My eyes closed, blocking out the gun show, and I shook myhead. So tired. “God, Patrick, I don’t know.”
“You’re notfoolin’ me,Kins. I know too much.”
I opened my eyes, looking up to find him closing in on me,his face only a shred of air away from mine. “Patrick …”
“Yeah?”
He watched my mouth, watched the parting of my lips. Hetook a chance, leaned down, and lightly brushed his lips against mine. Aninward gasp shook my body at his touch, my lips aching for more as he backedaway.Traitors.
“You didn’t push me away,” he noted observantly, noddingwith a satisfactory look on his face.
I hadn’t, but I wasn’t fully succumbing. Not yet.
“We can’t just pick up where we left off, you know.”
“Why not?” he asked, lifting his eyes back to mine.
“Uh, because things are different?” My eyebrows lifted,incredulous.
“Is this because of Meghan? Because—”
“Well, I mean, kind of, but—”
“—I’ve already talked to her about the possibility of medating, and she’s fine. It’ll be an adjustment, but—”
He had been so prepared, so hopeful, and I sighed. “It’snot that.”
“Then tell me what it is. We can fix it.”
We.My heart squeezed with hope, whilemy lips sputtered around words still needing to be said. “Because you let mego! You let me just … break up with you without even trying.” I rubbed my handsover my eyes. So tired. “You didn’t fight for me. If you wanted me so badly,why didn’t youfightfor me?”
“Okay, Kinsey. Tell me, what was I supposed to do?”
His hand moved from beside my head to comb through my hair,awakening my roots and sending shivers down to my toes. That heat coiled in mybelly, sending waves of warmth through my extremities and between my thighs.The power his touch had over me, the feelings he was able to pull forth. It wasintense, it was unnerving.
But it was him.
Patrickinney.
“You weresupposedto fight for us! You weresupposedto chase after me like some … I don’t know!”
“Like some knight in shining armor?” he offered with asmirk. His eyes glinted with laughter.
“Yes!”
“I was too young to be afeckin’hero, Kinsey, and in case you haven’t noticed, life isn’t a goddamn movie.”
“But youlovedme.”
“Yes, and Istill do.”
He emphasized every word, forcing the point with a hardstare. I shook my head, blinking back tears. No, I refused to cry, so instead,I shoved against his chest, and he didn’t budge.
“If you loved me, you—”
“Let me tell you something, okay, before your stupid mouthsays something else you’regonnaregret. When youbroke up with me, I was angry. And do you know why?”
“Uh, because I broke up with you?”
