The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress

Lorelai

POV

I wake up, my heart thudding loudly in my chest, my hand automatically reaching out for Knox as my eyes shoot open. He's gone. The spot beside the bed is empty. For a moment I sit there, staring at the small dent in the mattress blankly, while the memory of what happened last night at the fundraiser begins to flood through my mind again. I put a hand to my mouth and fought back the urge to vomit, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. Part of me doesn't want to have to face Knox, or anybody ever again, and yet, part of me wants to think that it's all going to go away. I know I have to speak to him about this engagement nonsense that he's declared in front of everyone and I force myself to get up and to get ready, my body feeling stiff and awkward. I know this discussion is not going to go well and I dread having to have it with Knox, but there's no denying there has to be one.

I hear Knox's voice in the dining room. As I walk down the stairs I come across none other than Mr Deluca and Mr Grant who is holding his puppy.

"Good morning Lorelai" Mr Grant eyes me closely, taking in the dark circles under my eyes and my pale complexion "Are you feeling alright?"noveldrama

I duck my head and force a smile on my lips "I'm fine thank you."

Mr Deluca offers his hand "Congratulations on your engagement to Knox my dear. You couldn't have asked for a better fiancee" he tells me as I stare at him numbly, my lip twitching. What else could I say but utter "thank you" before resolutely turning towards the dining room and marching slowly towards it?

lan moves past me and I step inside, Knox standing up. My heart skips a beat as I meet his charcoal-dark eyes. He looks like he just stepped out of a goddamn magazine, his hair is slicked back, his eyes are sparkling and his muscles ripple with every movement, discernible even underneath his clothes which only further accentuates his gorgeous body.To access the complete chapters for free, visit Jo b nib.com. It's not fair. I looked like a trainwreck in comparison. I hold up a hand to prevent him from getting too close, knowing that he would have me breathless if he approached some more and looked him in the eyes "We need to talk."

A wry smile appears on his lips and he bows his head in acknowledgment. "It appears we do," he says, standing back and examining me "Maybe you should sit down?"

I shake my head. I need to say this while I'm standing or I'll lose my nerve. I swallow past the lump in my throat, my anxiety skyrocketing. "Knox I...." I whisper.

"Don't" he interrupts "Don't say it. Just listen to me" he says, his eyes fixing on mine "I know that I shouldn't have just announced it and that was wrong. But Lorelai, can't you see this is the only way forward now? It's the next logical step" he says and I try not to stiffen at how clinical it all sounds, how logical. How rational.

I don't want logic, I think wretchedly, staring at him with tears barely held at bay. I want more than just a logical reason for being engaged. I want so much more than just a relationship that's built on lies and subterfuge. I can feel my chest beginning to tighten. "That's just it" I whisper as he c***s his head "I don't want to just get engaged for the sake of it or because it's the right thing to do Knox," I tell him miserably, my hands wringing together, both of them shaking slightly. He looks confused "But, why not? I thought you liked me" he began.

"It's not a matter of liking you. When you get engaged it's because" I trail off and glance away, trying to find a way to put it into perspective "It's because both parties want to make a lifelong commitment to each other." "We can do that" he argues.

He doesn't understand. Maybe the problem is me. I've been abused by Jackson for so long that part of me doesn't want to settle anymore. Part of me doesn't want to feel like I'm anything less than that special someone. I fight for control while Knox continues to stand there puzzled as to what I'm trying to convey.

"When people get engaged" I cough and clear my throat "it's because they are in love with each other Knox. Because they've been dating for a long time. It's not just decided in order to save face."

My tone turns bitter. He doesn't appear to understand what I'm driving at. He continues to stare at me. Silence. I exhale. There. I said it. I told him why I couldn't do it, didn't I? "So you see," I said with a wavy voice "I can't be engaged to you, because it wouldn't work. I want somebody who's always going to be there for me. I want somebody who sees me for all my flaws and doesn't care about them. I want the walks on the beach" a tear trails down my cheek "watching the sunsets, the cliche romantic dinners. I want everything that I never got" My voice hitches "All the things that were denied me by Jackson. It's taken me this long" I hesitate and then finish "to realize that I'm worth all that and much more. I don't have to settle, and I don't want to" I tell him in a whisper.

