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“That’s not—”
“Yeah, it is.” She threw her hands up in the air. “Jesus Christ, Ford. You’re here to make sure I’m safe, but I’m not sure I’m safe with you.” My stomach dropped at her words, and I felt like my entire life was crumbling in front of me. Was that how she saw me? Did she really think she was in danger because of me? “You’re driving me freakin’ insane!”
I frowned at her, not sure what she was talking about, but fuck, I couldn’t keep looking at her when she was barely wearing anything. “I don’t understand—”
She laughed, the kind of laugh that was condescending. “As if you don’t fuckin’ know. You may be oblivious, but I see the way you look at me.”
My nostrils flared. “I don’t know what you’re—”
“Jesus, Ford.” She raised her brow. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way you touched me at the club. I’ve gone over and over it in my head so many times, imagining you getting into that cab with me.” Her cheeks blushed.
Had she been anyone else, I would have gotten into that cab with her, but she was Belle. Belle Easton.
“But then you go so cold,” she continued. “And I think to myself, ‘did he not like it?’ And then I realize it’s because I’m just Baby Belle to you. I’m still that little girl you can tell what to do and she’ll follow your rules without much of a fight.”
“Belle—”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. I get it. Just—”
“Will you let me talk?”
“—leave, and we can pretend you weren’t in here and we’ll forget about everything I’ve said. We can start fresh tomorrow, and put the stupid kiss behind us and—”
I couldn’t listen to her go on any longer, not when she had that sad look in her eyes. She was so much more than she realized. So much more.
I lunged forward, letting my primal instincts take over, and wrapped my arms around her waist. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t let my brain kick in. I didn’t let my body take over. I listened to my heart and pulled her flush to my body.
“What the…”
I bent my knees, not needing to say anything else. Time for talking was gone, and it didn’t matter what I said to her. She was right. I was blowing hot and cold. My body was saying one thing, and my words were saying another. So I pushed them both aside, and did what my heart and soul demanded me to.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” I told her, my words gruff but low. I wasn’t asking for her permission. I was telling her what was going to happen, and for once in her life, she was speechless. This wasn’t like the kiss in the club. This wasn’t out of desperation. This was because the thought of our lips never touching again broke something inside me.
I held her as tight as I could. Our gazes met, and there was so much said with one single look. I felt the world tilt, and it only righted itself when I pressed my lips to hers in a whisper-soft kiss. It was gentle, loving, and so much more than I ever thought I was capable of. My body screamed at me to go harder and faster, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to show Belle that she wasn’t the only one still thinking about that night at the club. I had to show her she wasn’t going insane, because if she was, then so was I.
I pulled my lips away and then pressed them lightly again. Several times I repeated the action, and each time they connected, I felt part of my heart crack and then mend again. It was Belle’s name being stamped into it, and I wasn’t sure there would be a way for me to erase it, but right then, I didn’t care.
All that mattered was Belle and me, and this moment no one could ever take away from us.
* * *
BELLE
I’d woken up this morning with a smile on my face and my lips tingling at the memory of Ford. My mood was the best it had been since the last time he’d kissed me in the club, and I couldn’t help wondering if this was the start of something.
A part of me expected him to kiss me as soon as I walked into the living room, but he was silent. It wasn’t unusual for Ford to be so focused on the task at hand that he didn’t talk much, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.
I went to each of my classes, Ford standing at the back, and got on with my work, all with a grin plastered on my face. My shift at the coffee shop flew by, and I was sure it was because I knew as soon as this day was over, Ford would turn back into the person who had pressed my back against my bedroom door and told me he was going to kiss me.
His gruff voice from last night kept repeating in my brain. But it was as we were walking back to his car to go home that I finally realized he’d not said more than a couple of words to me today, and even those had been only to tell me which way to walk and when I’d asked him what time it was.
I hadn’t imagined last night, but maybe I was creating a fantasy in my head that wasn’t reality. Maybe it was because of what I’d said in my literature class? Maybe it was because I hadn’t given him an answer about the frat boys. But…
No. Ford wasn’t like that, was he?
The fact of the matter was, I knew only one side of Ford. I knew the side that had acted like an uncle to me, and not the Ford everyone else saw. Maybe I was being stupid and immature?
“Ford?”
