Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 576

He paused, his gaze searching mine. "Now that I have taken this weight off your shoulders, can you still not afford the luxury of falling in love with me?"

"But why?" My voice trembled. "Why would you do all of this?"

"I told you, didn't I?" he replied, his voice softening. "I have fallen in love, and I want to be with you, Scarlett. I want you to be mine in every possible way. I want you to be my Scarlett. I am not asking for too much, am I?"

Tears finally spilled over, hot and fast, blurring my vision. I turned away from him, my back to his chest, unable to face the intensity of his affection. "I can't. I just can't."

I felt his breath fanning the sensitive skin of my neck as he moved closer, his presence a warm, protective weight. "Why? I have solved the Tasha issue, have I not?"

"I'm not..." My voice choked, and I fought to keep the sob from breaking through. "I am not the kind of woman a man should fall in love with. The life I've lived, the things I've done... you wouldn't understand."

He reached out, his hands gripping my shoulders. "Scarlett..."

I swallowed the tears, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "When I was telling you about Lynette earlier, I didn't tell you everything. After she died, I was... I was drowning in grief. I lived in the past, reliving every beautiful moment we ever had just to keep the pain away. I was vulnerable, and I ended up in the arms of a man named Jason."

I looked down at my hands, my voice becoming distant. "He was one of my instructors when I was learning computers. He reached out to me during that dark period, and because I had no one else left in the world, I leaned on him. I depended on him for everything. For a year, I believed I could finally breathe again. I gave him my innocence, and I became so attached to him, until I found out I was pregnant."

So, you can't be with me. You can't be in love with Trash."

I closed my eyes again, the tears rolling freely now.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me back against his chest in a tight, protective embrace. He leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear as he spoke with a clarity that knocked the breath out of my lungs.

"You are not trash, Scarlett. You are my treasure."