The sigh I dredge up is from the sub-cockles of my soul. “Dean…”
“Only to talk to you. To try and convince you to stay with me a while longer.”
“This relationship is so toxic.”
“Not to take you prisoner again,” he says adamantly. “Okay?”
“What if I announced my intention to leave, and we discussed the situation and still found ourselves at an impasse? What then?”
He swears beneath his breath. Profusely. “Then I would allow you to leave.”
“You wouldallowme to leave?”
“Yes.”
“That you still think you have any claim on me or my comings or goings is a concern,” I say. “But I feel that this is at least a step in the right direction. And you saying it while down on one knee in a pose of supplication doesn’t hurt.”
“Great.”
“Do you have your wallet on you?”
“It’s in my back pocket.” He cocks his head. “Why?”
“I don’t have my purse or my phone. None of the things that used to be so vital. It’s a weird feeling being in a store in this situation.”
“Your phone is in your backpack,” he says. “The network is down, but I thought you might want the photos on there or something. Just don’t spend too long on it.”
“Why not?”
“We have no easy way of recharging.”
“Right.” I wriggle my toes inside the new boots. “There’s a storm coming. What’s the plan for tonight? Are we staying here?”
“No. Other people might stop for supplies. Let me grab some stuff and then we’ll go.”
I nod and check out the rest of the store. “How long do you think it’ll take for everything to fall apart?”
“Not long for this place.” He rises. “The broken front window will let in the weather. As for others…it’ll depend on how sturdy the building is and how hard the storms hit. Nature will reclaim it all sooner or later.”
“Yeah.”
He stares down at me…and huh. He really is a prime example of a man. Tall, strong, and handsome. When I dreamed of meeting “the one,” he looked a lot like Dean. Guess the whole tall, dark-haired, and handsome ideal has always had me in a chokehold. Half-intelligent things often come out of his mouth. He can cook and shop. Ignore the whole kidnapping-and-caging thing and the man’s a miracle. I bet he even knows what to do with his dick.
But after everything he’s done, I do believe I have officially shelved all of the lust I previously felt for him. Which would honestly be the smartest decision to come out of me in forever.
“What does that face mean?” he asks.
“I don’t think we have any chemistry.”
“You don’t, huh?”
“No. I mean, I used to be attracted to you from afar,” I say. “But I think the combination of your actions and these circumstances have killed it.”
“You seem relieved by that.”
“Very.”
“Okay,” he says in a calm voice. “Let me just see something real quick.”
