Page 169 of Timeless

He could say my name as much as he wanted. I was sick of his behavior. Sick of his bipolar crap. I had my back to him, feeling him standing in the doorway and I clenched my eyes shut.

I jumped when his hands landed on my shoulder and I was quick to push them off me. Turning around to face the man who thought it was acceptable to never stick to his word.

“Don’t touch me.” If he knew what was good for him, he better fucking take a step away from me.

Instead, he looked at me like I was overacting. “You going to let me explain?” Had I not just told him I didn’t want to hear it?

I couldn’t stop my eyes from narrowing on him. “I told you I’ll schedule it in today.” And that was as good as he was getting it. He could keep practicing his speech that he had been working on all night.

Did my brothers know he was going to do this?

Jax crossed his arms and didn’t leave like I wanted him to.

I arched my eyebrows at him. “What, do you really need to give me the speech now?” I had a dress in my hand and I threw it down. “Fine, let’s do it then.” If he really was going to force it, fine. “It’s insert bullshit reason here and you’re sorry but you think it’s for the best.” I didn’t stop glaring at him. I managed to sum up his speech in a sentence.

I swallowed sharply and I knew if I didn’t get out of here, I was going to suffocate and the tears I was keeping at bay would fall.

“Can you leave now?” I gritted out, unable to take him being here anymore. “I get it, you want out. Fine. Done.”

He didn’t move. Instead, he was looking at me with a smile small. I had no idea what would have him smiling in this situation. Did he get pleasure out of hurting me? Because that would be the only reason he could be smiling right now.

“Fuck off, Johnston!” I snapped at him, using his last name, which I don’t think I have called him by since high school. “I got the point. Now do something you are good at and leave.”

He took a step closer to me, even though right now I was basically breathing fire and wanted nothing more than for him to fuck off. So, him coming closer to me, was like throwing gas on a flame.

“I don’t know if I should be insulted or happy.” He kept this small smile on his face and he reached out for me. “I’m insulted that you think the worst of me but seeing how upset you are getting about me going does make me happy.”

His words confused me to the point I hadn’t pushed his hands off me.

“Sweetheart, I told you over and over I’m not going anywhere.” He dipped his head, looking me in the eye. “I get you don’t trust me yet but hopefully by the end of the day, I will have you starting to want to trust me again.” His hand went to my cheek. “If things go the way I’m hoping they will go.”

I frowned, hearing the nerves at the end of his sentence. Usually when he has that tone, he thinks I’m not going to take something well.

“Nice speech though, is that always the one I give?” He attempted to make light of the situation and I sure as fuck didn’t see anything amusing about what just happened. Or what was happening. I was confused.

“Your speech usually has the same point.” I crossed my arms. “So, you saying you aren’t giving me the speech today?”

“Not ever, Amber.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure, whatever you say, Jackson.”

“Amber.”

“No, really it’s fine. I should be used to your bipolar behavior. You want me one day and the next you are pushing me away.” I dragged my eyes off the carpet to look him in the eye. “So, I guess I’ll just wait until the morning comes and you wanna give me that speech.”

“You hear me when I say I’m tying you down, Amber?” His hand went to my back and he pushed me in closer to him. “I’m not leaving you. I’m not letting you leave me either. Like I said, I’m tying you down.”

I frowned. “Are you proposing?” I didn’t know how to take his words.

The corner of his lips twitched up slightly. “You going to let me?”

Okay, those words hit me with shock. And I was quick to start shaking my head. “I don’t want you just to do it because you think I’m scared of losing you.” I didn’t want my fear of losing him to be a contributing factor to him proposing. “And I don’t want you to propose to me when we are having sex, because last time you did that and well, we all know how it turned out.”

“You trying to tell me I have to be romantic?” His hand ran down my back, and he had a slight smile on his face. I would admit seeing that smile was better than the serious expression that was there a second ago. “You want flowers, the whole works?” He was smirking now, knowing very well that was the last thing I wanted.

We had never been a romantic couple, not like that anyway. Jax hadn’t brought me flowers once. And he knew that.

“Well, Johnston, you like to think you know me, so I’ll leave that question unanswered.” And just like that, the smirk on his face disappeared. Oh, I loved it when I turned the tables on him. It rarely happened.

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