strong enough to not let herself fall for him again .
“Then the night of the award ceremony happened and I realized you were the perfect girl to take the role of my girlfriend.” Leandro saw the flash of pain on Bobby’s face, and it slashed his heart. “Yes,” he said harshly, “I picked you to be my girlfriend with no thoughts of how you would feel if you found out I had ulterior motives.”
“When I came back from Greece, I had decided not to pursue you – I learned how badly you were treated when everyone thought I had dumped you, and I thought it would be better if I didn’t mess up your life. But then we kissed again – every damn touch, every damn kiss, every damn moment I spent with you made me realize that I couldn’t let you go. I had to make you mine. When my cousin Priscilla suggested that I pretend…”
“You don’t have to explain that part,” she choked out, wanting to cry again as a rush of humiliation struck her. “You must have been laughing at me, thinking how stupid I was to think you were a different person just because you wore glasses.”
“I never thought that,” Leandro gritted out. “All I thought back then, when you allowed me back into your life, was that I’d fucking ruin my eyesight for real if it meant I’d be able to be with you always. I needed you. I wanted you. And I fell for you—”
He felt her stiffen and he almost wanted to shake her when he saw the distrust in Bobby’s eyes. “I fell in love with you, Bobby. You were the most amazing girl I had ever met – someone strong and soft, someone who loved so generously I was humbled by it. And God, I was so fucking terrified that one day you’d find out how it all started between us. I knew I had to tell you the truth one day, but I was scared of losing you – of you not believing me…”
“Because there’s nothing to believe—”
“There’s everything to believe! It’s all here, Bobby!” He snatched her hand and pressed it to his chest so she could feel for herself how fast and hard it was beating, for her to know that every beat was for her. “I went out of my mind with jealousy when I saw you with your half-brother. I know I was stupid to believe Valerie’s lies, but I had never been in love before and seeing you with another man hurt – it goddamn hurt and all I wanted then was to hurt you.”
“By telling me the truth—”
“By not telling you the truth! I wanted to protect myself, my pride – I didn’t want you or anyone to know that I had fallen so hard for you, a part of me was already thinking of ways I could chain you to my side and prevent you from going to another man even if you didn’t love me.”
His hand tightened over hers, and he pressed it harder against his chest, wishing there was a way his heartbeat could spell out the words inside him and show Bobby how all he had to survive was his love. “I have a hard time making myself believe that I can be loved, Bobby,” he whispered hoarsely. “All my life, I knew I was adopted and although my parents did their best to make me feel loved, other people made me doubt it. They made me feel that I was simply someone they picked from the streets because they needed an heir. It was only…it was only when I lost you that I realized I could be loved…I just wished…” He struggled to make Bobby understand just how much losing her had changed him completely. “I just fucking wished it didn’t take losing you to make me realize how much you loved me…and how much I loved you.”
He looked into her eyes. “And I still do. I never stopped, Bobby. I don’t care if you and…if you and Gabris had been together. I love you, and I would do anything to have you back.”
He waited for her to say something. An eternity passed, and still he waited but she didn’t speak, only staring at him with eyes filled with pain it was almost like it was indelible.
Chapter Nine
Except for asking Bobby to make herself comfortable while he
“Then the night of the award ceremony happened and I realized you were the perfect girl to take the role of my girlfriend.” Leandro saw the flash of pain on Bobby’s face, and it slashed his heart. “Yes,” he said harshly, “I picked you to be my girlfriend with no thoughts of how you would feel if you found out I had ulterior motives.”
“When I came back from Greece, I had decided not to pursue you – I learned how badly you were treated when everyone thought I had dumped you, and I thought it would be better if I didn’t mess up your life. But then we kissed again – every damn touch, every damn kiss, every damn moment I spent with you made me realize that I couldn’t let you go. I had to make you mine. When my cousin Priscilla suggested that I pretend…”
“You don’t have to explain that part,” she choked out, wanting to cry again as a rush of humiliation struck her. “You must have been laughing at me, thinking how stupid I was to think you were a different person just because you wore glasses.”
“I never thought that,” Leandro gritted out. “All I thought back then, when you allowed me back into your life, was that I’d fucking ruin my eyesight for real if it meant I’d be able to be with you always. I needed you. I wanted you. And I fell for you—”
He felt her stiffen and he almost wanted to shake her when he saw the distrust in Bobby’s eyes. “I fell in love with you, Bobby. You were the most amazing girl I had ever met – someone strong and soft, someone who loved so generously I was humbled by it. And God, I was so fucking terrified that one day you’d find out how it all started between us. I knew I had to tell you the truth one day, but I was scared of losing you – of you not believing me…”
“Because there’s nothing to believe—”
“There’s everything to believe! It’s all here, Bobby!” He snatched her hand and pressed it to his chest so she could feel for herself how fast and hard it was beating, for her to know that every beat was for her. “I went out of my mind with jealousy when I saw you with your half-brother. I know I was stupid to believe Valerie’s lies, but I had never been in love before and seeing you with another man hurt – it goddamn hurt and all I wanted then was to hurt you.”
“By telling me the truth—”
“By not telling you the truth! I wanted to protect myself, my pride – I didn’t want you or anyone to know that I had fallen so hard for you, a part of me was already thinking of ways I could chain you to my side and prevent you from going to another man even if you didn’t love me.”
His hand tightened over hers, and he pressed it harder against his chest, wishing there was a way his heartbeat could spell out the words inside him and show Bobby how all he had to survive was his love. “I have a hard time making myself believe that I can be loved, Bobby,” he whispered hoarsely. “All my life, I knew I was adopted and although my parents did their best to make me feel loved, other people made me doubt it. They made me feel that I was simply someone they picked from the streets because they needed an heir. It was only…it was only when I lost you that I realized I could be loved…I just wished…” He struggled to make Bobby understand just how much losing her had changed him completely. “I just fucking wished it didn’t take losing you to make me realize how much you loved me…and how much I loved you.”
He looked into her eyes. “And I still do. I never stopped, Bobby. I don’t care if you and…if you and Gabris had been together. I love you, and I would do anything to have you back.”
He waited for her to say something. An eternity passed, and still he waited but she didn’t speak, only staring at him with eyes filled with pain it was almost like it was indelible.
Chapter Nine
Except for asking Bobby to make herself comfortable while he
Similar Books