He looks upset. My heart is slowly breaking. It feels like I've ripped my own heart out of my chest and stomped on it. My body is trembling. I can't bear to look him in the eyes anymore and see the hurt I'm sure is mirrored there. I glance away, fidgeting with my hands. Knox's mouth is opening and shutting, as though he's struggling to find the words to come up with or a way to respond to me. I heave a sigh of resignation.

"I think it would be best..." I begin my voice cracking with emotion.

He interrupts "I don't."

I stare. His voice is loud and it's angry. There's a look of frustration on his face, mixed in with something else that I can't quite place. He runs a hand through his hair, messing it up, making him look even more sexy in the process. My eyes widen as he gestures wildly, his lip twisting as he exhales loudly.

"I think I understand what you're trying to say," he says unsteadily as I look up at him, his eyes bleaker now "You're saying that you want a man who makes you his priority. You want the romance that generally comes with a relationship. You want to be engaged to somebody who" he pauses and looks up towards the ceiling "somebody who loves you" he concludes. He understands. I give him a sad smile. "Yes," I tell him solemnly "it's not enough to like someone to become engaged. I'm sorry Knox but I..." "But I'm in love with you" he blurts out frustrated and my heart skips a beat.

What? He had said it so casually, but his eyes were fixed on me now and there was a look of desperation on his face. "I wanted to tell you before, but I never got the chance. I would never have suggested the engagement or announced it if I didn't have such strong feelings for you" he continued to say, while I stood there frozen "I've never felt this way towards any girl before, but I know that it's love. My heart races every time you are near me and your perfume makes me breathless. Your hair is soft between my fingers and when you smile, you light up the room. I spend every night that we're in my bed, holding you and finding comfort from the feel of your body pressed against mine. Normally I can't stand people touching me" he says in a whoosh while I stand there in shock "but with you it's different. With you, I can't get enough of it." He couldn't? I could feel a tear trailing down my cheek as he continued his passionate speech. "It's like you're the stars and the moon. You're so beautiful that no other woman even compares" he said, reaching for my hand while I let him take it wordlessly "I have never wanted somebody as badly as I want you" he admitted, his eyes never leaving mine "and the thought of you being with someone else or leaving me, it kills me" his voice lowers to almost a whisper, his eyes never leaving mine.

He loves me. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm in a whirlwind of emotions and I can feel my body shaking. I feel tingles run up my hand from where he's touching me. There's a look in his eyes, a beseeching and it touches me. I swallow past the lump in my throat. He holds my hand with a gentleness but also firmly like he can't bear to let go. I take a deep shuddering breath. He waits.

"Say you'll be my fiancee" he whispers, his voice coaxing and persuasive as I stand there, staring at the man who I was deeply in love with. "Say you'll marry me Lorelai. I want you" he reiterates "and we can stay engaged for as long as you like Please, don't leave" he begs.

What did I say after hearing such a speech? How could I refuse? To leave Knox would be to cause myself a wound that would never heal. I had wanted this. This declaration of love from a man I desired like no other. He wasn't Jackson, in any way shape or form. He was his own man and he made his own decisions. I could feel myself faltering. Could I walk away from this without experiencing everything that Knox had to offer me in the way of love? My heart began to sing and I could feel myself beginning to brighten. There was no way I could walk away from Knox now. Not after everything he had just told me. My mouth parted as he looked at me with hope.

"Knox," I tell him, a wide smile curving on my lips as he tightens his grip on my hand and my eyes raise up to look at him closely "I love you too" I admit, finally able to utter the words I had been holding back for so long, and before I can move his hand is on my face and he's kissing me with desperation and tenderness that leaves me breathless and gasping for air.