The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) Read Free Page B

She nodded.  “So, that’s the guy’s voice I heard?”
    Again, she nodded.  “I should’ve told you, and I know that it’s stupid, but…” her words were cut off when Damian leaned in and kissed her.
    She softly moaned against his lips, then pulled back.  “What’s that for?” she asked, chuckling softly.
    “My heavens, woman…I thought you were going to tell me this was one just last hurrah, and you found someone else to satisfy your needs.  You taking a business trip was the furthest thing from my mind.”  He laughed slightly, keeping that silly grin on his lips.  “You definitely should’ve told me.”
    She took in his words, but then grilled him as to the true meaning.  She looked away from him, and her words spilled out.  “So, what exactly would be so wrong if I stopped this suddenly?  After all, we’re not a couple in love, so why would that matter so much?”  She turned her head to look at him, and she couldn’t even read his mind.  “I guess I’m just a little confused as to why that would worry you so much.”
    After what seemed like an eternity, he shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I guess I’ve just enjoyed this more than I expected to.”
    The day they first met one another, he had mentioned that he just broke up with his girlfriend.  They never talked about the breakup or even about the girl.  Was that a mistake she could’ve avoided?  She sighed, releasing a rushed breath, before asking him that one question.  “What happened between you and your girlfriend?”
    He laughed.  “What?  What does that have to do with anything?” he asked.
    “It’s something I should’ve asked a while ago.  We started this before we truly explored that question.  Who broke up with whom?”
    He appeared like he wouldn’t answer the question, then he did.  “She broke up with me, but it was a mutual decision.”
    Vagueness seemed to be something he was used to, and she noted that.  “Why’d she want to break up?” Charity asked.  His eyes dropped from hers.  “Don’t I have a right to know?” she asked.
    He snickered.  “I don’t know.  Do you?  This isn’t a relationship, so why do you care?”  Charity didn’t respond, just remained staring at him, but deep down she was hurt by his words.  He seemed to take note immediately because he apologized.  “I’m sorry.  It’s just I never expected to break up with Bridgette, and she decided she wasn’t ready to be in love with anyone.”
    “Love?”  Charity asked.
    He nodded.  “I wanted to progress the relationship and the moment she saw me getting too close…she bolted.” 
    Hurt filled up his eyes and she held back from caressing his face in her hands.  “Do you still love her?” Charity couldn’t control herself from asking.
    He slowly nodded.  “There are times when I think I don’t, but then I recall something we did together, and it all comes rushing back.”  She opened her mouth to respond to his statement, but then he continued.  “Honestly, I’ve relied on our times together and maybe it’s wrong because it’s no different than using a person, but you’ve helped me.”
    Charity shook her head.  She couldn’t blame him for using their sex to keep his mind off breaking up with his girlfriend.  She’d been doing the same thing to keep her mind off Derek.  “That’s why we’ve started this whole thing, right?”  He nodded, but she wasn’t finished speaking her peace.  “We started this whole thing because we were both hurting.  Yours just happened to be more recent than mine, but we have to have an understanding here.”
    “Alright.  What?” Damian asked.
    “We need to be practical and realize that down the road one of us, or both of us, could find another partner.  You might find someone to love, and I can’t be mad if you go with your heart.”
    “Basically, you’re saying that I shouldn’t have been jealous when I heard that guy say something to you?”
    She