Page 46 of Cluelessly Yours

A groan escapes his throat, and his tongue slips past my lips and mingles with mine.

Something about it doesn’t feel right at all.

“Spend the night with me,” he whispers against my mouth, breaking the kiss just enough that I find the space to scoot back six inches or so. “Come back to my hotel and stay with me.”

“I…I don’t think—” I start to reject, but he’s too busy gliding his hands down my back and gripping my ass to notice my lack of confirmation. He kisses me deeply again, sliding his tongue past my lips and using his hold on my ass to pull my body flush against his.

Why in the hell does rabid attention from a sexy guy like Gavin feel so off? Why can’t I just enjoy it?

“So, yes?” he questions, and I can feel his mouth quirk up into a smile against my lips. “You’ll spend the night with me.”

The presumptive words are finally enough to give me the strength to pull away. Because for as many questions as I have about the whys of how I’m feeling, I don’t have to question how I’m feeling at all.

I’m not ready to sleep with Gavin Evans.

I place a hand to his chest and take a step back away from him, putting distance between us. His mouth turns down at the corners while his eyes examine mine, and I know that I need to be honest with myself and him.

“Gavin, I don’t know. I just…I don’t think I can do that.” I’m vaguer than I intend to be, but I imagine it’s because of my nerves.

“Would you rather we go back to your place?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to do that either.”

His brow pinches in confusion. “What are you saying?”

Tell him the truth.

“I’m saying that I can’t spend the night with you,” I answer genuinely but gently. “I’m just not ready for that yet.”

“Yet? We’ve been on three dates, Sammy. Not to mention, we talk and text all the time. I really thought we were getting somewhere.”

I don’t know what to say to him. I can’t even explain my emotions to myself, let alone him. The only words that come out are, “I’m sorry.”

“Well, hell, Sammy.” A shocked laugh jumps from his throat as he runs a hand through his hair. “What are we even doing here, then?”

“What do you mean?” I whisper, starting to tremble a bit. For as nice a man as Gavin is, he’s still at least fifty pounds heavier than me and nearly a foot taller. And right now, I’m just feeling really uneasy in his presence.

“I mean exactly what I said. What are we doing here?” he repeats. “I want to be with you, and it feels like you don’t want to be with me.”

“You’re upset with me?” I question, and his response is a frustrated exhale of air.

“Sammy, what am I supposed to think here?” He scoffs. “I’ve been putting in all this work and effort, and it just feels like you’re dragging your feet. Or stringing me along. Or both. I get you being a little uptight, but this, tonight, it feels like you’re purposely being a cocktease.”

A cocktease? Is that what I’ve been doing?

None of this is sitting well with me. My stomach hurts and my chest is tight. I don’t know if I’m wrong or if he’s the one in the wrong at this point. I just know I don’t want to do this anymore.

I look out toward the street before meeting his eyes again. His expression is fraught with irritation, and it makes me feel too uncomfortable to keep standing here. “Gavin, I think we should call it a night.” Nothing is going to change the course of this conversation right now, no matter what I say or do.

“Yeah. I think I agree,” he retorts on a deep sigh before turning and leaving me standing there without a goodbye.

Damn, he really isn’t happy with me.

There’s a part of me that feels really bad about the whole situation, but there’s another part that feels like I’m seeing a different side of him.

A side I’m not so sure I like all that much.

My legs feel like jelly as I walk the last block to La Croisette, my mind a raging bull of upset.

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