Blazes of Temptation- Book 2

Chapter Seventeen

"Laura, look at me," he catches up with me and grasps my wrist, "Everything is going to be fine. I promise you. I will find a way to save us, I promise," he looks at me vulnerable. He's afraid I would leave him.

"How?" I whisper as he closes the distance I've tried desperately to put between us and hugs me with his massiveness. "I don't even know what kind of agreement you have with them, but surely, you were thinking about something when you signed it and I can't help but feel helpless. Why would you do that?" I raise my head and look at him in the eye of the man I have fallen in love. "Why would you sell your future to her?"

"I had to. I needed money to start with. I needed to get myself together," he mutters, his eyes refusing direct contact.

"Is this the part where you open me, finally?" I smile at him.

He huffs with amusement instead of answering me, I take that as a no. Taking my hand, he leads me toward the sofa where we were sitting not long ago.

"Moore is a family friend of ours of some sort, my mother knows Amelia through the fashion designs and the parties they attended, apparently. She deliberately sent her my way to save me. Long after when I start standing on my feet, I decided to start making a business with the money from the gambling. Turned out the money wasn't enough and I had to ask for his help. Moore suggested I work for him as an apprentice for a year and then he would give me the business to run while the profit would still go to him,"

"You said you bought the company, though?" I look at him confused. There is a reason why I decided for interior designing, not business administration.

"I did. I bought it out only he had to agree to it. I had worked for his company for a whole year doing whatever he was supposed to do and I went beyond that since I was technically his assistant. Besides, I did pay him, too. I bought the company and it was way easier because I was an apprentice of his." he raises his eyebrow.

"And the price we are talking about is the contract you signed with them," I make a deduction all the while ignoring the fact that Andrew tricked Amelia's father into buying the business.

He only nods. Oh, Andrew, what have you gotten yourself into? My anger has calmed down after I realize he is as helpless as I am. Of course, in his mind, he would never think of finding happily ever after. Interesting... Does that mean that we have finally found it? Is he happy? I would kill to know if he's in love with me? I wouldn't kill. Ok, ok. Focus. I'm straying. Closing my eyes, I rub my temples. This is spun out.

"There is a way out," Andrew gets my attention. Looking at him, curious, I saw the nervous look in his eyes. "Marry me,"

Shocked, I looked at him, wordlessly. This is beyond me. I was ready for any given moment, but not this. I'm gobsmacked. How can he say this in this moment? Is he trying to make a joke out of this? About this subject? Using my desperation to be with him so he can prove a point?

"No," I shake my head, frowning, thinking how I answer this, "You don't get to mess with me like that. How can you use that to entertain yourself?"

"I'm not entertaining myself. This is a real question. I'm trying to solve the problem,"

"Are you kidding me? By asking me to marry you, so what? The contract would be void and you don't have to marry her anymore? Do you realize that marrying someone should be based on love, which apparently you're not capable of. I'm... You seem to get everything ahead of you. This is not how the relationship works, Andrew. We marry and after a few years, I would be in the place Amelia would be, you'd be tired of me and we'll be done. I wouldn't want a marriage like that. If you don't love me, then we'd be better off without each other. How can you even think you can use my feelings against me? You think this is funny. Marrying someone in order to avoid the other." I get upset, so I stand you and turn my back to him. I am hurt.