Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 75195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
But. . .shouldn’t we discuss this more? It’s a clear boundary. What other boundaries do you have?
The whole date had drastically shifted off course.
Just like that he went from sensually hot to furiously cold.
My head spun with this new reality.
The silence that followed was a chasm between us, filled with unspoken words and emotions too complex to name. The distance felt insurmountable, and I wondered if we could ever bridge it, or if I had irrevocably damaged something beautiful and fun.
Slowly, I rose, watching his rigid back.
A profound sense of loss settled over me.
I had wanted to know him, to understand him, but I had pushed too far, too fast.
And now, I feared, I had lost him.
But was that even fair to me?
Didn’t I need to know more about him?
Was I being too damn rational or was this illogical?
Having no-strings attached fun with him in Paradise City was one thing.
I could do that with him. We could explore all the sex clubs and parties in this city all he wanted. If I didn’t like something, I could always just grab an uber and head back home to my sacred space. There, Scarlett would be waiting to give me a hug and tell me I was fine.
Going off to Hungary to stay for a week when I had no idea who the hell he was. . .was another thing. Especially since he had just gone so cold within seconds.
What if he did this shit in Budapest?
We could be at the party enjoying ourselves and then I did what I usually did—delved too deep with some question—and now he would be off somewhere and I would be standing in the center of an orgy of strangers looking like an idiot. I would have to figure out a way to get a plane ticket back to Paradise City. It would be a hot mess.
No.
I could not put myself in a situation like that.
As the silent seconds stretched between us, I began to get angry.
What the fuck? I just asked about his parents, not what his social security number was. And. . .okay. . .I kind of knew it would be a tough topic, but not one that would make him go as cold as ice.
Had I not shared my sorrow about my brother with him?
Couldn’t he have just said leave it alone, but not completely put space between us?
Nova. . .have some empathy.
I placed my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry. I won’t ask about your parents again.”
Tristan remained steadfastly silent before releasing a heavy breath and then turning to me. This time his face wore an intensity that was both terrifying and captivating. “I want you to come with me to this party, but if you need to delve deeper into my mind, then we should end this here.”
I trembled. “What?”
“I’m looking for someone to go to this party.” His gaze bore straight through me as if he were daring me to challenge him. “That’s it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The Masquerade.”
“Yes. Yes.” I shook my head. “The party, but what does that have to do with the grander scheme of things between us?”
“That’s why I pursued you.”
What the fuck? What the hell is he talking about?
I held out my hands. “So you asked me out on a date to simply see if I would go with you to some fuck fest across the world?”
The air between us crackled with emotion and unspoken desire. All my senses were alive and alert in response to the raw energy emanating from him.
“Nova, I told you that I wasn’t looking for anything more than fun.”
I pointed at him. “But you didn’t say that the goal of our fun was as shallow as a puddle in the summer sun.”
“Shallow?” He frowned. “Does it matter? Whatever we were going to do, it wasn’t going to mean anything anyway.”
My heart ached. “It didn’t have to mean something profound, but. . .there was still going to be something.”
“Something?”
“Some type of connection.”
He leaned his head to the side. “Is that what you think?”
“I don’t know what to think.” My voice shook. “You invite me into your home, share your art, your passion, but draw a line at your past? At the things that might actually help me understand you? And now you’re surprised that I feel like your goal for me to go to this party is superficial?”
A heavy silence descended in the room.
I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, watching him contemplate whether or not to shove me off.
Finally, he broke the silence. “I didn’t bring you here to interrogate me. I brought you here because I thought we were on the same page.”
“I thought so too.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “But how can I be on the same page when I don’t even know what book we’re reading?”