Mockingbird (A Stepbrother Romance #2)(49)

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen. I should have done something sooner, but it was too late and… I couldn't. I couldn’t just use you and leave. I need you."

"Need me? Fuck you, Apollo. Do you think I believe this bullshit? Professional thieves? Do I look stupid?"

"You… you don't believe…"

He rises to his feet so quick I jump back a step, stumble, almost fall, and he grabs my arms. His grip is like a pair of vices clamped on my wrists.

"Listen to me. What do you know about my father? About me? Think about all the times you asked me questions and I completely evaded them. Think, Diana. How long has he been on the donor list, do you know?"

"He's n-new," I choke out. Oh God, what if he's telling the truth?

"All the times you asked me about where I was from, how I grew up. We rehearsed fake stories but I couldn't make myself lie to you, so I just kept my f*cking mouth shut instead. I wanted to tell you the truth. My father f*cked my mother while he was doing a job, while he was stealing, and the condom broke."

He releases my wrists and points to himself. "Voila, me. When my mom got cancer and died he picked me up and started training me. He made me like him. That's why my first was a stripper. My first time was almost with an escort that lived with us in Prague. She was banging him, too, and offered to 'make me a man'. I've stolen so much shit, thrown so much money away on gambling and… and things, I don't even know where to start. I thought it was the only way. I thought we were robbing to the rich and giving to the poor, but the people that sent us here to steal that painting…" he trails off, scrubbing his hands in his hair and gritting his teeth.

"So it was a lie," I choke out. It feels like I swallowed a bag of cement. "It was all a lie, wasn't it? That was the plan. Get into my pants while they were in Vegas so you could rifle through my Mom's things and steal the codes for the vault. You motherf*cker. I'm calling the police-"

"I didn't," he pleads, reaching for me. I just barely evade his grasp. "I didn't look, I didn't give him anything. I wanted to tell you the other day when you… when we were almost going to… I tried but I couldn't, he's my father. If we don't do this, they'll kill us."

"Very convenient. We'll find out if this is true when I go the head of security and get the police. The FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the FDA, I'm calling f*cking everybody. I hope it's true and they put you two in prison forever, until you rot, you pig. It was all a lie, wasn't it? Tell me? Tell me it was all a lie."

"It wasn't, just let me-"

"No."

I turn on my heels and stride towards the house. He throws himself at my feet, locks his arms around my waist and presses his face into my back.

"It wasn't. It was all true. I've never felt anything for anyone before. Not like you. I love you, Diana. I want to be with you, but I can't. No matter what happens I have to go. You'll be in danger if I try to stay, one way or another. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me. Please."

"I…"

I hate you. Say it!

I turn around and shove him back and tumble on top of him in the grass, under a tree. He pulls me to him and our lips meet in the deepest kiss we've ever shared, full of loss and hunger and desire.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't fix this. I can't make it right."

I silence him with another kiss, and another, and another. We can't do this here. Someone could see us.

It's too late. It's going to happen.

He grasps my shoulders, gingerly, and pushes me back, pulling me away from him. I try to kiss him anyway but he's too strong.

"We can't. Please. I can't stay with you. I can't be with you."

"Shut up," I snap at him, and wriggle out of his grasp to fall on him again, wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hard.

His fingers find my hair. His other hand slides up my leg, under the hem of my dress. Just his touch on the outside of my thigh sends a spasm of heat flaring through my body.

I get up, tug his hand. He rises to his feet and I pull him along away from the path, where someone could see us. Behind the park bench, back, into the trees. There he seizes me by the waist and pushes me up against the tree, driving my legs apart, around him, crushing against me, surrounding me, possessing me. It's the other way around. He's mine. The passion is here. This is my passion. I feel like this moment is the only reason I've existed at all. My future is in his arms.

"Did you ever hurt anybody," I murmur, so close our breath is one.

"No. Never hurt anybody. Never stole from anybody who couldn't afford it."

"What changed? Why us?"

"Dad got in deep. I didn't know. Bad people have something over him. I can't fix this, Diana. I have to go. It's the only way you can stay safe…"

"You're not getting rid of me that easily. You don't get to rip my heart out. I won't allow it."

"I don't want to. I want to stay with you here, or wherever you want to go. I want to be like everybody out there. I want to wake up next to the same person every day. I want to have a family, a life, something to leave behind me. I'm sick of lying to everyone I meet. I never realized it until I met you."