Collateral Damage

chapter 6

'Marry me,' the words left his lips rendering me speechless.

I burst into laughter. A belly-aching, endless laughter. It was the first time I'd laughed this hard in days.

He didn't laugh with me. Somehow, I knew he wasn't a smiling person, let alone a laughing person. But his unflinching gaze told me he wasn't joking either.

I sobered up quickly after that.

'You aren't kidding?' I asked.

'Do I look like I joke, Miss Nolan?' he asked. Still the face of graveness.

'Would certainly give you bonus points,' I muttered under my breath, my eyes on the coffee cup I was holding between my hands. I held it but I had no intention of drinking its contents. His presence had evidently made me lose my appetite.

'Did you say something?' he asked.

'No.' I shook my head, meeting his eyes again. 'You were saying?'

He sighed as if this whole situation bored him and he had much better things to do. I'd actually prefer it if he abandoned this discussion and do those better things because I certainly didn't have any nerve left to try to walk away again. 'I'm asking you to marry me,' he repeated.

'I don't know if you remember this, but I'm engaged,' I said.

He raised an eyebrow. 'I don't see you wearing any ring,' his gaze fell on my hands wrapped around my half-filled coffee cup.

I looked down at my hand and my heart clenched. 'You're right,' I whispered, still gazing longingly at my naked ring finger. I'd forgotten I wasn't engaged anymore. I'd been for so many years, it was hard to remember that I wasn't anymore.

My stomach lurched as his hand wrapped around mine and he pulled it away from the cup. He held it in his as someone does before kissing your knuckles. I looked at him, his head was bowed as he gazed at my pale hand against his tanned one. His hair fell over his forehead and his touch was sent a shiver through me. I told myself it was because his action was so unexpected. He was so gorgeous. I realized I could easily fall in love with him if my heart wasn't spearing shards into my chest unceasingly and if he wasn't so cold. In truth though, I doubted my ability to love anyone again.

His thumb lightly traced the skin on my finger where it was a shade lighter. It just reminded me how long I'd wore that ring.

'He wasn't worth it,' he said softly.

My hand laid limp in his and I wondered why I was letting him hold my hand.

'What?' I asked, taken aback.

He looked up and met my eyes. For the first time ever, I saw real emotion in them. Pity? It was gone just as soon.

He cleared his throat. 'I said you shouldn't be getting sad over a two-timing sleazeball. Guys like him are not worth it.' He sounded sincere.

'Excuse me?' I said, jerking my hand back. I had no idea why I was offended. Maybe it was because no matter how much Noah hurt me, I still couldn't hear strangers badmouthing him. Or maybe it was because of an entirely different reason. The reason being, how did he know so much about me? It was highly unnerving.

He looked away, tapping the table with his fingers. When he didn't say anything for a while, I knew the subject was closed and was thankful for it. I didn't want to discuss Noah, especially with him.

'So,' he started turning back to me. 'You're not engaged anymore. No reason to say no to marrying me now.'

I gaped at him. At his persistence. Was he insane?