Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17835 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 89(@200wpm)___ 71(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
For long seconds we just stood there, her on the other side of the island, me focusing only on her. I knew I was going tell her how I felt, what I wanted. I hadn’t thought I would do it tonight at Megs’ place, but seeing that guy hitting on her, thinking he had the right to even talk to her, must’ve been the fire I needed under my ass.
I downed half my beer, working up to how I was going to go about this. I could hear everybody laughing and talking outside, but right here, right now, it was just Calissa and me.
She looked over at me and smiled, and I could see there was this nervousness coming from her. I hated the fact that I was bringing this out in her. I wasn’t trying to be some kind of alpha asshole, but I had to tell her how I felt. I needed her to be mine, tell her that too much time had already passed. What was the point of waiting, prolonging this?
“That guy bothering you?” I thought maybe bringing that up and opening a dialogue might make this go easier. I was wrong. All it did was have me thinking about him trying to get with her. “Or did I interrupt you both making plans?” I gritted my teeth at that very thought, at the very image of her agreeing to go out with him.
No one would have her but me.
She glanced out the sliding glass door, presumably looking at the little prick. I knew she heard the gruffness in my voice, probably thought I was overreacting. But I wasn’t. Not where she was concerned.
I curled my free hand into a tight fist at my side, giving her as much time as she needed to think. But hell, I didn’t know how I would react if she told me she was planning on going out with him. That I couldn’t allow, at least not until I told her everything.
“That guy?” She finally responded and looked back at me. She snorted and shook her head. “I smelled his game a mile away. I’m actually thankful you interjected. Saved me the hassle of telling him to back off because he was coming on too strong.”
I relaxed my hand that had been in a tight fist, my palm aching from where my nails had dug into my flesh. I ran that hand across the back of my head, staring at her the whole time.
“That’s good,” I found myself saying. Her eyes widened marginally but she didn’t respond. “That guy’s an asshole.” I didn’t even know him, but he had been making a move on my woman. That, by default, made him my enemy.
“That’s good?” she finally said after long moments of silence.
I tipped my beer back and finished the rest of it before setting the empty bottle beside me on the counter. I lifted that same hand and ran my palm over my mouth, looking her in the eyes.
“As thankful as I am that you got me away from Brody, can we talk about the fact you were kind of aggressive out there?” She lifted her brows in question. “Like you were throwing off the rage vibes pretty intensely.”
“He shouldn’t have been talking to you,” I said without apology.
“No? And why is that?” She set her beer bottle down, the glass hitting the granite seemed overly loud. It was like we were in a standoff, neither saying anything as we locked gazes. “Is this the same reason you went all caveman at the bar the other night?”
I looked away for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts, trying to figure out how I was going to go about saying this. But I knew that there was no reason to beat around the bush. There was no reason for me not to just come out and say the words that should have been spoken years ago.
I pushed away from the counter and took a step toward her. The island blocked her from me, but we were only a few inches apart. I saw the way she breathed in and out, her eyes wide, glossy, her pupils dilated. She didn’t say anything, but in that moment she didn’t have to. I knew what she was feeling.
In that moment it was the same emotions moving through me, the same needs and intensities that couldn’t stop me from reaching out and brushing a strand of her hair off her shoulder.
A little gasp left her but she didn’t move back.
“I think there’s some things we should talk about.”
5
Calissa
He wanted to talk? I don’t know what Tex could possibly have to say, but the look on his face, the way he watched me intently, told me that it must be pretty serious. I lifted up my beer, curling my fingers around the neck, needing to try and calm myself. I didn’t know what was going on, what he was about to say, but I wanted to act like I had my shit together. I brought the bottle to my mouth and took a long drink, the liquid racing down my throat, chilling me.