Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 77841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“You're mistaken,” I argue. “Do you honestly believe that getting you to fall in love with me wasn't always part of the plan?”
She shakes her head and I don’t know if her denial is in the fact I’m saying I’m toying with her or that she doesn’t feel that way about me. The latter would be best for both of us, but I know better.
“The door’s right there, Raya,” I say, pointing over her shoulder toward the parking lot. “You'd have the freedom to leave. I won't try to stop you. This isn't a trick.”
She doesn't bother pulling her eyes from me and looking in that direction. Her chest is heaving up and down, and I want nothing more than to go to her and tell her I'm the biggest liar in the world. That I can't imagine my life without her. That I don’t imagine living long after she’s gone. But I can’t turn back now.
“No one’s stopping you from running back to Mommy and Daddy and going back to your five-star princess life. Nothing's keeping you from going back to that man you were going to be a whore for on the beach.” Bile burns my throat at the thought of her hooking up with Jackson Smith. It makes me want to murder the man. “Run back to the life you had because I know the life I can give you won't keep you happy. You're too fucking stuck up for this life.”
“I don't mind the bed or the bugs,” she argues. “I don't mind being on the run or sleeping in the car or walking a thousand miles to outrun the feds.”
I shake my head despite her saying exactly what I need to hear. Her idea of how things will be versus how they really will be are on two opposite sides of each other.
“There's nothing romantic or comforting about how our life will actually be. The whole idea of ‘love is all you need’ is complete bullshit when you never get a moment's rest. You have two options, Raya,” I say, having to clear my throat from the clog of emotions there. “You can go home and throw me under the bus, claim to be the victim despite me knowing that you're a whore for the game we've been playing for the last month. Or you can go home and tell Mommy and Daddy exactly how much you crave me. How it took less than two weeks for you to fuck yourself on a dildo, to please me.”
She takes a step back, shaking her head. “I can't do either of those things,” she says. “One would land you in jail and the other would ruin my father's reputation.”
I shrug as if whichever option she chooses matters. Even if I stay free, living without her is its own kind of prison. I throw my hands up in agitation. “If you can't make the choice, then I'll make the choice for you.” She swipes at more tears as they roll down her cheeks. “I'm not going to spend my life running. You're not worth it. It was a lot of fun while it lasted, but I'm bored.”
“You don't mean that,” she gasps.
“You care for me as much as I care?” I ask, shaking my head. “I don't fucking care about you. Do you really think you're the first woman I've ever taken and toyed with?”
Her sobs double and like the bastard I am, I use that as ammunition as well. I point at her. “See, you’re broken. I despise broken toys.”
She stumbles as she takes a step back and it takes everything in me not to reach for her in protection. When she reaches the door, all I want to do is stop her and beg her to stay, but I can't do that. I issue the final nail in the coffin.
“When you tell your daddy how much of a monster I am, don't leave out how hard I made you come, Raya. Let him know that the innocent little daughter he raised is all used up now.”
The slam of the door as she leaves triples the crack in my heart.
Chapter 34
Raya
I duck my head as I walk away, sobs racking my body. There are no raindrops falling from the sky to blame. I used the excuse numerous times as a teenager before I was able to get my emotions under control. How I feel right now is real and raw, less like the robot I had become before meeting Liam.
My chest aches with heartbreak, my heart broken from the words he said to me. I couldn't take it any longer. I had to walk away. I needed just a few minutes before going back and telling him that he's a coward for purposely trying to shove me away.