Seduced By A Steele (Forged of Steele #12) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,67
her father’s control. The man was worse than a tyrant. He was a damn dictator.
“Is what my father claimed true, Mercury? Do you own my car and is this apartment in your name?”
“Yes,” he said, without hesitation, turning back to look at Sloan. “Remember our discussion on temporary fixes? I made decisions to use a couple.”
He then came to stand in front of her, but not before tossing the package he carried onto the same coffee table where her father had tossed the plane ticket. “I had planned to explain things to you tonight when I dropped by. If you care to check that packet, you’ll see the car and the apartment are both in your name now.”
“B-but why?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Because I knew how much both meant to you, and without me handling things the way I did, you would not have gotten either. I wanted to see you happy.”
Sloan broke eye contact with him to look at the package. She then looked back at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mercury knew he needed to make her understand. “Because the one thing I had gotten to know about you was that being independent meant everything to you. It boosted your confidence in yourself, and I wanted to help make it happen. Had I told you then, you would have fought me on it. Look how you didn’t want the money I gave you to open that bank account. I’m used to women wanting my money more than not wanting it.”
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Then maybe you need to know better women.”
“True, and I found that out the hard way—trust me.” He moved past her to look out the window at the lake. He then turned to her. “While in college I fell in love with a woman who I thought loved me back. I later found out that all she wanted was to hook up with a football player who she thought had a future in the NFL. Like you, she had parents with goals established for her. They wanted their daughter to marry for money.”
She eyed him speculatively. “What happened?”
He drew in a deep breath. “I was injured and was told I would never play football again. That’s when I discovered my purpose in her life. She moved on to another player.”
Sloan raised a brow. “But you did play again?”
“Yes. I was determined to show her that she’d written me off too soon. It took me an entire year of rehab and therapy, but I came back better and stronger than ever. And I told myself I would never love another woman. All they see are dollar signs. Not one proved me wrong...until I met you. You’re the only woman I know who prefers being poor to being rich.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t take it that far, Mercury. I like nice things like anyone else. I just never want money to define me.”
“Most women wouldn’t care about such a definition.”
Spine straight and her chin tilted high, she said, “When are you going to realize I’m not like most women?”
Leaving his spot by the window, he slowly walked over to stand in front of her. “I realized it the moment I accepted that I had fallen in love with you.”
She released a shocked gasp. “You love me?”
He nodded. “Yes, I love you,” he said, thinking the shocked look on her face was so painfully beautiful. At that moment nothing mattered more than for her to believe what he was saying. “I absolutely, positively, undeniably, unequivocally love you, Sloan.”
She didn’t say anything, but he saw the lone tear that fell from her eye. “You love me even knowing what kind of parents I have?” she asked in a voice filled with emotion.
He drew her into his arms. “Your parents have nothing to do with you other than that they created you. I just hope you’re not going to rush off to the airport and leave town with your father. I couldn’t handle it if you left me.”