Page 159 of Forever Never
“I can’t keep doing this, Remi,” he said.
Panic bloomed in her chest. He was doing exactly what she’d feared he’d do.Sheshould be the one who was supposed to put an end to things.Sheshould save herself the agony of...this.Sheshould be the one to withdraw. But he was beating her to the punch. Again.
“Then don’t,” she snapped. Anger and fear joined forces inside her, making the world come into sharp focus. The flare of his nostrils. The parting of his lips. The fire in his eyes that threatened to burn her to ashes.
“I can’t help myself,” he confessed. “I know how this is going to end and I can’t stop myself from wanting more anyway.”
“What kind of more?”
His breathing was heavy and hot on her face.
“I saw what your parents have tonight. Decades of it. A life together. A partnership.”
What was he saying?She was having trouble catching her breath. It came out in a shallow whistle.
Brick swore and pushed away from her. She sagged against the wall. Spotting her clutch on the table, he opened it and fished out her inhaler.
“I don’t need it,” Remi insisted as he returned it to her.
“Then take a fucking breath and prove it.”
“God, you piss me off.”
“Right back at you, baby. You piss me off, wind me up, and leave me wanting more of something I never should have had in the first place.”
“Why did you marry Audrey?” Her question slashed through the air like a whip. Silence rang in her ears after.
His mouth closed in that firm line. His answers locked in the vault.
“What? You wanted to talk. So let’s talk. Why did you marry Audrey? Why did you pick her? Why not me?”
He was so stubbornly silent.
She shoved at his chest, not moving him an inch. Somewhere in the back of her mind, it registered how much they both seemed to like it.
“Because I couldn’t have you,” he said hoarsely.
“Why the fuck not, Brick? YouknewI loved you.”
Again, she was met with silence. But this time it wasn’t so indomitable. Brick was vibrating with an energy that demanded to be let out. With words that wanted to ring their truth.
“Youlovedme?” he repeated.
“Of course I did. I loved you, and you chose my best friend over me. Why?”
“Because I couldn’t fucking have you!”
“What does that even mean? Why not? Audrey was my age. So it wasn’t that I was too young. My parents have adored you since they met you. I wanted to be yoursso much,and you just kept rejecting me.” Her voice broke along with the dam of emotions she’d held back for too long.
He was trembling against her, and she knew something was about to happen.
“You rejected me over and over again,” she whispered. “You made up reasons that we both know were just excuses. Then you chose someone else. And when you finally let us start to explore this thing between us, you give me a couple of orgasms and say you can’t do it anymore. What do you want from me, Brick? Am I here just because Audrey isn’t?”
“I married Audrey to ruin any chance I had with you.”
She felt sick, dizzy, devastated. And in some mean, dark corner of her mind, a little voice saidI told you so.
“Why?” She barely managed to get the word out.
