Read episode 14 here: http://bit.ly/compulsionsserial
Her eyelids fluttered at my harsh tone. Her chest raced faster. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, before her eyelids slowly rose and her gaze met mine. “Yes, Calum?”
“We can’t go on like this much longer, and you know it.”
The nod she gave me was almost imperceptible. Leaning back in her chair, she stared at the souvenir shops across the street. She wasn’t really taking it in, her stare unfocused. Lost in her own mind.
I studied her in that moment, taking advantage of how unguarded she was. Of everything she gave away without even realizing it.
Livana was scarred. Withdrawn from men. That was why our connection frightened her as much as it did. Why she was so hesitant to trust a man fresh off an engagement.
I curled my fist in my lap, nails digging into my palm, and shifted in my seat. “Tell me what I have to do.”
She blinked and tore her gaze away from the shop. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean. We’re both dying to explore this, and you’re fighting it every step of the way.”
“You’re not fighting it enough.”
I laughed in disbelief. “You don’t think I am?”
“Your ex married that old man for money. It doesn’t mean she’s over you.”
My eyebrows rose on my forehead, and I couldn’t do anything other than blink at her for a few seconds. “I . . . she better be over me.”
She couldn’t have looked more surprised at my reply if she tried. “Oh my God. You two really were that couple that were marrying to further your wealth and bloodline, and all that shit.”
I leaned forward. “Yeah, we were.” Even if I hadn’t admitted it to myself at the time. “So stop using it as an excuse to deny what’s happening. You want this as much as I do.”
Eyes flashing, she flattened her arms against the table. When she copied my earlier move, leaning forward across the surface, her shirt dipped in the front, baring the top of her breast. “We’re going to blow up our entire lives if we do this.”
“So you know it’s not just about fucking each other. Good.”
She stared at me, flabbergasted by my blunt comment.
“I don’t want her. Not even if she crawled back begging for another chance.” Six years of my life down the drain just like that. And why? Because I happened to catch sight of the woman in front of me right as my ex was breaking up with me. That was the time to confess to her. To tell her how deep my obsession ran. Yet Liv wasn’t the only one struggling with her sense of self-preservation. Whether she ever found out or not, I was already giving her more than I’d ever given anyone else. “Stop using Diane as an excuse. I don’t want her. And you sure as hell better not want that guy I saw you with.”
The same man I’d seen her with twice.
Livana growled under her breath, a sexy, feminine sound that shot through me. “He’s just a friend. I don’t want him. I’ve never slept with him and never will.”
The conviction in her voice soothed me. Perhaps he truly was just a friend, which meant I didn’t have to worry about him for the time being.