Lucian

The words hung in the air between us like a confession. I watched Lexi's face go pale, watched her carefully constructed composure crack just slightly.

"I don't know what you mean." She responded.

"Yes, you do." I moved around my desk, stopping when she took a step back. Even now, she was running from me. "Giselle. I know she spoke to you. I know she filled your head with poison about why we could never work."

"She didn't tell me anything I didn't already know."

"Bullshit." The word came out harsher than I intended, and I saw her flinch. I forced myself to take a breath, to gentle my voice. "She lied to you, Lexi. About everything."

"Did she? Did she lie about the media attention? About the scrutiny? About how I'd be seen as your charity case?"

"She lied about what matters." I took another step forward, relieved when she didn't retreat this time. "She lied about your parents."

Confusion flickered across her features. "My parents?"

"She told me you've been sending money to them every month. That your father lost his job and they're behind on their mortgage." I watched realization dawn in her eyes. "But your mother is dead, isn't she? And your father... he's not in the picture."

Her hands trembled slightly. “She lied to you.”

"She was fishing, trying to find ammunition to use against you. And when she realized she didn't have any, she made something up. All she wants is to come back to me.” I cleared my throat.

"That doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything. It proves that everything she told you was calculated manipulation designed to drive you away from me."

"Why?" The word came out as barely more than a whisper. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she wants me. Because she's convinced herself that we're meant to be together, and you represent a threat to that delusion."

Lexi shook her head. "You don't understand. She's right about some things. I don't belong in your world, Lucian. I saw the way those women looked at me at the gala. I saw how perfectly you and Giselle fit together."

"Perfect?" I couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped. "Lexi, I've known Giselle for twenty years. I've never once felt about her the way I feel about you."

"How do you feel about me?"

The question caught me off guard. How did I feel? The words I wanted to say felt too big, too dangerous, too likely to send her running even further.

"Like I can breathe when you're around," I said quietly. "Like the world makes sense in a way it never has before. Like I've been sleepwalking through my life until you woke me up."

Tears gathered in her eyes. "Lucian..."

"I know you feel it too. I know you feel this thing between us, whatever it is. You can't fake the way you look at me, the way you light up when I walk in."

"Feeling something doesn't mean acting on it is smart." She said.

"Smart?" I reached up and touched her face gently, relieved when she didn't pull away. "When has love ever been smart?"

The word slipped out before I could stop it, hanging in the air between us like a live wire. Lexi's eyes widened, and I saw the exact moment she started to panic.

"I should go." She said quickly.

"Don't." My hand tightened on her face. "Please don't run from this. Don't run from me."

"I'm not running. I'm being practical."

"You're being scared. And I understand that. God, Lexi, I'm terrified too. I've never felt this way about anyone. I've never wanted someone to stay as much as I want you to stay."

"What if it doesn't work? What if we try and it falls apart and ruins everything?"

"What if it does work? What if we're throwing away something incredible because we're too afraid to try?"

She closed her eyes, and I could see the war being waged behind her eyelids. Hope and fear, desire and self-preservation, all battling for control.

"The media will tear us apart." She said gently.

"Let them try. I've been dealing with media scrutiny my entire life. I can protect you."

"You can't protect me from everything. And what happens when you get bored? When the novelty wears off and you realize Giselle was right?"

"That's not going to happen." I replied, my voice stern.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." I moved my other hand to her face, holding her gently but firmly. "Because what I feel for you isn't novelty or curiosity or some misguided savior complex. It's real, Lexi. It's the most real thing I've ever felt."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've been sleepwalking for thirty-two years, and you woke me up. Because my house felt like a home for the first time when you were in it. Because I'd rather fight with you than be peaceful with anyone else."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "This is crazy."

"Maybe. But I'd rather be crazy with you than sane without you." I said quickly.

She was quiet for a long moment, and I held my breath, waiting for her to decide our fate.

"What are you asking me, Lucian?"

"I'm asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to trust us. I'm asking you to come home."

"Home?"

"To my house. To me. To whatever this is between us." I brushed away her tears with my thumb. "I'm asking you to let me love you."

More tears came then, but she was smiling through them. "You really love me?"

"I really love you." I replied desperately.

God. I have been wanting to tell her that.

"Even though I'm completely wrong for you on paper?" She asked softly.

"Especially because you're wrong for me on paper. You challenge me, you surprise me, you make me want to be better than I am."

She leaned into my touch, and I felt something tight in my chest finally loosen.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?"

"Okay, I'll trust you. I'll trust us." She looked up at me with those incredible green eyes. "I love you too, by the way."

The words hit me like a physical force, and I couldn't stop myself from kissing her. She melted into me immediately, her arms coming up around my neck, and I knew without a doubt that I would fight anyone and everyone who tried to take this away from us.

When we finally broke apart, we were breathing hard. She smiled at me with a warmth that made my heart skip.

"So what now?" She asked, her face still flushed.

"Now we go home," I said simply. "And we figure out the rest as we go.”