Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Gazing at him, I was torn between embarrassment and worry. It was hard looking at him in the eye, with the way my mind had suddenly started replaying X-rated scenes from last night. A part of me still couldn’t believe that we had kissed. That he had touched my breasts.
“Aria?”
The uneven tone had me blinking, my embarrassment receding in the face of my confusion. What’s wrong? My confusion deepened when I saw how Kellion had to swallow several times before he was able to speak. “Aria...” And then nothing.
I glanced back at the engaged couple with a questioning look, hoping they knew something I didn’t, but they appeared just as surprised as I was.
Kellion suddenly gripped my hands. “Aria...”
I cocked my head to the side. Yes?
“Were you really in my room last night?”
Gaaaaaaah.
This was so not the confession I wanted to have an audience with. I stood up and tugged on his hand, telling him to get to his feet, too. He seemed to pale upon realizing I wanted a private moment with him, which of course left me even more bemused. Really, what was wrong?
Bobby pointed to the door to her right, saying helpfully, “No one’s inside the study lab. You guys can talk there.”
“Thank you.” Kellion’s voice was extremely grim. He opened the door for me, and when I preceded him inside, he took his time locking the door, as if he was reluctant to face me.
When he finally did turn around, I was ready. WHAT’S WRONG? I had even underlined the second word, just so he’d know how worried I was.
He swallowed again. “Last night...”
I swallowed, too.
“I’m sorry.”
I paled.
He paled, too. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. I would never want to hurt you, never in a million years. I’m even sorrier that I can’t remember a thing from last night—-” He paused, raking a hand through his hair. “I’m just fucking sorry I violated—-”
Oh.
My eyes widened in belated understanding. I hastily scribbled on my board. YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING.
He blinked. “But Helios—-”
I raised a brow.
“He told me...” His voice almost became accusing. “He told me you left in tears, dammit.”
I glared at him, not appreciating the reminder.
“Did you?”
I just kept glaring.
His hands gripped my arms and he actually shook me as he growled, “Answer me.” He took my hand, the one holding the pen, and placed it on the board.
Knowing it was pointless to refuse, I scribbled my answer. YES.
“Why?” But this time, he sounded...sick, and I didn’t like it.
I looked at him, and the look in his eyes mirrored his tone. I wrote again. YOU REALLY DON’T REMEMBER?
He shook his head. “And I’m not even sure if I want to,” he said roughly. “If it means remembering that I hurt you—-” He stopped, seeing me writing.
YOU DIDN’T HURT ME, I PROMISE.
“Then why were you crying?”
My fingers stilled, my pen hovering hesitantly over the board. How much should I tell him? Kellion was so proud. Only someone with such great pride would have been able to pretend like he did, would have been able to survive the way he did, without ever uttering a single word against his parents.
It made me think of how I was with my own shitty parents, and my heart ached when I realized just how nice Kellion Argyros was. They had hurt him so badly, but somehow, Kellion still hadn’t allowed himself to hate them, had even managed to still respect them. And love them.
Nice.
He was so, so nice, he had somehow become blind to just how beautiful he was, inside and out. So, so nice, he had really believed someone like me could be capable of being just as blind and as hurtful as his parents.
My eyes blurred but the world became clearer at the word.
Who knew Kellion Argyros, the Afxisi’s ultimate playboy, could be so ridiculously nice?
“Aria?” Kellion’s hands shook as he cupped my face.
My eyes blurred even more at the gentleness of his voice, the same time the world just kept getting brighter and brighter.
I thought of Ashton, of how ridiculously nice he had been as well. Even knowing that our parents hadn’t been able to love him the way they should, he had never stopped hoping, had never stopped loving them.
My heart broke.
It broke and broke, the more I thought about just how nice they both were, these men in my life – one from the past, another whose place in my future was uncertain.
“Say something,” he whispered. Again, that voice. Plea and temptation. And of course it reached me. My heart. My soul.
“You...did...not...hurt...me.”
Kellion’s eyes were wide as he watched my lips move and listened to me speak.
“You...made...me...cry...because...” I touched my own trembling lips so he would see. So he would know. “You...make...me...smile.” The tears started to fall, but I had never seen so clearly. So vividly. I touched his cheek. “I...want...to...make...you—-”