiful now that some of it had healed.
He tore a few pieces of lettuce and placed it on top. “You want a sandwich?”
“No, I already ate.” He didn’t ask me where I’d been even though he knew I’d left the house. I moved into him, seeing the strong muscles of his back.
He turned to me, his arm circling my waist as he pulled me in. His face looked down into mine, and he stared at me like he was waiting for permission. His mouth wasn’t cut up anymore, and the swelling had gone down. He had even healed enough to shave.
We hadn’t kissed yet. He’d been too injured for that kind of affection. But now he looked at me like he wanted to, like he wanted to embrace me the way he used to. He tugged me a little closer, his large hand spreading across my entire back.
I rose on my tiptoes, my eyes open and locked on to his, and I kissed him.
He kissed me back, watching me with his possessive gaze.
Just like always, I felt it. Felt that powerful spark between our lips. My hand moved to his arm, and I felt his muscles, felt the powerful frame that was still strong under those bruises. I closed my eyes as I let my lips linger against his.
His other hand moved into my hair, sliding until he cupped the back of my head. He kissed me again, moaning between our breaths like he’d never had a kiss so good, even though we were barely moving our lips. It was our chemistry, our connection, that lit us on fire.
He pulled away and placed his forehead against mine, his eyes closed. “I can’t wait to make love to you.”
My hand cupped his cheek, looking up into the face of the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. The second we were apart, I was cold as ice, but when we were together, I melted all over again…became a slave to this powerful man. “You’re doing it right now.”I packed my bag on the edge of the bed and zipped it up.
Heath entered the bedroom but stopped when he noticed what I was doing. He leaned against the frame of the door, crossing his arms over his chest, like he intended to block my path so I could never leave.
“I have to work tonight…and tomorrow.”
He stared at me coldly, like he didn’t accept that answer.
I pulled the strap over my shoulder. “You’ll be fine without me.”
“I never needed you to begin with. It was just an excuse to have you here.” His voice was quiet, but it contained a natural amplification, like the depth of his voice made it more potent.
I moved around the bed and headed toward the door. “I can’t stay here all the time.”
“Why not?”
A sigh escaped my lips. “I’ll be back in a few days.” I approached the doorway and waited for him to move.