“Bella please, let me explain,” he pleaded with her, his gaze locked unwaveringly on her own.

Bella’s breathing became shallow as she stared at him apprehensively. She knew that he was not the type of person who usually expressed such fearlessness or concern.

She had seen it many times over the years, but that was mainly due to the fact that she rarely ever saw him truly scared. He always hid it very well behind his usual facade of nonchalance, and if you didn’t know him particularly well, you wouldn’t even notice it.

But tonight, Bella saw an uncharacteristic amount of vulnerability in his dark eyes. He had no idea...