“You do this to her often?”
He looked at her and immediately wanted to lie about the nature of his relationship with Maria Elena. But he wouldn’t do that to her. Cautiously, he said, “Kari, when we were ten years old, our fathers gave us to each other. They made a business deal to increase the wealth of the two families by arranging a marriage between us. When I became a teenager, I realized that I didn’t want to marry her. I didn’t even like her. I went to USC to get away from her, but her parents would send her to visit and I had to pretend I was okay with it when what I really just wanted to tell her was to go find a nice guy who wanted to be with her.”
“You’re not attracted to her?” Kari asked suspiciously.
“No, you can’t force something that’s not there,” Paolo said, shrugging. He was looking at Kari with a different type of intensity, pleading for her to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“So you’re telling me that you’re engaged, but you don’t care for your fiancé. That makes absolutely no sense.”
“My father arranged a marriage for me when I was ten. Who the fuck does that? Actually, he and my mother married through an arrangement, but they ended up falling in love. In all the time I’ve been tied to Maria Elena, I’ve never felt…anything.”
“Arranged marriages? Are you serious? In the twenty-first century? How does she feel? About you, I mean.”
“She’s not like me. She believes that this is the way it should be. She’s happy,” Paolo said. He stopped just short of disclosing that he was expected to marry her in barely two weeks.
“She’s happy and you’re sleeping around on her? Does she know?” Kari asked, narrowing her eyes on him.
“I’m sure she suspects,” Paolo said, “but that doesn’t change what I’m feeling for you, Kari. I need you to know that.”
She looked towards the door. I should probably get the hell up out of here , she thought. “Are you going to marry her anyway?” A lump formed in her throat as she spoke the ugly words.
“I don’t want to,” he said, locking blue eyes to brown.
“That’s not what I asked,” she replied, holding his gaze, crossing her arms around her folded knees.
With the beautiful eyes of Karisma Montgomery holding him captive, his mind was made up, knowing there would be hell to pay. “How can I marry a woman who’s never inspired an ounce of what you make me feel?” he said, hoping she sensed his sincerity.
“What do you feel?” she asked.
“I feel like the world has opened up for me. I feel…more. I want more. I want you . Not just in bed, Kari, I want you.”
She felt his words. Crazy though it was, she wanted the same. “Then what are you going to do? Maybe we should hold off on this, whatever this is, until you can…get your house in order,” Kari replied. She couldn’t afford to have another dawg in her life.
“I don’t want to hold off on us, beautiful.” He kissed her shoulder.
“And I don’t want to be your side piece,” she spat, holding her chin up.
“You’re more than that to me, can’t you tell? Something ignited in me from the first moment our eyes met. And I believe it happened to you, as well. Don’t you feel what’s between us?” he asked, pulling her to him possessively.
Looking into his intense eyes, she shook her head and said, “Listen. My last boyfriend, Ray? You met him. He fucked around on me for three years. I never caught him, but the rumors were always out there. I finally walked in on him, in my bed, with one of his hoes. That was the last straw. It took me three years to get to that last straw. I’m sorry, sweetie. One thing my experience with Raymond taught me was to NEVER let that happen again. And I won’t. I can’t.”
She moved to get out of the bed, and he seized her by the wrist.
“Kari, fuck Raymond. How he could fuck other women when he had you is beyond me. But…look at me,” he said,
He looked at her and immediately wanted to lie about the nature of his relationship with Maria Elena. But he wouldn’t do that to her. Cautiously, he said, “Kari, when we were ten years old, our fathers gave us to each other. They made a business deal to increase the wealth of the two families by arranging a marriage between us. When I became a teenager, I realized that I didn’t want to marry her. I didn’t even like her. I went to USC to get away from her, but her parents would send her to visit and I had to pretend I was okay with it when what I really just wanted to tell her was to go find a nice guy who wanted to be with her.”
“You’re not attracted to her?” Kari asked suspiciously.
“No, you can’t force something that’s not there,” Paolo said, shrugging. He was looking at Kari with a different type of intensity, pleading for her to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“So you’re telling me that you’re engaged, but you don’t care for your fiancé. That makes absolutely no sense.”
“My father arranged a marriage for me when I was ten. Who the fuck does that? Actually, he and my mother married through an arrangement, but they ended up falling in love. In all the time I’ve been tied to Maria Elena, I’ve never felt…anything.”
“Arranged marriages? Are you serious? In the twenty-first century? How does she feel? About you, I mean.”
“She’s not like me. She believes that this is the way it should be. She’s happy,” Paolo said. He stopped just short of disclosing that he was expected to marry her in barely two weeks.
“She’s happy and you’re sleeping around on her? Does she know?” Kari asked, narrowing her eyes on him.
“I’m sure she suspects,” Paolo said, “but that doesn’t change what I’m feeling for you, Kari. I need you to know that.”
She looked towards the door. I should probably get the hell up out of here , she thought. “Are you going to marry her anyway?” A lump formed in her throat as she spoke the ugly words.
“I don’t want to,” he said, locking blue eyes to brown.
“That’s not what I asked,” she replied, holding his gaze, crossing her arms around her folded knees.
With the beautiful eyes of Karisma Montgomery holding him captive, his mind was made up, knowing there would be hell to pay. “How can I marry a woman who’s never inspired an ounce of what you make me feel?” he said, hoping she sensed his sincerity.
“What do you feel?” she asked.
“I feel like the world has opened up for me. I feel…more. I want more. I want you . Not just in bed, Kari, I want you.”
She felt his words. Crazy though it was, she wanted the same. “Then what are you going to do? Maybe we should hold off on this, whatever this is, until you can…get your house in order,” Kari replied. She couldn’t afford to have another dawg in her life.
“I don’t want to hold off on us, beautiful.” He kissed her shoulder.
“And I don’t want to be your side piece,” she spat, holding her chin up.
“You’re more than that to me, can’t you tell? Something ignited in me from the first moment our eyes met. And I believe it happened to you, as well. Don’t you feel what’s between us?” he asked, pulling her to him possessively.
Looking into his intense eyes, she shook her head and said, “Listen. My last boyfriend, Ray? You met him. He fucked around on me for three years. I never caught him, but the rumors were always out there. I finally walked in on him, in my bed, with one of his hoes. That was the last straw. It took me three years to get to that last straw. I’m sorry, sweetie. One thing my experience with Raymond taught me was to NEVER let that happen again. And I won’t. I can’t.”
She moved to get out of the bed, and he seized her by the wrist.
“Kari, fuck Raymond. How he could fuck other women when he had you is beyond me. But…look at me,” he said,
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