Page 152 of Loving the Legend
“Wait, slow down,” he says as I move to fill another duffel. “Don’t leave. This is our home. I’m sorry for being a dick. Let’s just sleep and try again in the morning,” he pleads against my ear. The rawness in his voice threatens to thaw my icy resolve. He notices my grip on the duffle softens and continues pleading with me. “It’s just a fight. Stay with me, baby.” My traitorous body lights up from the feathery brush of his lips against my ear. I find myself tilting back slightly against the press of his chest. He brushes a kiss against my neck. I hear my whispered moan when his hand reaches under my shirt and rests on my abdomen. “We’re both wound up.” His fingers trail down, slipping past my waistband. I moan when he takes hold of me. I hold back from grinding into his fist. “It’s been too long. It’s my fau—”
I jolt when his ringtone blares through the room. He snatches it out of his pocket. “Kieran’s notoriously bad timing,” he groans as he tosses it on the bench across the room.
He’s the only one who had my back tonight.
The words balloon inside of my head. I rip myself out of his embrace. I clench my jaw at the thought that Arnaz could make him happier.
“I need to go.” I zip up the duffles and move toward the door.
He darts in front of me, blocking my exit.
“Move, Sidney!” I grit out.
“I’ll never forgive myself if you leave here angry and something happens. Let’s just talk.”
I shake my head, trying to dislodge the vision of him with Arnaz.
“Move!” I bark. “It’s been weeks of you rejecting all of my advances, and what, now you want to fuck me?” I stick out my chest, swollen with rage.
“No, that’s not what—”
“I’m not a sex doll for you to fuck when you want. You’re lucky I’m loyal, but don’t push me,” I snarl. “Just because you’re the only man I’ve been with doesn’t mean I can’t have another big cock inside of me whenever the fuck I want. Finding someone who enjoys being deep-throated until they pass out can't be hard. In fact, maybe I should call—”
“Enough!” he bellows, eyes narrowed and dark like coal. “Keep goin’ and see how it works out for the fuckers you name. Go on. Put shit in my head that I can’t get out. Try me.”
I swallow my words.
“You degrade what we have. It was never about sex with us.”
I wince at his voice’s serrated edge.
“Goddamn!” He walks across the room and stares up at the ceiling, shaking his head. “So that’s it. One rough patch, and you’re out?”
“I can’t. It’s not just one. It’s like we’re growing apart. Look at us. We’ve been off for a minute. I know I messed up, but you’re hot and cold. There’s all of this distance…I feel abandoned and—”
“How!” He whips around to face me. “I’ve given everything to you. My heart”—he bellows—“my dedication”—he pounds on his chest—“my soul. Everything!” He swipes away tears before they have the chance to fall. “How have I abandoned you, Tyler!”
His voice bounces off of the walls, causing me to flinch. This is the first time he’s ever raised his voice.
“You keep rejecting all of my attempts to connect. You know what our intimacy means to me. It hurts and—”
“I’m not allowed to be hurt by your decision to not get help?” he asks. “You told me that sometimes you think about ending it.”
My eyes widen. “W-when did I say that?”
He scoffs. “You don’t even remember. You think I abandoned you because we stopped having sex? How am I supposed to stay hard when I'm so fucking scared I'm gonna lose you?”
“When did I say it?” I ask again.
“After your panic attack the night after our first week of games.”
I’m frozen in place as I recall a hazy memory from that week. I’m so stupid. I can’t believe I let that slip out.
I flinch when the doorbell rings.
“This fucking day!” he thunders, storming out of the room.
I resist the urge to slide down to the floor and rest my head between my legs. Instead, I grab the bags, phone charger, and kicks. As I approach the bottom floor, I hear Jett’s, our security guard’s, voice.
