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"She didn’t say anything about ent on last night because she didn’t know"

"But she did fill you in on how it played out three and a half years ago between Naoht away, his gut clenched at the thought of digging up this e all the dirty details?"

"I don’t know That’s why I thought we needed to talk about it"

Ronin glanced up "You know that Naon her family’s business interests with ours You know that I spent two goddawhen it was all a lie Everything was a lie"

"That’s not what you initially told me," she said softly "Why?"

"Do you think I wanted you to know that my family paid a woman to be with oddamn desperate for it that I believed it was real? It appeared that Nao about old digger would’ve asked for money or support, but she never broached the subject Whichwhen she toldher money every month as an incentive to stay with me"

Amery moved in behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck "Don’t let her back in your head She doesn’t get to fk up your life again I won’t let that happen It’s ative train of thought that women would only love you because you’re a billion-dollar baby" She kissed his ear "Baby, I fell in love with you before I knew you had billions"

Shocked, Ronin slowly turned around on the barstool "What did you say?"

"I said I love you And you were right; I’ve been holding back on telling you I don’t knohy I fell in love with you ave you the picture of me bound? I’d planned to confess all, but I chickened out I believed I had plenty of time, and I wanted the moment to be perfect"

"Then, the next day, you walked out after you discovered--"

She put her fingers over his lips "That you’d withheld so much from me that I felt like I didn’t even know the man I’d fallen in love with"

"So you fell out of love withyou all this time Not out of spite, but out of fear" A kiss "Because loving you is a scary thing, Ronin Black"

"A to find the words to fit thein his heart and soul into the kiss