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He froze. He stared down at her, eyes wide, the pain in his eyes so clear that she wanted to hold him tight and tell him everything would be all right.
“I want you.” She hoped it was enough. Because the lump in her throat wouldn’t let anything else pass. The pain in her heart didn’t lessen, but she knew it was the right thing to say. How could she feel so happy and so devastated at the same time?
Then he cupped her face, pulling her back so he could stare down at her fiercely. “You want me?”
She nodded, tears streaming down her face.
“Thank fuck. Because I don’t think I could let you go.” He sucked in a breath. “I wondered what you would say if you ever spoke. Fucking glad those are the first words you’ve ever said to me. Best words I’ve ever heard.” Relief filled his face, that quickly turned to concern. He wiped at her tears. “Baby, don’t cry. Why does that make you sad?”
She shook her head. There was no way to explain it.
“Tell me what’s wrong. I’ll fix it.”
He didn’t understand. Nothing was wrong. Well, there was plenty wrong. But that wasn’t why she was crying. She’d managed to speak to him. It was cathartic. He’d seen parts of her that she usually hid from people. The only ones who knew about her Little side were Kiesha, Xavier, and Reuben.
“Stop crying,” he pleaded. “I hate seeing you upset.”
She let out a deep breath. Fuck. For a long moment, she closed her eyes and tried to pull the pieces of herself back together. He took her face between his hands and kissed her forehead. And all of those fractured pieces started to reform. They might not be perfect, might not be what they once were.
But they could be stronger.
When he drew back, his forehead rested on hers. “Are you crying over him?”
She opened her mouth. Closed it. How did she explain how she felt about Xavier? How could she explain when she didn’t know what was going on inside her head? She cared about him, she’d fantasized about him for so long, but that was all he was. A fantasy. She wanted someone real.
“I have to know if you’d rather be with him. Because if you would—”
She slammed her hand over his mouth, frowning at him fiercely. “No.”
He let out a deep breath. “Thank God, because I’m not letting you go. Ever.”
His fierce statement eased some of the worry inside her.
She smiled at him.
“Told myself if you said you wanted him that I’d walk away. But that’s bullshit. I won’t walk away. I want you. I promise, I’ll do what I have to do to make myself worthy of you.”
What was he talking about?
“I’m not worthy of you.”
Brick scowled, looking ferocious. Her warrior. Her protector.
“What bullshit is that?”
Her blunt man.
“Not normal.”
He stared down at her. “Normal?”
She nodded.
“Who the fuck said anything about you having to be normal?”
“The world?”
“Fuck the world. Is the world here with us? Are you going to let other people dictate the way you live your life?”
