Page 59 of Fallen Prince
My father’s eyes narrowed. “Is this true? Do you care for this girl?”
“No.”
Everyone heard the lie drop like a stone between us.
His lips pressed to a thin line, twisting as though he’d bitten something sour. “End it.” The sharp command lashed me like a whip. “End it, or I swear to god, I’ll send your cousins to pay her a visit. Your little humiliation play will only draw Fitzgerald’s ire without truly landing a blow. I don’t want to draw his attention to us just yet, but if you won’t let her go, I’ll send him a message he’ll understand.
“The Ferraras are done cowering and licking our wounds. If you choose to put his daughter in the line of fire, that’s your prerogative. With any luck, you’ll be the head of this family one day, and you’ll have to learn to make hard decisions.” Black eyes bored into my soul. “End it, or the girl suffers. Your choice.”
I swallowed the acid in my throat and offered the only answer I could: “Yes, sir.”
CHAPTER 22
Allie
My phone chimed with a text just before Max knocked on my door:It’s me.
I jolted to my feet from where I’d been curled up on my couch, consumed with worry for him. He’d been gone for more than an hour, and terrible, bloody scenes had played through my mind.
I rushed to the door and flung it open, revealing Max’s familiar, shadowy form. I threw myself at him, exhaling a soft sob of relief as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and hugged him close. I pressed my face against his chest and breathed in his salt-kissed leather scent, listening to the heavy beat of his heart beneath my ear.
Max was safe. He was here. And he was holdingme like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
I lifted my face to his, tipping my head back to invite his fierce kiss. I wanted him to consume me. I wanted to wrap myself up in him and feel that he was okay.
But he didn’t bend down to claim my offered kiss. Instead, every line of his massive body went taut, and he released me from his iron embrace. I clung on to him, refusing to allow him to put distance between us.
My heart sank as he pulled away. I clutched him tighter.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice small. My chest tightened with the early symptoms of rejection. I forced down a breath and refused to acknowledge them.
His strong hands wrapped around my shoulders, and for a moment, my heart leapt. But instead of pulling me close, he pried me away from his hard body, holding me at arm’s length.
“We’re done,” he announced, his voice flat and cold.
“What?” I asked on a little puff of air.
I shook my head. Something must’ve happened with his family to make him say such an awful thing.I’d welcomed him into my heart, into my body. I’d let him touch me in ways no other man had. His soul called to mine.
I wouldn’t let him go.
“Tell me what happened,” I pleaded. “Something’s wrong.”
His jaw firmed, and his head tipped back, obscuring his features with that awful, skull-like shadow. “Yes,” he agreed, his tone clipped. “Everything about this is wrong. We can’t be together.”
I clutched at him, struggling to pull him closer. He held me fast, stubbornly maintaining the wall of air between our bodies. It might as well have been constructed of solid concrete.
“What did they say to you?” I demanded, defiant anger sparking on his behalf. His awful family wouldn’t break us up. Had they done something to him? Had they hurt him?
My hands roved over his torso, searching for injuries. His muscles flexed beneath my touch, and he released a low, warning growl.
My fingers curled into his shirt, holding on tight. I wouldn’t let him slip away.
“They reminded me of who I really am, Bambi.”
The nickname was suddenly cold and cruel, and I flinched as though he’dslapped me.
I pressed on, desperation gnawing at my insides. “I know who you are,” I insisted hotly. “I don’t know what they said to you, but you’re not a monster, Max.”
