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“I know, but please don’t make me go.”
I lifted a brow. “I’m hardly in the mood to slip into bed with you right now. I need to think. Need to figure out how to get past this. And don’t fight me on paying you back. This wasn’t your debt. It’s mine.”
His jaw ticked, but he nodded. “I won’t. And I realize it’s a lot to ask, but let me hold you tonight. I won’t talk, won’t try anything. Just hold you.”
I was indecisive.
He must’ve seen it on my face. “Be mad. You’re certainly entitled. But please don’t make me go. I can’t stand it. Please.”
Something vulnerable reflected in his eyes, and I wondered if I was seeing shadows from his past here. It gave me pause about telling him to go home. Besides, as upset as I was, I wasn’t willing to throw away what we had over it. “Okay. You can stay.”
As I crawled into bed and his arms went around me a short time later, I understood the irony that I wanted comfort from the man who’d caused the pain to begin with. It wasn’t long before I felt the familiar hardness pressed up against my stomach.
“Ignore the erection. My cock doesn’t understand that when you’re mad at me, it includes him, too. But he’ll get the message eventually.”
Despite my best efforts, I giggled. Then I sighed. It was difficult to stay angry at him, but I needed for him to understand why I was so upset by his actions.
“I feel like you didn’t think I was capable of dealing with this on my own. That I wouldn’t be smart enough and needed rescuing.”
His arms squeezed me tight. “I absolutely didn’t think that. You’re the most capable woman I know. As a single mom, you’ve made the hard decisions despite how rough it was on you. Through it all, you’ve never played the victim. You brush yourself off and keep on going. You’re unbelievably strong. That’s why, for once, I wanted to take the burden off your shoulders. And maybe part of it was self-serving in that I wanted to show how I can contribute.”
“I don’t want you for your money.”
“I’d never think that. I didn’t mean a monetary contribution. I only meant I don’t know what would you need me for. You have it together, you and Tristan, so I suppose I was looking for a way to show that I could help. And in my mind, I’d thought to surprise you with no longer having to worry about it. It’s not because I thought you needed rescuing. I guess I wanted to be the hero in putting this whole mess behind you. It was selfish, but I did it because I can’t wait for us to start our lives together.”
“You can and have been my hero in so many other ways, but I have to be able to trust you in order for us to work. I have to believe you value my opinion and thoughts. I don’t need you to solve all of my problems. I need to do some of it for myself.”
“I don’t want to solve all your problems. I simply want to be there for you, so you aren’t facing them alone.”
His reply brought a flood of emotions over me.
He rolled toward me, stroking my face. “I’ll never lie to you again.”
I leaned up on him with a smirk, never one to be able to hold a grudge, especially when the intention had been good even if the action wasn’t. “What if I ask you if certain jeans make my ass look fat?”
“I would tell you. Maybe from a hundred feet away, but I would tell you. Scout’s honor.”
I lifted a brow, fighting the smile. “Were you ever a scout?”
“Eagle Scout, actually. Nerdy, I know.”
That didn’t surprise me. “Nerdy Mark is a big turn-on, to be honest.”
“Oh, yeah? At the risk of sharing too much information and keeping you mad at me, you should know feisty Juliette is a big turn-on, too.”
“Seriously?”
His warm lips trailed down my neck. “When you put your twenty in the jar, it made me part fearful, part turned on. Although I don’t like fighting with you, I do love that you stood up for yourself. I clearly didn’t see things from your perspective and how it would make you feel. I’m sorry.”
“You’re kind of hard to stay mad at with your heartfelt apologies, so it’s accepted. You know, I don’t think I used most of that twenty.”
“In that case, feel free to ask me to fuck you, fuck you harder, and never fucking stop.”
His words instantly shifted the vibe in the bed. “Are you angling for make-up sex?”
His hands had already moved down to the elastic of my panties. “I sure as hell hope so. You don’t mind if I use some of your credits with my cursing?”
I moaned when his fingers found my clit. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
