Page 36 of Be Your Forever
“She. Lied. I’ve never had sex with her, Bri. Not now, and sure as fuck not then. Not when I’ve only ever wanted one person. I’d rather take an oath of abstinence than be with her.”
“Oh.” She blinks up at me, astonishment flashing across her beautiful features.
“Yeah, oh. I’ve only had eyes for one woman. A striking, sarcastic, funny brunette. With the most incredible brown eyes and the most killer ass I’ve ever seen.” I watch as recognition crosses her face.
“Me?”
“Yes, Bri. You. I’ve been gone for you for years. Why would I want to throw that away by sleeping with Giselle?”
“I’m sorry…” Bri hangs her head, her shoulders touching her ears. I cup her cheeks with my face and watch her body visibly relax.
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry she made you feel like I was messing with her when all I’ve ever wanted is you.”
“But she’s stunning. I wouldn’t blame you if you—”
“Stand up,” I demand.
“What?” Lines form in between Bri’s brows as she stares at me with a startled expression.
“You heard me. Stand up.” This time, I don’t wait for her to move. I grab her arms and bring her over to the full length mirror in the corner of my office. I stand off to the side of Bri, but we are still both in the mirror.
“What do you see?” I ask her. Bri looks like she’s seen a ghost. Her pupils dilate, and she looks as if she’s ready to drop to the ground and curl up in a fetal position.
“I-I can’t. D-Don’t make me.” I bring her back over to the couch. I lay down first before bringing her on top of me, but she resists.
“I’m going to squish you.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” I snort, knowing and hating the implication. “You can’t hurt me.” My fingers scrape across her skin, and I watch as gooseflesh ripples across her body.
“Now, come here,” I growl at her, noticing her eyes widen like saucers and her spine snapping straight.
Bri hesitates briefly before laying on top of me. I open my legs so she can nestle in between them, and I run my fingertips up and down her spine.
“What happened there? In the mirror.” I have never seen someone react so strongly to seeing themselves before.
“I don’t like looking at myself. I still struggle with loving my body. It’s why I put that on my list to work on.”
“What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
“I see failure. I see ugly. I see someone I don’t recognize—a stranger. I see someone I don’t love.” That last word—love—hits me right in the gut.
“Baby…” My voice is a husky whisper washing over her. “You’re gorgeous.” My eyes trails down her body, lingering on every inch I want to trace with my tongue.
“Your beauty radiates from that perfect, caring heart of yours. You push your friends to be the best they can be.” I suck in a breath before continuing, “You push me to be the best I can be. And that body of yours?” I grip her chin with my fingers, hoping to drive home just how serious I’m being. “It drives me fucking wild. You drive me fucking crazy. I even started reading books because of you.” That’s an admission I didn’t think I would share with her so soon, but to hell with it.
“Really?” She looks down at me with a sparkle in her eyes that I haven’t seen in a while.
“Yes, really. It started as a way to get close to you. I figured if I startedreading the books you were, I could talk to you about them, and that would be the start of something for us. Of course, I never followed through with that, but I still kept reading. I fell in love with it because of you. You inspire people, Bri, and to me, that’s the most selfless and beautiful thing a person can do. You inspire me every damn day to be the best version of myself.”
“Oh” is all she says. I laid a lot on her, so that’s understandable.
“Yeah, oh.” I let out a chuckle, our eyes meeting in the mirror.
“Now, this mirror and body image thing, my brother Xander gave me an idea earlier.”
Her lips part, creating the perfect O shape. So perfect, my cock twitches in my jeans.Focus, Asher. Now’s not the time.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them about your list.”
