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)
“Don’t go after her. I’ll go talk to her instead. You don’t deserve—-”
He cut her off flatly. “I may not deserve her, but I will still go after her.” For a moment, he wasn’t speaking to Diana as a brother, but as a man whose hold over his woman was being threatened – a man who would do anything to keep his woman in his possession.
“I’ll warn you just this once, Diana. Do not interfere. This is our business alone, not yours.”
Chapter 3
To trust a Greek billionaire, one must remember that he does not ever mean to hurt you. He only thinks he’s always right.
She said: Always.
He said: You will not get an argument from me about that.
MAIRI STOPPED MOVING only when her ill-exercised limbs were no longer able to work and her chest was heaving too hard for her to breathe properly.
She looked around, realizing a second later that she had run blindly to the back of the school, with the beach near enough that she could smell the salt in the air.
Hearing the lightest footsteps, Mairi assumed it was Diana looking for her and as she turned around, she tried to think of what to say that would not make her look like the fool she really was.
But again, Damen ended up surprising her.
“You!” She backed away immediately at the look of resolve on Damen’s face. Why was he here? Why had he come after her? What did he want?
So many questions she wanted to ask but didn’t. If she did, Mairi knew it would make her look like she still cared.
He took a step forward, and she backed up a step, too.
Damen stilled. “I’m not playing this game with you.”
“Good.” And then she turned around and started to run again.
What the fuck—-
He gave her one, two, three seconds, but when it was clear she really did intend to run away like a child, he swore under his breath and went after her.
“Stop!”
“No!”
“Stop!”
“NO!”
They had covered about ten meters of distance by then, and he did not care to cover another ten. Stopping, Damen said hardly, “If you do not stop running away from me, I shall let the school know about us.”
Mairi forced herself to stop, blanching at the threat. Spinning around to face him, she hissed, “Bastard!”
Damen stalked towards her. Everything inside her told Mairi to run away again, but she didn’t, gritting her teeth as she fought against her fears. She didn’t really even understand what was making her so terrified right now. All she knew was that if he came closer—-
Three feet.
She couldn’t think.
Two feet.
Oh God, if he came near her—-
One foot away now—-
Oh.
Mairi choked on an unexpected sob.
This was what she had been unconsciously afraid of, Mairi realized. That she would break down in his presence – again.
“Mairi—-” He reached out for her but stopped when she raised a trembling hand, doing it in a way that made it seem like she saw him as someone who could harm her.
His arm fell to his side, his chest constricting. He wanted to shake her, to shout that this was him, Damen – the man whose bed she belonged to. He would never hurt her, dammit. Never!
But of course that would be a lie.
“Tell me,” he said hoarsely.
Her stricken gaze lifted up to meet his.
“Tell me where you’re coming from, dammit. How could you think I’d ever believe that you’ve fallen in love with me in the span of a day—-”
Damen stopped speaking when a strange sound came from Mairi’s lips. An instant later, he realized she was close to being hysterical, her tears mingling with her laughter.
“Oh God, tell you?” She repeated his words with a choked, tear-stained laugh. “You wouldn’t believe me if I did.”
“I won’t believe you because it’s not true.” He wanted to force Mairi to see the truth in his words, but instead of shaming her into confessing that it was all a lie or a game to her, Mairi only sobbed harder.
“Tell you,” she repeated again. “Tell you where I'm coming from, you say. Fine – I’ll tell you.” Wiping the tears from her gaze, Mairi said, “I was young when my parents died and my mom’s older sisters took me in. They were both career-driven and childless and they didn’t know what to do with me. But because they loved me, they tried their best. And because I was used to being lulled to sleep with bedtime stories, they gave me that – only, their version of bedtime stories were found in drugstore paperbacks, where the heroes were almost always Greek billionaires and the girls were ordinary and nice and simple. Girls like me,” she said bitterly, “—-and guys like you, in other words.”
When Mairi looked at Damen, her face was ravaged with tears but her eyes were completely clear – completely transparent. “That’s why I fell in love with you so quickly. I thought you were like those guys from the books, but...you’re not. You’re not.”