I stayed rooted to the spot where I stood, breathing through the pain in my chest. I’d been half asleep through most of that conversation, but now I was wide awake. Maybe it was wrong of me to accuse him of sneaking around, but I’d seen those lipstick marks on his neck too many times. If he’d given me a better explanation of what he was doing, perhaps I wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.
But regardless, I was pissed.
I had breakfast alone, then worked in the stables. But no amount of hard work could make me sweat out my anger. I was angry with Conway, and I was even angrier that he hadn’t apologized.
He’d kicked me out of my own room.
After working all day, I headed back to my old bedroom and showered. It was seven in the evening, and I was starving because I’d skipped lunch. After being on my feet all day, my stomach growled, and my limbs felt weak. But I refused to eat with Conway, so I asked Dante to bring dinner to me.
When he set up two place settings at my table, I knew I wouldn’t be dining alone.
Shit.
Conway walked in a moment later, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. It didn’t matter how handsome he looked, how nice his chiseled face appeared after he shaved. I was still pissed at him, still suspicious of him. Maybe I jumped to conclusions, but he gave me a reason to. He stared at me coldly as he sat across from me and dropped his napkin onto his lap.
Dante removed the stainless-steel lids from our plates, then left us alone to dine in my old bedroom.
Conway picked up his utensils and cut into his chicken, lowering his gaze to follow his movements. He didn’t pretend everything was normal, but he didn’t address the issue that was silently throbbing between us.
I didn’t bother asking him to leave. This was his house, and despite my anger, he had all the power. All I could do was walk out myself, but I was way too hungry for that. My conversation with Andrew Lexington came back to me. He offered me a way out, a way to pay back Conway along with my other debts. I could start over and be a free woman once more. I rejected the idea instantly because I couldn’t picture walking away from Conway.
But now, I was having second thoughts.
“How’s your dinner?” he asked before he took a bite.
I stared at him incredulously. “We’re just going to pretend last night didn’t happen?”
“No.” He drank his scotch. “But I assumed we would move past it.”
“So basically…pretend it didn’t happen?” I snapped.
He dropped his utensils onto his plate and stared me down coldly. “What do you want to talk about? No, I wasn’t out with another woman. This is a perfect opportunity for you to apologize to me for the accusation.”
“Apologize?” The word could barely escape my throat because it felt so wrong. “You kicked me out of my own room.”
“And I would do it again in a heartbeat. No one speaks to me that way.”
“Except the woman you’re living with. Yes, I will speak to you however I want. I will say the things you need to hear because I’m not a servant or an employee. I’m your woman—and I’ve earned the right.”
Slowly, his angry expression simmered down. His eyes weren’t so icy, his demeanor wasn’t so cold.
“Tell me why you left in the middle of the night.”
“Work.”
“What kind of work would be so important?”
He drank his scotch again, his throat shifting as he swallowed. “Muse, you need to trust me.”
“Why should I? You’ve lied to me before.”
He leaned forward over the table. “You know why I lied. It wasn’t because I was trying to be deceitful.”
“Actually, that was exactly what you were doing.”
His eyes narrowed again. “You don’t need to worry about what I was doing last night. If I wanted to get laid, I would just roll you over and take you in the middle of the night. Why the fuck would I want someone else when I have you? Why would I invite you into my bedroom if I didn’t want you every single night? Stop overreacting and think logically for a second. You’re smarter than that, Muse. I know you are.”
Maybe he was right. Maybe I was overreacting. “That doesn’t explain why you won’t tell me what you were doing.”
“I will—just not right now.”
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Because I’m not ready to.”
I wanted to press him, but I knew it wouldn’t get me anywhere. I was still upset about the whole thing, but I believed him. I believed he hadn’t been sneaking around. I believed he was a good man and wouldn’t do that to me. He had no reason to lie about his faithfulness because he could still fuck me regardless. There was no reason for him to be dishonest. “Don’t expect me to apologize for what I said last night.”