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The muscles in her face ached from trying to contain her hurt and anger.
He spread his hands wide as if to say he didn t get it. Confusion spilled over his
features, turning them in on each other. He shook his head and stepped closer to her.
 You re being sued. So, you think you can just fuck some black chic and it ll
prove you aren t a racist.
That did it. Her resolve broke, but only one tear managed to escape. The others
she swallowed.
Ichigo s face burned scarlet. He grabbed her by the shoulders, his grip bit into
her biceps. He scowled.  What nonsense is this?
 Let go of me! she barked.
 You believe that? You think I m a racist? he asked, eyes softening into hurt.
No, he doesn t get to have his feelings hurt. Not after what he d done to her.
 Get your fucking hands off me! she spat and kicked out. He blocked her efforts
to knee him in the nuts with his thigh. Backing her up, Ichigo pressed her against the
wall. To do so, he let go of her hands, and she slapped him across the face, temporarily
halting his efforts.
 Bastard!
She hated the hurt and watery tears in her voice. She had to get out of here.
Squirming against him, she fought, hands punching and slapping against the stone
hard body in front of her.
 Get the hell off me! she yelled. She bucked against his solid frame, her hands a whirl, and then she squealed as
Ichigo s wide hands succeeded in snaring both her wrists into one of his hands. He
secured them above her head. His powerful thighs pinned her to the wall, spread eagle.
She could move, but not in the ways she wanted and she couldn t get out of his hold.
All she could do was glare at him.
 You think I m a racist? he seethed against her face.  Are you nuts?
 You used me, she repeated, but without the heat of her earlier outburst. How
could he do this? She liked him so much, enjoyed him even more, and yeah she didn t
know if she wanted to see him again, but deep inside she already had fallen for him. If
she didn t care about him at all, this wouldn t hurt so damn much.
The hard glint in his eyes softened.
 I made love to you, Char, because I m in love with you.
 Whatever.
 God! I m not a racist! Hell, Kanon is half black! To hate anyone of color would
make me a poor ass father, wouldn t you think? I didn t get expelled from my family,
disowned, and mocked because I hate people of color!
Charlotte stopped fighting.  Kanon s half black?
 Yeah. Where d you think she got that hair, he said, releasing her and stepping
back. He went over to one of the bookshelves and removed an album. He opened it to
the first page and thrust it into Charlotte s hands.  Here.
He plopped down into one of the two stiff, ebony wingback chairs. She stared down at the black, crushed velvet photo album. An emblazed date in
silver and a quote told her this album had only one purpose memories of a wedding.
 That s Sybil.
She didn t want to see his ex-wife, but curiosity pounced. She had to see the
competition, the other woman that had managed to snare Ichigo s heart and cause him
to lose his family and his heritage. Who would make him do all those things? With her
stomach in a flutter, Char looked down at the page. The lithe woman beamed in her
blinding white wedding grown. Light caramel skin a red bone, Sybil had been
decorated in skillful makeup and ornate jewelry. The woman was breathtakingly
beautiful. Charlotte could make out Kanon s lips and chin in the woman s face. Of
course, Kanon s hair came from her mother too. He didn t lie. Sybil was surely Kanon s
mother.
 She s uh, beautiful.
Ichigo shrugged.  Only on the outside.
Charlotte handed the album back to him. He threw it with disgust onto the coffee
table. Papers fluttered up in its wake. She looked at the coffee table, only just seeing it.
A flurry of papers were scattered across its oval surface.
 Even if the suit was about discrimination, I wouldn t use you like that, he said
from the chair.
 It s not about discrimination?
He smiled over to her, but it seemed cold.
 It s about reverse discrimination. Charlotte frowned. What? She could still see the crimson mark on his cheek from
where she d slapped him. Swallowing her embarrassment, she shoved her hands into
her pockets.
 My former nanny, Ms. Avery, filed the suit. She believes I fired her because
she s white. Hiring you actually adds some validity to that claim.
Charlotte gaped at him.  Huh?
He got up and came to her as if she d beckoned him. Sick with shame, her cheeks
were aflame. Thankful for her cocoa-toned skin, she couldn t meet his eyes. She closed
her eyes and released a slow breath. She didn t even ask for him an explanation about
the suit. Foolish she d been rash, rage-filled, and wrong.
A kiss made her eyes flap open and she found herself lost in the liquid pools of
his eyes. She looked away. Damn her stupidity.
He lifted her chin up. She struggled to hold his gaze, but instead of anger she
found arousal. The scarlet handprint on his face mocked her.
 I m sorry, she whispered.
 Kiss me and make it better.
She did, barely giving him more than a friendly peck on the mouth.
 Hmmmm. It still hurts, he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her
close.
 Where? she asked, thinking he meant his injured cheek. How could he just
accept what she d done?  Here, he said, tapping his lips.  And here. He tapped his chest, where his
heart resided.
 How can you just forgive me? she said, voice wavering. God she was going to
cry.
 Why? I love you, he explained softly.  Loving you means taking that feisty
personality of yours. It s the thing I love best about you. You re passionate and open.
So, let me in.
 Ichigo&  She shook her head, smiling despite herself. He loved her?
 Kiss me, damn it, Char!
She rose on her toes to meet his warm mouth.
Hungry probes of his tongue scoured the recesses of her mouth, stirring her to
passion. She broke the kiss before it deepened into something more. She wanted him,
but her emotions clashed inside her. Then she met his stare, and lowered her heart to
his chest. There, beating out its declaration, his heart s thump, thump fell into cadence
with her own. Together. In sync. One.
 Hmm, that s better, he said, kissing her forehead. His dark slumberous eyes
seemed to glow. His hands continued rubbing over her back.  Come to bed, baby. You
can make it up to me there.
 I m still going to end up on the sofa, she replied, smiling as he laced his fingers
with hers.
 Not tonight.
Epilogue
Seven Months later
The seven people seated around the rectangular glossy board table didn t seem
nearly as happy or giddy as Charlotte did inside. All right, maybe happy wasn t the
best way to describe it, but she did feel a strong sense of relief mixed with anxiousness
as Ichigo took her hand and sat down beside her at the table. Dressed in an ebony suit
and sapphire blue tie, he looked like a model, and every other male in the room paled
by comparison. His ink-jet hair had been pulled back and cinched at his neck with an
equally dark tie. The pale blue shirt and sapphire tie made him look scrumptious, and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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