Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
The gentleness of Damen’s tone enabled Alina to smile even as her heart continued to ache at the mere sight of him. He was dressed in another one of his exquisite handmade suits, his hair styled perfectly. The latter was rare for Damen, who she knew had not one vain bone in his body. It prompted her to ask haltingly, “Do you have somewhere important to go to after this?”
Damen’s lips curved in a slight smile. “Is it that obvious I took the time to comb my hair?”
Alina’s own smile widened, and the world around her seemed to be just a bit more colorful at the sight of Damen’s amusement. Oh God, she was so hopelessly in love with him.
If only there was something she could do to make Damen Leventis feel the same about her.
Swallowing back the lump of pain in her throat, Alina said teasingly, “I wasn’t even sure you were Damen Leventis when I first saw you.”
Damen feigned a grimace. “Ah. That bad then.” He watched Alina laugh, the tension gradually leaving her body. An air of fragility surrounded her, and it had him biding his time. He didn’t want to accidentally say or do something that could have her walls crumbling down.
When the sound of her laughter faded, Damen took it as his cue to speak and he asked carefully, “Are you still living in Stavros’ apartment?”
“No. I’m staying at one of my friends’ apartment.” She paused. “I don’t think I’ll ever come back to my father’s house. It might be more comfortable there, but it really was like a gilded cage. I like my life better now. I like being able to make my own decisions.”
He nodded. “That is how it should be.”
An uneasy silence fell between them. Alina placed her hands on her lap so Damen wouldn’t see her wringing them. Esther Leventis’ words echoed in her brain.
Damen will never listen to me, and I cannot blame him. I have betrayed him too many times. But you, Alina, he trusts you. You must make him see reason. You must make him see the truth about the woman he’s married. You must be the one to protect him because no one else can.
“Alina—-”
She said in a rush, “I love you.”
Damen stilled, the rest of what he had to say obliterated by Alina’s unexpected admission.
She gazed at Damen’s handsome face searchingly, hoping for a hint of softening. But there was none, his silvery eyes as inscrutable as the rest of his expression. Alina’s heart started to crack, but she forced herself to continue, reminding herself that she was doing this for Damen’s sake.
“The American with you all the time—-”
“Morrison,” Damen said, stiffening even more.
She looked him in the eye. “He’s Mairi’s lover.”
Seconds passed before Damen responded, two short words that tore her world apart. “I know.”
A cry of anguished surprise burst out from Alina. “And you still took her back?” She shook her head in pained confusion, the crack in her heart getting bigger and bigger as she was confronted with the reality of Damen’s love – of how he loved Mairi Tanner so damn much he was willing to turn a blind eye on reality.
“How could you, Damen?” she whispered. “How could you still marry her and...if what the tabloids are saying is true...you’ve even let that man live with you?”
The unspoken implication of Alina’s words slashed into him, but Damen pushed them away. He didn’t give a fuck if Alina and the whole world thought he was a fool for allowing Mairi and her ex-lover to live under one roof. They would never understand that having Mairi close was the only way for him to keep living.
He said tightly, “What happened between them is firmly in the past—-”
“You can’t know that for sure—-”
“She always sleeps in my bed—-”
She cried out, “She doesn’t need to be in his bed to betray you! She doesn’t need to fuck him to be in love with him!” Tears ravaged her voice as she whispered, “I know because you never had to take me to bed to make me fall in love with you.”
As she bent down her head to cry, she heard Damen say, “I’m sorry.”
And she knew that there was no way for her to win.
Damen would always love Mairi.
She didn’t lift her head when she heard him move, didn’t move a muscle even when she sensed Damen’s hesitation. He was standing right next to her, and Alina could feel his desire to touch her. She craved that touch, even knowing that it would only be Damen wanting to comfort her and nothing else.
Please. Please touch me.
But in the end, he did not.
“I don’t want you to think I do not appreciate your concern. I can’t see how you found out about it, but that doesn’t matter. I appreciate that you thought I needed the warning about...them...” Damen shoved his hands deep in his pockets. “You’re a beautiful person, Alina. Inside and out, and I hope that one day you’ll find the man who’s deserving of your love. But that man isn’t me. I love Mairi. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved, and I’ll always love her...even if I end up losing her to another man.”