In the Arms of the Elite (Rich Boys of Burberry Prep, #4)

by C.M. Stunich

Then again, I hate secrets. They're like splinters. If you just pull them out right away, the pain is minimal. Leave them buried and they get infected. Leave them long enough and you have to cut the skin to stop the pain. No thank you.

“I've already said my piece: the girl is a snake in the grass. Get a fucking lawnmower, Marnye.”

“Now, it’s because you’re a person who isn’t swayed by the easy things in life. You demand heart and sacrifice, kindness, generosity. Those sorts of acts aren’t easy. I admire you in a way I’ve never admired anyone else.” He pauses and reaches up to touch the side of my face. “There’s a purity in you that very well might cancel out the darkness in me. Marnye, I’m not ashamed to admit it: I want you, and I’m willing to fight for the privilege of calling you mine.”

“That’s my girlfriend’s other boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend,” Zayd says, and his friends look at him like he’s lost his damn mind. “Yeah, I forgot to mention that I’m like, poly or something now.”

“Your Majesty, indeed. Marry me and make it official. No pre-nup. You can have half my fortune if we ever get divorced.”

“I’ll never be a nice guy, and I’ll never be a saint, but if you’re game to let me try, I’ll make a valiant change. If you could only love me for the asshole that I am, then I swear to God I’d be the man you want to claim.”

“I’m sorry, Marnye, but I do feel bad,”

his fingers through his hair and makes it stand up straight. “If there’s any chance of trust, can you give me another chance? There’s so much fear inside, no place to hide. But can you see the real me?”

“I’d also like to take this moment to profess my love,” Windsor says, putting his palm over his heart and lifting his chin. “It’s a royal proclamation.”

“I love your daughter, too,” he says, and I swear, if there was a single spot on my body that wasn’t red, it would be now.

“What's that old saying? Don't be so sweet that people will eat you up, and don't be so bitter they spit you out?”

“I love you, Marnye Reed,” he whispers in my ear, just as my climax hits like a wave and shatters me to pieces, body, heart, and soul.

“True. But it’s not always the ending that’s the most important. Sometimes, the journey to get there is just as good.”

“So when I decided that I was in love with you, and that you were mine, I chiseled that decision on my heart in stone.” He steps forward and puts his fingers under my chin, lifting my face up to meet his. “You’re mine, Marnye, and I’m not letting go. Not even if I have to share your heart. The way you love, it’s infinite. That’s more than enough for me.”