Chapter 21 #2
He was so close, so… damn… close, that those breathtaking eyes were all I could see, and the tantalizing smell of cedar and musk filled my nose, causing a surge of arousal to gather between my thighs.
I did my best to shove away the want as I glared up at him.
“So say what you want to say, but you can do it from over there.” I threw my arm out and pointed at the old, battered leather couch that was pushed against the wall behind him.
“Not a chance.” He took another step toward me, forcing me to move back until my behind hit the edge of the desk. He bent down, placing both palms on the scarred-up desktop, effectively caging me in place. And that was it. I had absolutely nowhere to go. No escape.
“Cord,” I said, the breath leaving my lungs. “I don’t think—”
He was done letting me speak, and I knew that when he cut me off by stating, “You and I got a problem, you come to me so we can talk about it. You don’t run off and hide in your corner to lick your wounds.
You don’t ignore me. And you absolutely don’t blow me off for a date we’ve had planned for almost a goddamn week, that I’ve been counting down the fuckin’ hours to. ”
I sucked in a gasp so hard and fast it almost choked me.
But he wasn’t done. “Been gone for six days, Rory. Six fucking days. And the whole goddamn time I should’ve been workin’, all I could think about was gettin’ back to you and Zach.
Five of those days, you’ve been sweet as sugar.
That sexy, soft voice whisperin’ through the phone, makin’ me so goddamn hard every time you said my name that I’ve spent every night with my cock in my fist. Then all of a sudden, a switch flips and you hit me with attitude, showin’ my ass the door before I can even get in there. ”
It went without saying that I really liked hearing that my voice turned him on.
But I did not like all the shit that came after.
Scrunching up my face, I shot back, “Well, what did you expect, huh? I find out the love of your life saunters back in town, searching you out, and you didn’t even bother to tell me!
I’ve been down this road before, Cord, and if you remember, I got my ass burned, so excuse me for not wanting to make a second trip. ”
“For fuck’s sake,” he rumbled, finally taking a step back, giving him room to lift those long, strong arms so he could rake his fingers through his sexy hair in frustration.
“She’s not the love of my life. Did I love her at one point?
Yeah. I’ve been up front about that with you.
But I’ve also been up front about the fact that those feelings in me died a long time ago.
I haven’t loved her in a long fuckin’ time, Rory.
” Before I could object and point out it wasn’t that long ago, he continued.
“What I felt for her when she showed up wasn’t love, it was obligation. You know that too.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me she was back?” I snapped, refusing to get my hopes up.
“Because I haven’t even thought about it!” he snarled. “Christ, Rory! She showed up, made her play at Alpha Omega, and I shot her the fuck down.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. “You… what?”
“I shot her down. And I did it in a way that she couldn’t misinterpret at all, baby.
And if that hadn’t been enough, the way Linc, Xander, and Rox laid into her solidified my point.
After I said what I needed to say, I walked away.
And yeah, it pissed me off, but once I was done feelin’ that, I put it outta my mind and never went back to it.
I’ve been too consumed thinking about you for the past seven goddamn months to even give her a second thought. ”
Oh god. Okay. I really liked that.
“But… if that’s the case, why haven’t you kissed me?”
His chin jerked back in surprise. “What?”
“All those times recently I thought you were going to kiss me… you were right there, and I thought any second you were going to do it. Then you pulled back and walked away from me. If you weren’t thinking about her, why’d you do that?”
“Because you said all you could give me was your friendship,” he barked, throwing his arms wide.
“Fuck, Rory. What the hell did you think I was gonna do, huh? Break the trust I’ve been workin’ my ass off to build back up with you?
I’ve wanted you so long I don’t know how to feel anything else, but I couldn’t risk losin’ you again.
Not when I just got you back.” His fingers went through his hair again as he grunted, “Jesus, what do you want from me?”
“I—” I quickly clamped my mouth shut as his eyes swung back to me.
“Jesus. Fuck me,” he said on a low, shocked grunt. “You wanted me to kiss you?”
My cheeks flamed with humiliation, but there was no point in denying it.
I’d already dug the hole this deep; might as well keep going.
“I tipped my face up and closed my eyes,” I said, reminding him of what happened in my parents’ living room.
“When a woman presses close, tips her face up, and closes her eyes, just a heads-up, Cord, she wants to be kissed,” I finished on a snark.
His voice came out in a whisper as he repeated, “You wanted me to kiss you.”
“I thought you were going to, so yeah,” I admitted indignantly, “I wanted it. But now I—”
And that was all I got out before he moved, wrapped his arms around me in a vice grip, and slammed his lips down on mine.