Page 119 of The Game We Played

“But you’re moving too slow,” she pouts.

“You’re the one who thought it’d be fun to tease me. This is payback. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you come. Eventually.”

“You’re cruel.”

“I want to worship you and show you I love you.”

“I…” She cuts herself off with a cough.

“You what?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

Forget it? I can’t forget it when I think she was about to say she loves me.

“Do you love me, gorgeous?”

She squeezes her eyes shut. “Um…”

“Are you afraid to say the words?”

Her eyes fly open. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Good. Tell me how you feel about me. Do you love me?”

“Maybe I don’t feel like telling you how I feel.”

“Maybe I feel like teasing you until you admit how you feel.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

I tickle her ribs.

“Stop! Stop!”

“Tell me you love me.”

“No!”

“Tell me you love me and I’ll stop.”

“I…I…”

I pause. She’s struggling. She’s not ready. Fuck. I’m being an asshole. Again.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you. I won’t push you anymore. You can tell me how you feel in your own time.”

Her eyes warm, and she smiles up at me. “This is why I love you. You can be a total jerk, but you’re also great at apologies.”

My heart stalls in my chest. “You love me?”

She rolls her eyes. “Duh. I wouldn’t have forgiven you for being an asshole if I didn’t love you.”

I grimace. “I’m sorry, I didn’t trust you. I should have listened to you.”

She palms my cheeks. “You’re listening now. You saw I was uncomfortable and you stopped what you were doing. Admitted you were wrong.”

I smirk. “I’m an awesome boyfriend.”