‘I’m not going to tell her,’ Holly said. ‘Why would I? It’s none of her business.’
Julius scooped his shirt and thrust his arms into the sleeves. ‘We can’t continue this. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. I’m sorry; I take full responsibility.’
Holly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and reached for her nearest article of clothing. ‘Yeah, well, I guess it was just a pity thing on your part, huh?’
‘What?’ His tone was sharp, shocked...annoyed.
‘You only slept with me because you felt sorry for me after I told you about my crappy childhood.’
His frown was so deep his eyebrows met over the bridge of his nose. ‘That’s not true.’
She gave him a direct look. ‘Isn’t it?’
He scraped a hand through his hair. ‘No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.’
Holly finished pulling on her clothes before she came over to him. ‘It’s fine, Julius. Stop stressing. I’m okay with a one-off. Doesn’t make sense to get too cosy, since I’ll be on my way in a couple of weeks.’
He looked at her for a long, pulsing moment. ‘I suppose you got what you wanted.’
She arched a brow. ‘That being?’
‘From the moment you stepped into this place, you had your mind set on getting me to break, didn’t you?’ he said. ‘It was your goal. Your mission. You did everything you could to prove I couldn’t resist you. Well, you were right. I couldn’t.’
Holly was a little ashamed of how close to the mark he was. But what was even more concerning was how she had ended up wanting him more than she had wanted anyone. She didn’t know how to handle such want. Such longing. The need was still there. It was a sated beast that would all too soon wake again and be growling, prowling for sustenance. Even now she could feel her body stirring the longer she looked into Julius’s dark navy eyes with their glittering cynicism.
‘What will you do now you’ve achieved your goal?’ he said. ‘Give a tell-all interview to the press?’
Holly shifted her gaze from his in case he saw how hurt she felt. ‘You have serious trust issues.’
He laughed. ‘I have trust issues?’
She swung back to glare at him. ‘Do you really think I would share my body with you and then tell everyone about it? I’d be hurting myself more than you.’
‘They pay big money for scandalous stories. Big money. You could set yourself up on this.’
Holly pressed her lips together as she went in hunt of her shoes but she could only find one. Frustration and hurt tangled in a tight knot in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. She had given him every reason to think she would sell out to score points against him. The shaming truth was a few days ago she might well have done it. But something had changed. She had changed. His touch, his concern, his promise of protection had made something inside her shift. She couldn’t find a way to reassemble herself. It was as if the puzzle pieces of her personality had been scattered and she didn’t know how to get them back into order. The things she had wanted before were not what she wanted now.
It was disturbing—terrifying—to allow her nascent hopes and dreams to get a foothold. For the first time in her life, she’d caught a glimpse of what it would be like to be secure in a relationship. To be with a man who looked out for her, who wanted the best for her, who would help her reach her potential instead of sabotaging it. To be honoured and cherished. To be celebrated instead of ridiculed. To be accepted.
To be trusted.
To be loved.
Holly took a scalding breath and forced herself to look at him. ‘I guess you’d better call Natalia and get her to take me away, then.’
Something passed over his features. ‘No.’
‘Why not?’ Holly said, trying to squash the bubble of hope that bloomed in her chest. ‘I’m nothing but trouble. I belong in jail, or so you said the other day.’
He let out a long breath and came back to where she was standing. He put his hands on her hunched shoulders, his touch as light as goose down but as hot as fire. ‘You’re not going anywhere.’
She ran the point of her tongue out over her paper-dry lips. ‘I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have called the press.’
He gave her shoulders a light squeeze. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s okay. I get that you want to keep your privacy secure,’ Holly said. ‘I haven’t exactly given you the impression I’m someone you could trust.’