Read episode 43 here: http://bit.ly/allureserial
“Look at me, baby girl.”
I could never resist him when he called me that, let alone when he used that tone.
Turning to him, I was surprised to find him staring at his lap with a worried expression. “Dorian?”
He pulled my hands apart and held my right one in his own. “I’m glad you did it. As much as I wanted to take this all the way and destroy her, this might be the quickest way to end everything. If he isn’t lying, and he actually has that kind of control over her.”
It never failed to floor me each time we ended up on the same wavelength. The sweet relief that followed left me almost weak as all the adrenaline drained away. I reached for his hand with my other one, clasping it between both of mine. “You want it to be over already as well.”
Dorian’s lashes lifted along with his gaze. For all the relief I’d felt seconds ago, his scrunched brow and tensed frame triggered ripples of unease. “Yes, for your sake. Mine? I don’t care, I wanted to see her burn. Literally. But . . .”
“But?” I urged, heart pounding.
“Remember when you asked to be a part of the plan? To perhaps dig into her and find dirt?”
“Yes . . .” I braced for whatever was coming, because it was clear he was on the verge of delivering news he knew I wouldn’t like.
“I’d already hired someone weeks ago to dig into her. And, aside from the sex videos with me, she seems to be squeaky clean.”
I ripped my hands away from his as if burned. “I-I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me the moment we agreed to work together even more? Why hide this from me?”
“Listen to me, I fully expected to involve you. I was actually planning on sitting down with you and talking about this in the next few days. Things have been crazy, and when they aren’t? It’s fucking amazing coming home to you every day. To Beck. The few minutes we get at night to just be together, and forget all the shit, mean everything to me.”
He seemed so sincere and earnest—desperate to not piss me off.
I took a slow breath, urging myself to calm down. We’d had enough fights thanks to this Monica mess, and I wouldn’t allow this to devolve into yet another one. “Explain this to me in a way that makes sense.”
Dorian nodded, a curl falling over his forehead. For the life of me I would never understand how such an intensely masculine man could look so young and adorable at times. “I was making moves from the moment she began threatening me. Okay, not really. My first moves involved keeping you in the dark.”
The reminder wasn’t appreciated, and I knew he could tell.