“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” I admit.
She sucks in a shocked breath. “Except Hadley, right?”
I’m going to shock her again. “No. I want you more.”
“But you two were engaged for real.” She blinks at me, stunned. “I don’t…”
“Understand?” There are a million reasons. “You’re funny. You’re dedicated. And you’re genuine. Despite our scheme, you don’t play head games. You actually care about the people in your life, even if they’ve been less than kind to you. I admire that. It’s not in my genetic makeup.”
She looks stunned. “You don’t think it’s weak?”
“To have a heart? No. Hell, it probably makes you stronger than most. You know people you’ve invested in might someday let you down, but you’re still there for them. You still give them the benefit of the doubt. You still open up.”
“I always thought caring too much was one of my faults.”
“You’re wrong.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s one of your best qualities.”
“Am I anything like Hadley?”
Why does she want to know? To see how she measures up?
“No.” When she frowns, I reassure her. “That’s a good thing, princess. Hadley always put Hadley first. Even at her most open, she was guarded. She rarely gave anyone her warmth or honesty unless she wanted something. Affection and sex were things she doled out to change a conversation or get her way.”
“Why? I can’t imagine being so…calculating.”
The Corinne I’ve come to know isn’t capable of that. That’s part of why I’m falling hard for her. “Hadley had reasons. I understood them, but that meant we saw commitment very differently. I didn’t realize that until it was too late.”
Corinne comforts me with a soft stroke. “I’m sorry.”
“My fault.”
“But you’re not the kind of man to let himself be manipulated like that, unless…” She frowns. “She must have been very beautiful.”
“She was, but that wasn’t why I made excuses for her behavior. She’d had a rough childhood. We both came from nowhere and we were determined to make something of our lives, no matter what. I thought we’d scratch our way to the top together. I helped and protected her as much as I could because I believed she would be there for me, too. That’s also why I proposed. Turns out, her idea of getting ahead was jumping ship as soon as she got a better offer.”
“I thought she simply intended to marry well all along.”
I shake my head. “When we first got together, she planned to take the fashion world by storm. She was forever sketching this and that. God, her sewing in the middle of the night when she couldn’t sleep drove me nuts. That fucking machine woke me up more often than not…” I shake my head. “But she wasn’t good at math. Her junior year, she was taking trig for the second time. I tried to help her, but halfway through the semester, she knew she wasn’t going to pass. She also knew she was going to lose her scholarship. She panicked and found her Plan B in Parker. In a way, I get it. My mom barely made ends meet, but I never wondered as a child where my next meal was coming from. She did—a lot. That terrified her, understandably. But I can’t forgive or absolve her for cheating.”
“When you found out, I can only imagine how much it hurt. You loved her.”
“I did.” As much as I was capable at the time. And because she gave amazing head. My twenty-one-year-old self thought that was critical. “But since she felt zero remorse in leaving me for your brother, I realized she never loved me.”
Corinne’s face softens. “Her loss is my gain. After all, if you were married now, you wouldn’t be the perfect fake fiancé.”
“After tonight, don’t you think we’re more than that?”
Her lips part. She stares mutely, blinking.
Is she trying to find the words to let me down gently? Probably. She’s going back to LA and she’s always going to be Parker’s sister. I’m an idiot for hoping my feelings matter. I’ve never been good enough before. Why should I be enough for this princess? Hell, I should just be happy she didn’t lie to me first.
“Never mind.” I fling myself off the bed. “I’ll be back. I need to make sure the cleaning crew did their job.”
“At four in the morning?” She lunges for my hand and grips tight. “Don’t go. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Forget it.” I reach for my clothes.
She squeezes my fingers tighter. “Let’s talk this out.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Obviously, there is. You caught me off guard. Give me a minute—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does! You just told me how emotionally brave you think I am. But I’m not when it comes to you. After tonight, it feels like we’re way more than co-conspirators. I didn’t want to admit that out loud. Given how fast you go through women, I didn’t expect you to…”