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“I am” She hadn’t even realized just how deeply upset she was until he stepped through her door looking even more handsome than she remembered He’d been beautiful to her in her father’s faded chaant trousers, dark shirt, and dark tailored blazer, he looked powerful Magnetic He was a man of position and wealth And he knew it, too
“You didn’t have to reach out toeverything as if he’d never seen it before
She hated his slow, lazy perusal because she was sure it wasn’t lazy at all He was doing his best to reainst his ht to be so relaxed, so indolent, in her home
Her arht fists “Does Princess Danielle know you’re here?”
“We’re not married yet”
“What does that even mean?”
“She doesn’t get access to my personal schedule”
“Does she even know about me?”
“The palace hasn’t released any inforlance “Unless you’d like the palace to release information?”
She shot hi him the full measure of her wrath “When did your memory return?” She asked, her voice flat, hard “At what point on Khronos did you knoho you were?”
“The day before your father returned”
She stared at hi “You should have told me”
“Yes”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because at that point I wasn’t ready to lose you”
Herto cry She would not allow herself to show any weakness or e sex”
His black eyebrow lifted “Is that ere doing? Having sex?”
“Unprotected sex And there wereareconsequences”
“I suspected that hy you reached out to the palace”
“You’re not shocked?”
“As you said, there are consequences”
“You sound so cavalier,” she gritted out “Youthis complication”
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“No I’m sick and heartsick and I should have heard the truth from you I should have heard the truth, if you knew it”
“Agreed I rong I am truly sorry”
His apology caught her off guard and she felt herself sag, so she sat down in the chair at the table, her hands balling in her lap
He crossed the floor, approaching her, so tall that she had to tip her head back to look him in the eye
“I didn’t tell you,” he added, “because I was determined to find a way to save us”
“Save us?” She ed to so eeks away You weren’t free to be with me You weren’t free to make love to me”
He crouched in front of her, his hands on her knees “I can’t change what happened when I didn’t have my memory—”
“No, but that doesn’t ret it” She pushed his hands off her knees, feeling burned “All of it”
“No”
“Yes I hate that e spent together I hate that I fe—” She broke off, sing hard, s the words that had nearly escaped her lips I fell in love with you But she couldn’t love his now, just as she’d suppressed the words What had happened was history The past was behind the to do noas move forithout him Somehow