by Holly Rayner
She had enough time to catch the surprised look on his face before turning around. This time, she really intended to leave. But, before she had a chance to step forward, a hand grabbed her wrist. It wasn’t harsh or angry. It was light. If hands could talk, this one was apologizing.
“Please turn around,” Filipe murmured. “I need you to hear me out.”
She sighed and turned.
“I don’t understand why,” she said. “You don’t owe me an explanation. You don’t owe me anything. It’s not like any of this matters.”
“But it does matter,” Filipe said. “Because you need to understand.”
His green eyes were piercing hers. How could she say no?
“I don’t know,” Eva said. “I might be a lowly barista, but I’m not accustomed to having conversations with men who cheat on their wives and go through bags that don’t belong to them.”
Filipe rolled his eyes.
“I had to go through your bag,” he said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to return it. And I didn’t do anything more than look at your phone. Last time I checked, that was socially acceptable in emergency situations.”
“Then how did you know about my job?”
“How else? You had your next shift written on your cell phone calendar. I didn’t go snooping through your bag. I didn’t even know for sure that your uniform was inside. I just guessed. I emailed you and set the bag aside. I swear.”
Eva looked in her purse. It didn’t look overly disturbed. Still...
“Why should I trust you?” Eva asked. “You cheated on your wife. You lied to me about who you were. Why do you even care what I think?”
“Because I care about you,” Filipe said sincerely. “And I didn’t cheat on my wife. So, unless you have somewhere to be, I’d really appreciate you hearing what I have to say.”
Eva hesitated. Was this man worth five more minutes of her time? Probably not. But he was a prince, and she was very curious.
“Fine,” she said. “But we’re talking down here. I’m not going back upstairs with you.”
“That’s fine,” Filipe said, ushering her toward a pair of chairs in the corner. “We can sit right here. I don’t have anything to hide from you.”
“Except the fact that you’re a married prince.”
Filipe shot her a look.
“I don’t have anything else to hide from you,” he said coolly.
“Sorry,” she said. “You set yourself up for that one.”
He smiled. She couldn’t help but return it briefly.
“All right,” she said as she sat down. “Let’s hear it.”
Filipe sat down next to her. He took her hand. Eva debated over pulling it back, but decided to let him keep it.
“I don’t normally bring girls home from bars,” he said. “Even places like Oasis. I was there for a meeting with an associate. I know that sounds vague, but it isn’t a lie.”
“Okay,” Eva said. “So, you’re telling me you’ve never slept with anyone other than your wife before?”
Filipe shook his head.
“No,” he said. “I’m getting to that.”
“But you just said you don’t normally bring girls home from bars.”
“That’s doesn’t mean never. Will you please just listen to what I have to say?”
Eva took her hand back.
“I don’t understand how that’s supposed to make me feel better,” Eva said. “It doesn’t make you look better, either. What are you saying? That I was special enough for you to cheat with? Me and a handful of other lucky girls?”
Filipe ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
“You’re not listening,” he said. “I need you to stop hating me for a minute and give me the benefit of the doubt.”
“Why should I?”
“I’m not the only person who lied that night,” he said, almost angrily. “You think I wasn’t hurt when I found out you lied to me? You think it felt good, knowing that I’d been used?”
“I didn’t use you.”
“Oh, yes you did,” he said. “I was your escape, right? Proof that you can make it with a classy guy. A night with someone who doesn’t know who you are. A chance to be someone else. Am I anywhere close?”
Eva’s will to fight him disappeared. She was suddenly ashamed.
“I never cared about your job,” Filipe said. “You could have told me the truth. The same thing would have happened. But you wouldn’t have wanted me, then. You were carrying out your little fantasy. That’s all I was to you.”
“How did this conversation get turned on me?” Eva asked.
“Because you’re not being fair,” he said. “You had your own reasons to lie to me. You want me to respect them. But you won’t respect mine.”
“I’m not a freaking prince,” she said. “And I’m not married. The only lie I told was about my job.”
“And your roommate,” Filipe said. “And where you live. Did you lie about everything else too? Even the personal things?”
She shook her head.
“No,” she said. “Everything I said about my parents and my frustrations were true. The stories from my past were true, too. I wasn’t honest about my occupation or my roommate or where I live. And no, I didn’t graduate from Columbia. I dropped out. But that’s it. That’s all of it.”
