I can even mutter a word, they are walking through the crowd until they’re completely out of sight.
“That was sudden. What happened there?”
“I asked Joshua to leave me alone with you.”
“What?” I frown. “Why?”
“Because I wanted you all to myself.”
My eyes hold his. “What’s going on here?”
He picks up my hand in my lap. “I want another chance.”
I scowl. What the fuck?
“I want you to give me another chance, Ash.” He leans forward and gently kisses my lips. “We are so good together, Bloss.”
I pull back quickly. “No, Cam.” I shake my head. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m trying my best to get a kiss.” His eyes search mine.
“It’s not happening, Cameron.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t trust you.”
His face falls and he picks up my fingers to kiss the backs of them. “Please don’t say that,” he whispers.
I watch him kissing me slowly, and I shake my head. “I can’t just turn my feelings back on like a tap when it suits you.”
His eyes hold mine.
“The damage you’ve done is irreversible, Cameron,” I reply sadly. “There is no hope for us to ever work it out now. I warned you back then. Now… I don’t have the same feelings for you that I used to.”
His face falls and he drops his head. Feeling guilty, I squeeze his hand in mine.
“I honestly thought I was doing the right thing, Ash,” he whispers.
“I know you did,” I reply sadly.
His eyes rise to meet mine, and he stays silent.
“But I can’t be with someone who bases their decisions on power.”
He frowns.
“You tried to take Owen from me to show me who was the boss.”
His eyes hold mine. “It wasn’t about the drugs.”
“I know it wasn’t. It was always about me working at the club.”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of Owen having to deal with the consequences of that.”
“So then you talk to me. You tell me what your feelings are and you ask me to leave in an adult fashion.”
He frowns as he listens.
“You don’t give me warnings to leave or else. You don’t just do whatever it takes to get your own way. That is not the way to handle things, Cameron. I know you are a strong man who always gets his way—”
“I don’t,” he interrupts.
I frown. Oh please. “Cam, you’ve had a blessed life. You have brains and you got into med school. You have good looks so you get the women. You have money so you never have to worry. You are in control of everything, and that’s just how you operate.”
He scowls.
I smile sadly. “And that’s great for you.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “But if we ever got back together, I know you would use that power again to control me eventually.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“You would.” I nod. “You don’t even know how you are.”
He shakes his head in disgust. “What are you talking about? How am I?
“You’re entitled.”
He sits back, clearly annoyed at my presumption. “That’s ridiculous. I am not.”
“Aren’t’ you?” I smile sarcastically. “What about right now, Cameron? You have decided that we should try again and you feel you are entitled to a second chance.”
His eyes hold mine.
“I don’t like that part of you, Cam. I will never like that part of you. It’s not how I’m going to live my life.”
He sits back as he watches me, inhaling slowly. He’s angry and wants to fight back, I can tell, but he’s using everything he can to not snap at me.
“You lied to me, too, Ashley. You didn’t tell me about Owen.”
“I was trying to get to know you first,” I whisper.
“I couldn’t trust you. You broke the trust first,” he whispers, annoyed. “And then you wouldn’t leave the club, even after I paid for your rent and offered you money…”
I watch him.
“What was I supposed to think?” he asks.
“Oh, I don’t know? Maybe that you can’t order everyone around and tell them what to do. How about I will let her leave in her own time if that’s what she wants?”
“This isn’t all about you, Ashley. I did that for Owen. Have you honestly stopped to think about the consequences if he grew up and it came out you had worked there?”
I frown.
“Think about it. Think long and hard. I did everything to protect Owen in the future, and I’m sorry I hurt you, but it was the only thing I could do that got you to leave immediately.”
I continue to watch him.
“You were starting to mix with these girls and asshole men