Page 167 of Forever Never
“You made your point,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said anything. We’re good. Come upstairs, Remington.”
“No.” She said it simply, finally, then left the room. He followed her feeling flummoxed and panicky. As if one word from her could stop him from tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her upstairs, making her scream his name as he drowned in her body.
“You know how I feel about you saying no to me,” he said, envisioning how satisfying it would be to tug down those pajama pants and lay a pink handprint on her ass. His pants weren’t even trying to contain his hard-on at this point.
“I’m not making a point or playing games or doing some grand seduction, Brick,” she said as she tugged on her boots.
God damn it.He could see right down her pajama top, and she wasn’t wearing a bra.
She really was leaving.
“I don’t want you to go,” he admitted, his voice whisper-soft.
She straightened and put her arms around his waist, hugging him. “I swear I’m not leaving to punish you or hurt you. I’m committed to doing this right, Brick. You mean a lot to me. More than...more than I think I even realized. I want to show you how important you are.”
“Then stay. Stay with me.”
Her smile was so sad and so sweet it went into his heart like a knife through soft butter. “If I stay, we both know what will happen, and that’s not what either one of us needs.”
He needed it. He needed it desperately.
Fuck.He reached for his coat. “I’ll walk you home.”
“No,” she said firmly. “You can stand here on the porch and watch me cross the street.”
“I want you,” he said, stunned that his voice actually shook.
“I want you, too. But I want to give you more than just a couple of orgasms. Okay?”
He didn’t answer her. Couldn’t answer her. His throat was too tight. Fear lodged in him. He’d pushed her too far. Been too honest. And now he was paying for it. She was leaving him. All under the guise of giving him what he’d stupidly said he wanted.
He wanted to pick her up, carry her upstairs, and reacquaint her with how desperate his need for her was.
But that wouldn’t solve anything.
Magnus wandered up next to him and yawned out a meow.
Brick blew out a breath. He had to let her go. Had to trust that she’d come back.
“Okay,” he said finally.
Her entire face lit up, and giving her what she wanted made him feel powerful in a way that conquering her body didn’t.
“I’m going to be the best damn girlfriend you’ve ever had,” she said brightly.
“Girlfriend?” She’d said the word. She’d labeled them.
“It’s official, big guy. Better get used to it. Thanks for the date.”
She rose on tiptoe and pressed another kiss to his cheek. “Good night, Brick.”
“Good night, Remington.” He stood there on the porch and watched her walk away from him. Watched her skip across the street and let herself in the cottage gate. She turned and waved under the streetlight, and he raised a hand.
“I can’t tell if I really fucked up or if she’s giving me everything I want,” he said to the cat when Remi disappeared. Magnus blinked and wandered back in the house. The lights in the cottage blazed to life, and Brick winced. She needed the lights when he wasn’t there with her.
Because he made her feel safe.
He stood there for another long minute. Waiting, hoping she’d reappear and jump into his arms.