“I didn’t lie about anything,” Filipe said. “Except my status as a businessman. And honestly, Eva, if you’d asked me about marriage or my job, I would have told you the truth. My hotel room doesn’t exactly scream business executive. It’s not even where I normally stay. I have a place in the city. I don’t like to use it. Women ask too many questions when they see it.”
“Okay?”
“I wasn’t trying to say that you belong in some special club of women who I’ve deemed worthy enough to sleep with,” Filipe said. “That would be awful. I was trying to say that you caught me off guard. I never planned on bringing you home. I never pushed myself to like you. I just did. And I wanted, more than anything, to be myself around you.”
Eva felt like her heart was being stabbed. For once, a man actually thought she was special. And he was married.
“Stop,” she said. “I don’t want to hear about that, okay?”
“I’m just being honest,” Filipe replied. “I want you to know that this meant something to me.”
“But we can’t be together,” Eva protested. “And it meant something to me too. You’re hurting me. Don’t you get that?”
Understanding dawned on Filipe’s face.
“Oh,” he said. “Of course. You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Maybe you should just be happy with the woman you married,” Eva pointed out. “Then things wouldn’t be so complicated. Where is she, by the way? Obviously not in New York.”
Filipe sighed.
“I’m about to tell you something,” he said. “And you can’t ever share it. Not online. Not with anybody. I need you to promise me that. This is bigger than us.”
“Okay,” Eva said. “I promise.”
He took a deep breath before continuing.
“My relationship with Luiza isn’t real,” he said. “It was an arranged marriage—the latest in a long-standing tradition of uniting noble houses. It’s political. There’s nothing between us, and there never has been.”
Eva stared.
“Then, why did you do it?”
“Because my mother is dying,” Filipe said. “She has cancer. She wanted to see our wedding more than anything in the world. I couldn’t take that away from her.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” she said genuinely. “But I still don’t understand.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re married to a beautiful, powerful woman, and you’d rather sleep with a barista from Brooklyn?”
Filipe attempted to smile, but it didn’t meet his eyes.
“This is a difficult topic for me,” he said. “My parents don’t know the truth. My
closest friends don’t even know.”
“Then don’t tell me anything else,” Eva said. “It’s fine. Like I said, you don’t owe me anything.”
“But I do,” he said. “Luiza lives in Rome. We’ve never even slept together. She’s an old-fashioned elitist, only interested in consolidating her family’s power and status. Sharing her life is beneath her. I never wanted to marry her, but I have expectations to meet. I know you understand how that feels.”
“You said that you feel like you can’t be your own person,” Eva said. “This is what you meant?”
Filipe nodded.
“I tried to love her,” he said. “But I couldn’t. We’ve been living this lie ever since.”
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Also by Holly Rayner
Sheikhs and Princes
Bought By The Sheikh
Stealing From The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Captive Woman
Marrying The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Make-Believe Fiancée
The Sheikh’s Accidental Bride
The Sheikh’s Irresistible Proposal
The Sheikh’s Secret Princess
The Sheikh’s Illicit Affair
The Sheikh’s Purchased Bride
The Sheikh’s Tempted Protectress
The Sheikh’s Captive Love
The Sheikh’s Green Card Bride
Bought For One Night: The Sheikh’s Offer
Wifed By The Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Online Bride
Single Mom And The Sheikh
The Sheikh And The Cowgirl
The Sheikh’s Stolen Bride-To-Be
The Sheikh’s Scandal
Secret: The Maid and the Sheikh
The Sheikh’s Uninvited Lover
Secret Baby Romance
The Tycoon’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Quadruplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Triplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Quintuplet Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s Secret Love Child
The Prince’s Scandalous Baby
Hassan: The Bad Boy Sheikh’s Baby
The Sheikh’s Twin Baby Surprise
The Sheikh’s American Baby
Baby Maker
The Prince’s Triplet Baby Surprise
Merry Christmas Romance
The Billionaire’s First Christmas
The Sheikh’s First Christmas
The Billionaire’s Christmas Bundle of Joy
The Billionaire’s Lessons in Christmas
European Billionaire Romance
An Heir For Alexandros: The Greek Billionaire’s Baby
A Baby For Kristos
The Greek Billionaire’s Marriage Matchmaker
Poker Face
