‘I know,’ Cruz said, and the sudden softness in his voice nearly killed her. ‘But they’re not really your responsibility. You have a life to live. And I won’t be responsible for stopping you. We can work out a custody arrangement. I wouldn’t stop you from being in their lives. But they’re in good hands now.’
For a second Trinity wondered how she was still standing...how she wasn’t in a broken heap at Cruz’s feet. Whatever pain she’d experienced in her life didn’t come close to the excruciating agony she felt right now.
Yet something dogged deep within her forced her to ask hoarsely, ‘Do you want a divorce, Cruz?’
His eyes were burning. ‘I want you to have your life back, Trinity. And I will support you and your relationship with the boys however you want.’
She folded her arms across her chest and Cruz’s gaze dropped again to where the swells of her breasts were pushed up. Something came to life in her blood and belly. The tiniest kernel of hope.
‘You didn’t answer me. Do you want a divorce?’
His eyes met hers and she saw something spark deep in their golden depths before it faded. Something cold skated across her skin. A sense of foreboding.
‘What I want,’ Cruz bit out, ‘is for my life to return to where it was before I ever met you.’
Trinity looked at him blankly for a long moment. And then, as his words impacted like physical blows, she sucked in a pained breath. Her fight drained away and her arms dropped heavily to her sides.
She might have fought Cruz if she’d thought there was half a chance. But there wasn’t. He wanted her to have her life back. But he wanted his back too. She’d been a fool to think they had a chance. To think that she could persuade him by seducing him...
She whirled around to leave, terrified he’d see how badly he’d hurt her. The door was a blur in her vision as she reached for the knob, just wanting to escape.
She heard a movement behind her and then Cruz said hoarsely, ‘Stop. Do not walk out through that door, Trinity.’
Her hand was on the knob. Her throat was tight, her vision blurring. She wouldn’t turn around. ‘Why?’ she asked rawly.
His voice came from much closer. He sounded broken. ‘Because I let you go through it once before and it was the worst mistake of my life.’
He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. She didn’t want him to see the emotion on her face. But this was Cruz, who demanded and took, so he tipped her face up and cursed.
She looked at him and her heart flip-flopped. The stark mask was gone and he was all emotion. Raw emotion. And it awed her—because she realised now how adept he’d been at holding it all back for so long.
He’d been so controlled. But no more.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, cupping her face, thumbs wiping at tears she hadn’t even realised were falling. ‘I didn’t mean what I just said. It was cruel and unforgivable. I only said it because in that split second I thought going back to the life I had before I knew you was preferable to the pain of opening up. I thought I was doing the right thing...forcing you out of my life...’
Trinity whispered brokenly, ‘I don’t want you to force me out of your life.’
Cruz’s whole body tensed. ‘Do you mean that?’
She nodded, heart thumping. She put her hands on his and repeated her question. ‘What do you want, Cruz?’
His eyes glowed with a new light. He said roughly, ‘I want you. For ever. Because I know there can never be anyone else for me. I want to stay married to you and I want a chance to show you how sorry I am—for everything.’
Trinity just stared at him. Wondering if she was hallucinating.
He went on. ‘I want to create a family with you—the kind of family neither of us had. Nor Rio. Maybe through his sons we can give him that finally. But,’ he said, ‘if you want a divorce...if you want to walk away...then I won’t stop you. As much as I wanted you to be pregnant, I’m happy you aren’t because I couldn’t have borne knowing that you’d never had a choice... Now you do have a choice.’
Trinity’s vision blurred again. ‘I choose you, Cruz. I would always choose you.’
‘I love you,’ Cruz said fervently.
Trinity blinked back her tears and sucked in a shuddering breath. ‘I came down here this evening prepared to fight and make you see, and then you said—’
Cruz stopped her mouth with his in a long soulful kiss. When they broke apart they were both breathing heavily, and Trinity realised that her back was against the wall of shelves. Cruz’s body was pressed against hers, the unmistakable thrust of his arousal turning her limbs to jelly and her blood into fire. With an intent look on his starkly beautiful face he pushed her cardigan off her shoulders and pulled it off.
Euphoria made Trinity’s heart soar. ‘What are you doing?’
But Cruz was busy pulling down the straps of her vest top and exposing her breasts to his hungry gaze. Hoarsely he said, ‘I’m taking care of unfinished business—if that’s all right?’