"I have been watching you. I knew you were hurting too but I didn't want to admit it to myself. I didn't want to feel empathy towards you. I couldn't. You were the reason I had lost everything I thought I won back. I didn't talk much, I lost my appetite, I couldn't sleep. And I knew you couldn't either. I had seen the black circles under your eyes, the exhaustion that was ripping you apart. I felt somehow responsible about it. That's why I suggest you sleep with me." I gaze at him as he nods. "I wanted to sleep and I wanted the same for you,"

"Why did you cry?"

"It..it was nothing," I mutter not wanting to confess the true reason behind my tears.

"Was it because of me?"

"Yes," He seems to bewilder by my immediate short reply. "We hadn't shared the same bed for a while and you being in my room brought all my memories of us back." His eyes are troubled, hurt. He seems more tired than before. Like the discussion is eating him up; draining his energy. I feel the guilt of hiding the main reason dawn on me and fixing my eyes on my hands; I get it out of my chest.

"You looked so peaceful and cool with us being together alone after so much time when I was so nervous, and I feared I didn't affect you anymore...maybe all this bored you and you didn't want me anymore, maybe you never did," I whisper feeling my cheeks heat up. I hear him move but I don't dare to meet his eyes. He towers over me before his fingers force my chin to raise. Our eyes contact.

"Are you kidding me? You were right next to me..." His voice trails off and I notice how his eyes darken. "And I couldn't touch you,"

He doesn't have to say anything else; I understand by the way his eyes are dark, full of desire and lust. His grip on me is tighter and I feel his fire explode inside me. My breath becomes heavier by the way he's staring at me; the way his body has leaned in mine. His eyes fall from my eyes and fix in my lips that part. I see him licking his lips and I gasp. The oxygen evaporates and I can't think about anything else. He leans further; I find my heart beating faster and faster as the distance reduces between us.

"Why did you tell her we haven't been close enough?" I whisper the moment as lips were about to touch. His eyes dart to mine; the tension disappearing completely from the atmosphere. He frowns and trouble messes his blue ocean eyes.

"What?" His voice is husky, heavier; the sensual tension changed him.

"Dakoda told me you admitted her that we hadn't had..." I leave the sentence unfinished. He locks his eyes and pulls back from me before he sits next to me on the stairs. "Is it true? You told her?"

He runs his fingers through his blonde hair and glancing at me from the side, he speaks.

"Yeah, I did."

"Why? She has a long history with you and you told her something so personal about us?"

"It just came out. I didn't tell her because I wanted to." He states and I sense the annoyance creeping into his voice.

"What is that supposed to mean? I haven't told anyone, how could you?"

"She was seeing how happy I was and she wanted to fucking ruin this." He snaps and anger flickers in his eyes. "She told me you were with me because..." He stops as if the thought still has the power to affect him negatively. He looks at me for a few seconds. "Because you wanted someone to make you forget. You only wanted me for the pleasure I was offering you. It got under my skin, I got so angry even at the possibility and told her we hadn't done anything. You were with me because you wanted me. That's the only reason she knows,"

"Does anyone else knows?"

"No," He says instantly. "I didn't want people to know anything."

"Why did you put the rule that nobody must know about us? You wanted them to know,"

"At first, I didn't know if it would work. I needed to try it with you. If it worked, we would let everyone know. If not, then it would be over." He explains.

"And nobody would have believed me if I claimed we dated," I add.

"I didn't think about it but...yes I guess you're right." I giggle after a few seconds. "What's funny?"

"I passed the test, the try-period and then I learned I was been used for money. Not the relationship I thought I'd have," I mumble with melancholy in my low voice.

"What money?" He questions. I turn to him frowning.

"The money you wanted from your parents. The reason you used me in the first place." I explain and I see confusion flashing his features. His eyes narrow watching mine; attempting to comprehend the words that escape my lips.

"It was never for money." He states and my lips part.

"Don't lie to me, I know it is."

"It is not," He emphasizes leaning closer. "If it was for money, I would have given up the whole thing the moment I realized I was falling for you."

A small gush of air escapes my parted lips in surprise. Whenever he confesses his feelings to me; it's extraordinary. I feel my heart flutter as butterflies dance in my stomach.

