Page 20 of Sinful Empire (Mount Trilogy 3)
“Because I offered her a fortune for another night, and she still said no.”
Again, the words of a man I used to fear alleviate the pain of betrayal from this foundation-rocking confession.
Then it occurs to me why Magnolia had no choice but to turn him away.
“She couldn’t give you another night because I eloped with Brett. I married him the next day based on what happened at the masquerade. Thinking you were him. The one impulsive decision of my life—”
Lachlan sucks in a breath. “I wish I’d gone to her that morning. You would’ve been mine from that night forward. When she told me you’d married another man and were beyond my reach—not part of our world is how she put it—I was furious.”
“I never would’ve married him if I’d known—”
His other arm wraps carefully around my waist, and he draws me closer to him. He guides my face down to his lips. “I wouldn’t have fucking let you. No way in hell.”
His lips sweep across mine and I lean in, soaking up his warmth and conviction. This man changed the course of my life without even knowing he had. When he releases my chin, I meet his gaze.
“If you had to let me go because of Brett, then how did this,” I gesture between him and me, “happen?”
Lachlan’s face contains more pride than apology. “Nothing is beyond my reach, Keira. Nothing.”
I have to force myself not to smile at his arrogance. In this maelstrom of emotion and confusion, one thing is absolutely clear—Lachlan Mount hasn’t wavered at all about what he wanted. Which was me.
The pieces start to snap together.
“So you . . . you made this happen. Everything from then on was you pulling the strings.”
“Of course. When the prize is right, no amount of effort is too much.”
I can’t even hold it against him. How else
would he have gotten me to fall in love with him? I can’t envision another path that would have led to where we are. Which makes this all the more confusing.
I think of how Magnolia told me to stand up for myself and not let him walk all over me. How I had to hold my own. Did she know it would keep his interest locked on me? Everything she ever told me is now called into question. While I’m contemplating this, Lachlan keeps going.
“I forced her to give me your name. I tracked you down, found out who you married. Started watching you that day. Did my research. Learned Brett’s weaknesses. Learned he conned you. And then I waited . . .”
He trails off, leaving me desperate to know where he’s going with this.
“Waited for what?”
“For you to realize exactly what he was on your own. I forced myself to stand back until you moved to sever ties.”
“Why would you wait? That doesn’t seem like you at all.” I’m trying to come up with an explanation for it, but I can’t.
“Maybe not normally, but you were different.” He tilts his head.
Still confused, I ask, “Because you needed me at my weakest to swoop in?”
He shakes his head. “No. I wanted you at your strongest.”
“But I was falling apart—”
“No, you weren’t, Keira. You were coming into your own. Don’t tell me it didn’t take a hell of a lot of courage to make the decision to end it.”
I blink twice. He’s right. Choosing to end my marriage wasn’t something I did lightly. I struggled and agonized over the decision. Even with as short as my marriage was, it still hurt like hell to admit how wrong I’d been.
“So you watched and waited. Which explains how you knew the perfect timing. When I went to a lawyer. Got the apartment. Set things in motion.” I press two fingers to my temple as more pieces slide into place. If I didn’t already have a headache, this realization would have given me one. “And that piece of shit agreed to take the money and walk, knowing that you’d come after me for it.”
Lachlan doesn’t try to deny it. “I did what I had to do to get what I wanted.”
