The Devil's Own Chloe (Bistro La Bohème Series) by Alix Nichols Page B

“You were going to say something before we got interrupted by
Diane the Drama Queen.”
    He
smiles. “That girl has balls.”
    I
spread my arms in a gesture of helplessness.
    “So,
yeah.” He clears his throat. “I lied to you.”
    “About
what?”
    “Well,
technically, it wasn’t a lie.”
    “Right.”
I sigh. “So what was your non-lie about?”
    “Remember
that deal we made two weeks ago in your kitchen?”
    I
nod. “You promised you weren’t going to fall for me.”
    “I
promised no such thing.”
    “What
do you mean? You said—”
    “I
said you shouldn’t presume I’ll fall in love once we’ve had sex.”
    “Exactly.
So you lied?”
    “No,
I didn’t.”
    “You’re
not making any sense, Hugo.”
    He
takes my empty martini glass and sets it on the closest table. Then he takes my
hand. “I didn’t lie, pichune . I just failed to mention something.”
    “What?”
    “I
wasn’t going to fall for you after sex. I’d already fallen. Since middle
school.”
    I
take a moment to process this.
    “Why
didn’t you say something back then? You never asked me out, never even held my
hand.”
    “I
was shy, remember?”
    “Yes,
but still…”
    “OK,
if you want the whole truth, it was because of Lionel.”
    “What
did Lionel have to do with it?”
    “He
took me aside after one of our basketball practices and had the big-brother
talk with me.”
    My
eyes widen. “Oh, no.”
    “Oh,
yes. I remember every word he said. ‘Chloe’s seen too much loss, and she’s just
beginning to heal. I’m asking you not to try anything. If things turn sour
between the two of you, it may be more than she can handle.’ ”
    “Poor
Lionel! He was worried about what his looming death would do to me.”
    “I
figured as much. Everyone knew about his illness.”
    I
sigh.
    “So,
I heeded his advice.” Hugo gives my hand a squeeze. “I was young. I didn’t know
my heart.”
    “And
you do now?”
    He
nods.
    “Well,
too bad,” I say. “Because I’m ending our affair. From now on, we’ll be just
friends and business partners.”
    “ Pichune ,
you’re overreacting.”
    “No,
I’m not! Lionel was right to warn you not to date me, only he got one crucial
detail wrong. It wasn’t for my sake—it was for yours. Stay away from me,
Hugo, please!”
    Something
wet runs down my cheek.
    Shit .
    “Chloe,”
he says. “Since you told me about your Midas touch , I did some
research.”
    I
give him a tired look.
    “Listen
to me.” He steps closer. “I’m not sure I can explain this properly, but it’s
called ‘magical thinking.’ ”
    I
shrug. “Yeah, I’ve heard about it. But it’s not my case, Hugo. I’m not deluding
myself. There’s too much evidence that my curse is real.”
    “What
evidence? Your adoptive parents’ death?”
    “Among
other things.”
    “It
isn’t evidence, Chloe. It’s what triggered your problem. This happens to
grieving children all the time. They start thinking it was their fault.”
    I
put my chin up. “It was my fault.”
    He
smiles softly and shakes his head. “You’re sabotaging your happiness because of
that.”
    “Rubbish.
I’m perfectly happy.”
    “OK,
fine. Whatever.” His eyes bore into mine. “Now you’re afraid I might be your
next victim, right?”
    I
hold his gaze. “You will be my next victim if you don’t run while you
can.”
    “I
don’t want to run. It’s my life, and I’m OK with taking that risk.” His lips
quirk. “Considering there’s no risk.”
    Hugo
Bonnet, you’re a mule. And
a pain in the neck.
    I
speak slowly, articulating every word. “Which part of ‘I’m lethally toxic’
don’t you understand?”
    “Every.
Single. Part,” he says, mimicking my cadence.
    “Well,
if you don’t care about your life, so be it. But I do, and I’ll do what it
takes to keep you safe.”
    “Chloe…”
    I
pull my hand from his and shove both hands into the pockets of my pants. “You
can’t force me to be with you.”
    “Tell
me