“Please don’t cry, Cass.” He couldn’t stand to see her like this.
She quickly wiped away the tear. “I’m not crying. It’s the harsh lighting in here. It always makes my eyes water.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Always. I have sensitive eyes.” Her voice hitched, belying her emotion.
Using the pad of his thumb, York wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eye. “You can admit that you are crying.”
“I’m not damn well crying.” She shook her head, her hair flew about her face.
“I’m in love with you.” He growled, watching as different emotions registered on her face. Shock to elation to pain. It clouded her eyes and pinched her features even more. Another tear tracked down her honeyed skin.
Cassidy swallowed hard, shaking her head. “No, don’t say that. We can’t be together so it’s useless information. It’ll confuse things…make things more difficult.”
“We can be together,” York growled. “We have to find a way. I can see you feel the same about me whether you are willing to admit it or not.”
She lifted her gaze and stared at him in the eyes for a long while. “It doesn’t matter how I feel.”
“It does.” He took her hand. “I’ll get you into the program, Cass. All you have to do is agree. Please.”
She shook her head even harder and stood up off the bed before pulling her dress back on. “You have to leave. Go.” She pointed in the general direction of the door. When he didn’t respond, other than to gape at her, she threw his shirt at him. “Go!” She yelled this time. “You and me are never going to happen. This thing between us is over. It has to be.”
York leapt up off the bed and came to land in front of her. Cassidy’s expression changed from one of pain to one of shock. Vampires could move pretty fast when they wanted to.
“How can you say that? I just told you that I’m in love with you and I would bet serious money that you feel the same way about me. I’m not going anywhere.”
She chewed on her lip, her eyes looked anguished.
“Tell me that you don’t feel anything for me and I’ll leave…right fucking now.”
Cassidy shook her head. “Don’t do this. Just go, York.” She turned away from him.
“I’ll say it again”—he let out an exasperated sigh—“I’m not going anywhere, Cass. I’m going to get you into the program whether you like it or not. I’m fucking in love with you and I’m going to find a way to be with you. If you won’t fight for us then I’ll have to do it for the both of us.” York felt desperate. Her reaction told him that she felt the same. Why wouldn’t she just admit it?
Cassidy let out a big gust of air. Her eyes were tear soaked. Her lip actually fucking wobbled and he curled his hands into fists wanting to kill the thing that was making her feel this way. Not sure what the hell it was.
A small whimper escaped her and she pursed her lips together for a few beats. “It won’t work, York. It just won’t work.” His name on her lips made him want to fall to his knees in front of her and beg…fucking beg. For all he was worth and he would gladly do it if he knew it would help.
“You can’t know that,” he growled. “We have to at least try.”
Her eyes fluttered closed and she put a hand to her forehead. “You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand, Cass,” he growled. “Why is it that I’m willing to fight and you’re not? Is this one sided? Was it just about the sex for you?” He could hear how wounded he sounded and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.
“It wasn’t just about the sex and you know it!” She yelled, her eyes on fire with a mix of emotions.
“All I know is that any time I mention something deep or meaningful like how much I’ve missed you or how I long to wake up with you, you clamp up or change the subject. You even turn my words around making them sound flippant. I want to wake up with you…every damned morning. I miss you to fucking death when I’m away from you for any length of time.”
“We hardly even know each other.” Her voice sounded incredulous.
“There you go again.” It came out sounding gruff. York clenched his jaw, feeling his molars roll together. He tried hard to get a handle on his emotions. “I know you well enough, Cass. I’ve been with plenty of females and it was never like this. I can’t get enough of you and it’s only becoming more intense the more time I spend with you. You are it for me.”