kidnapping would have gone differently in that case. She brushed the thought aside. She rarely thought of it these days.
Her father had accepted Lance in her life gradually, though he knew very little of how they’d met. He certainly didn’t know Lance had been involved at all in her ransom. And if she had her way, he never would. Sure, he wasn’t very happy that a cop was dating his daughter, but she still was not close with her father. What he wanted mattered very little at this point.
“How are you?” she said, wetting her lips.
“Good. You?”
“Good.” She hated how formal they were sometimes. She wondered if the ice would break if they finally made love. “Lance, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Are you sure you want to date me? That you want to be with me?”
His brows rose. “How can you ask me that?”
She shrugged, crossed her arms over her chest. “We hardly do anything more than kiss, Lance. It’s more like an old-fashioned courtship.”
He frowned. “I wasn’t aware you wanted more. And besides, after everything I did to you during your kidnapping, how can you possibly want it? You deserve more than that. You deserve to be worshipped.”
Her breath caught. “That’s very sweet. But, I’m not fragile, Lance. I handled what happened, and I…I thought we were past that. I thought you knew I had absolved you of all of that. I know you wanted me.”
“I still want you,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “I thought so. But, you can’t put me on some undeserving pedestal, Lance, just because I’m a virgin. I’m human, capable of mistakes and stupidity, just like everyone else.”
He grinned slightly. “Are you saying you want to remedy your situation?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I want to. I want to be with you. But, are you really invested in us? Or, would you move on afterwards?”
Lance frowned. “You still don’t trust me.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You wouldn’t think that if you did. I thought I was showing you how much I wanted you, how much I care about you.”
Her eyes widened and her breath seemed suspended somewhere in her chest. “You never even said that.”
“Well, I do. How could I go through all of that with you, know you all this time, and not fall in love with you? But, I didn’t think you were ready for it.”
“Don’t make decisions for me, Lance. I know my own mind.”
He nodded. “Fine. I care about you. I respect you. I felt I had to make up for what happened before.”
She thought she understood now. “And you were saving me from you.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t reply.
“You were,” she insisted. “Maybe you thought you’d lose control. But, you felt unworthy, is that it?”
“You certainly deserve better.”
“You’ve more than made up for everything you did. Why would you feel unworthy?”
“I’m not like you. I don’t come from money, Triana.”
She threw her hands up, then lowered them to her hips. “You know I don’t care about that.”
“I couldn’t be sure.” He muttered a curse. “I thought I knew that, but where I come from, we’re like family. We stick together. And those from the other side are like the enemy
Her father had accepted Lance in her life gradually, though he knew very little of how they’d met. He certainly didn’t know Lance had been involved at all in her ransom. And if she had her way, he never would. Sure, he wasn’t very happy that a cop was dating his daughter, but she still was not close with her father. What he wanted mattered very little at this point.
“How are you?” she said, wetting her lips.
“Good. You?”
“Good.” She hated how formal they were sometimes. She wondered if the ice would break if they finally made love. “Lance, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Are you sure you want to date me? That you want to be with me?”
His brows rose. “How can you ask me that?”
She shrugged, crossed her arms over her chest. “We hardly do anything more than kiss, Lance. It’s more like an old-fashioned courtship.”
He frowned. “I wasn’t aware you wanted more. And besides, after everything I did to you during your kidnapping, how can you possibly want it? You deserve more than that. You deserve to be worshipped.”
Her breath caught. “That’s very sweet. But, I’m not fragile, Lance. I handled what happened, and I…I thought we were past that. I thought you knew I had absolved you of all of that. I know you wanted me.”
“I still want you,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “I thought so. But, you can’t put me on some undeserving pedestal, Lance, just because I’m a virgin. I’m human, capable of mistakes and stupidity, just like everyone else.”
He grinned slightly. “Are you saying you want to remedy your situation?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I want to. I want to be with you. But, are you really invested in us? Or, would you move on afterwards?”
Lance frowned. “You still don’t trust me.”
“Yes, I do.”
“You wouldn’t think that if you did. I thought I was showing you how much I wanted you, how much I care about you.”
Her eyes widened and her breath seemed suspended somewhere in her chest. “You never even said that.”
“Well, I do. How could I go through all of that with you, know you all this time, and not fall in love with you? But, I didn’t think you were ready for it.”
“Don’t make decisions for me, Lance. I know my own mind.”
He nodded. “Fine. I care about you. I respect you. I felt I had to make up for what happened before.”
She thought she understood now. “And you were saving me from you.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t reply.
“You were,” she insisted. “Maybe you thought you’d lose control. But, you felt unworthy, is that it?”
“You certainly deserve better.”
“You’ve more than made up for everything you did. Why would you feel unworthy?”
“I’m not like you. I don’t come from money, Triana.”
She threw her hands up, then lowered them to her hips. “You know I don’t care about that.”
“I couldn’t be sure.” He muttered a curse. “I thought I knew that, but where I come from, we’re like family. We stick together. And those from the other side are like the enemy
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