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“No. I’m not letting you break up with me or whatever it is you think you’re doing.”
I scoffed, irritated and turned on at his brashness. “Oh, you’re notlettingme?”
“Listen to me, Sutton. You’ll tell me to leave, and I’ll go but only because you asked and not because I wanted to,” he pointed out before continuing, his tone almost bored, “and then we’ll both be sad, pretending like we made the right decision, but we’ll both secretly know that we didn’t. I’ll miss you but be way too arrogant to ever tell you. Your life will be unbearable without me in it, but you’ll be too embarrassed to admit it. And then Kayla will have to intervene and get us back together, where we always belonged in the first place.”
I laughed out loud, but I could clearly picture the reality of what he’d just said. Or maybe it was one too many Hallmark movies as a kid that had me believing his diatribe. “That’s a very intricate story.”
“And it’s true. I like you. I want to be with you, so I’m skipping all that in-between stuff I just mentioned and staying put by telling you, no, you’re not breaking up with me.”
He was insane. I mean, we still had so much to learn about one another. What if we weren’t even compatible really? Sure, we had chemistry and attraction, but that wasn’t what made a relationship stick.
“We barely know each other,” I tried to argue, but he threw his chair back as he stood up and started pacing, his fingers running through his dark hair.
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” he fired back at me as his pacing halted. “I know that you’re smart. And fun. And brutally honest. And that even though I said horrible things to you the first time we met, you still put that shit aside in order to help me. You have a big heart. You’re strong. Independent. And I know you don’t need me. Not for one second do I think you need me, but I need you. I want you.”
My eyes filled with moisture, and I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t stop it if I tried. I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand, and just when I thought I couldn’t take hearing another word out of his mouth, he gave me more.
“You’re sexy as hell, and all I can think about is touching every inch of your body and worshipping it until you understand just how gorgeous I think you are. Inside and out.”
“Did you practice that speech?” I asked as more tears fell.
He let out a gruff laugh. “No. That was straight from the heart.”
Before I knew it, he was kneeling in front of me again, his blue eyes watching me, his hands touching me, his voice preparing me. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
And he did. Jesus, he kissed me slow, his tongue moving like he had all the time in the world. His arms wrapped around me as he lifted me out of the chair and into his arms, our mouths still fused together as he walked down my narrow hallway.
“Which door?”
“Last on the left,” I said, and he was kissing me again.
The feel of his tongue and the warmth of his lips lit my whole body on fire. Every nerve ending exploded at once, and I knew I’d never felt anything this intense before.
He placed me on top of my bed before hovering over me, his eyes roving over every inch of me from my head to my toe. It was a little unnerving, but I sucked in a breath and tried to feel as beautiful as he kept telling me I was.
But I couldn’t get the article out of my head. That damn article.
“Did you read it?” I asked, and he shushed me, putting a finger against my lips to keep me quiet.
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll deal with them later. First, I want to take care of my girl.”
“Your girl, huh?” I asked around the finger he still had there.
“I thought we’d established that in the kitchen. Are you confused?” He pulled his hand away and gave me an inquisitive look.
“No,” I replied in a whisper. “I just like hearing it.”
“Good. Then, tell me who I am.” He leaned down to kiss my mouth but stopped short, teasing me. “’Cause I’d like to hear it too.”
“My man?” I said, but it came out sounding like a question more than anything else.
“Say it like you mean it.”
“You’re mine. My man.”
“Damn straight.”
He raised his eyebrows before claiming my lips once more, and I groaned into his mouth, feeling safe and secure in his arms. I felt like I’d stepped into some sexual fairy tale, where everything Joseph did and said sent shock waves of pleasure through my body. He almost made me forget about the scars.