"Remember what I told you the night in my house?" I nod giving him the cue to continue. "As you already know my parents don't care about anything other than their fucking money. This is the prime reason they are on trial right now. I wasn't going to do anything. I had enough of their fights and I promised that I would stay out of their goddamn mess. Until they decided to go after the one thing, they shouldn't."

He looks ahead as I look at this cautiously. His body has hardened and his eyes are cold with loath and halter. His hands are clenched; I don't think he knows he is doing it. I feel my blood freeze and my heart stops knowing that whatever he'll say next, will not be good.

"My sister," I stare at him in utter confusion. "I learned their plans about her earlier than what they wanted me to found out. Turned out, they want her custody."

"You told me they didn't want it," His eyes meet mine and I feel their coldness freeze my soul.

"They don't want it. They need it. They want to be her guardian to get her share of the money. If they win her custody her part will be inherited by her adult guardian. In this case my mother or father. In other words, they'll take her part and give her to an orphanage or to someone who she doesn't even know. The second I learned I have tried my best not to let it happen. And this is why I'm being caught in their mess. I want to taker her custody to protect her from those monsters."

My jaw has reached the floor. I just sit here looking at him with wide eyes full of shock and disbelief. How could they do this to their children? I recall Corbyn's words of how fortunate I'm that I've been loved by my parents. He is right; I am.

"I'm eighteen now and I have the right to apply to the court for her custody, and that's exactly what I did. And there you came," He says softly as our eyes meet.

"I had met you when all this mess was going down. I meant that I wanted you since the day in your room. I was thinking about you all the time but I didn't want to admit that you might be different. I didn't want to want something more with you. But I did. Then my lawyer made it clear that I had to change my habits if I ever wanted to have a chance at this. I needed to change. I had to change a lot of things and one of them was to drop the playboy life. I needed to have a girlfriend."

I bring my hands in my head and bury myself in them. I blink to avoid the tears that escape from behind my closed eyelashes.

"I didn't like the idea. The moment he proposed it though I knew you would be the one I would choose if I was about to do it. I wanted you and it was the perfect fit. We have been close then, slept in the same bed, kissed a lot. I knew that I craved more. Although I didn't like the relationship thing, I was still thinking about it, trying to come to terms with it and then you drop me the couple bomb and I got angry at you. It all became terrifying. I was getting soft and I hated it. You were messing with my thoughts and I felt like an asshole. I thought I had immunity to those kinds of emotions. I never wanted anyone the way I want you. The days we were apart, he told me that I needed to get a girlfriend. I thought of what you had said and I knew I couldn't do it. I thought the relationship shit wasn't my type. I was convinced it wasn't going to work." I glance at him; his eyes fixed on me. They are no longer charged with ferocity but with love.

"I got drunk then. I wanted to protect my sister but I didn't know if I could change what I always believed in. I slept with girls and moved to the next. No commitments, nothing. I was used to living this way. I didn't know what to do and that's when I came to you. You didn't want me in your room, you weren't kissing back and I found myself craving for it. When you kissed me back, I knew that I could only do it if I would do it with you. I stayed with you the whole night."

Everything starts to fall in place. All becomes clearer now about the way he acted around me; the things he said and did.

"I didn't sleep. I was watching you wondering if you would ever agree to do be with me. You were so innocent and I wasn't anything of what you needed. But I wanted you. I guess I was selfish enough to offer you the relationship with my rules." He stops to peer his eyes in mine; trying to decipher my emotions. I wasn't talking. I wasn't saying anything.

"I was losing my mind while you were thinking about it. I wanted to do anything I could to convince you, I didn't know what that was though." A smile graces his lips lighting his whole face. "You run to me in the field and I couldn't believe it. I didn't know how lucky I got. I had you and it was like nothing mattered anymore. I liked the way that felt." His voice is tenderer now, softer as his eyes caress me.

"When you nearly broke up with me and I stopped you, it wasn't because of the court. I didn't scream that I loved you because of this. I didn't," He comes closer to me. "The thought of losing you was awful and I knew I didn't want to lose you, I simply couldn't." He rests his forehead in mine; shutting his lids that hide the captivating blue eyes of his. Seconds pass like this; none of us talks.