Page 404 of Power Play

“I will never let you hurt me again.”

She shoved me, but I barely moved.

“I heard you.”

“Then believe me.”

“I don’t.”

She shoved harder, and this time I caught both wrists.

“I said I’ll never let you hurt me again.”

“And I said I don’t believe you!” She tore one hand free and fisted it in the front of my shirt. “You’re standing here bleeding all over me while insisting I can’t reach you.”

“You can’t.”

“I already have.”

“You don’t get to keep what you broke.”

“Then take it back.”

“I tried.”

“Try harder.”

“You think I haven’t?”

“I think you made damn sure I watched you leave while hiding every second you wanted to come back.”

My hand closed around her hip. Charm looked down at it, and neither of us knew when I’d touched her.

Her fingers tightened in my shirt. “Let go.”

I didn’t.

“You said I don’t get to keep you.”

“You don’t.”

“Then let go of me.”

My grip tightened until her body pressed against mine.

“That’s what I thought,” she whispered.

“Don’t fucking test me.”

“Why? Are you afraid you’ll fail too?”

I pulled her against me hard enough to steal the breath from both of us. “You want to know what I’m afraid of? This. You this close, with your mouth saying all the shit I’ve spent days teaching myself not to believe.”

“My mouth told you the truth.”

“Your mouth gives me pretty lies.”

“I love you.”