I’m pretty damn proud of myself and my lips quirk up with my smile. “I needed adiversion.”
“Coy.”
His name ruins everything. My lips tug into a hard line. “Forget Coy. I needed to see you. To talk to you.” I try to take a step forward but she stops me with herhand.
“Sean, we can’t do this. If he finds out—” She squeezes her eyesshut.
“Fuck him,” I grate through my teeth and her eyes snap open with surprise. “I don’t care what Coy thinks. I’m more worried about what you think.Yesterday—”
She shakes her head. “It was a mistake, Sean. We took things too far. I shouldn’t have drunk thatmuch.”
No. She will not blame this on alcohol. No way. “Don’t blame it on the Jameson. I know you weren’t thatdrunk.”
“I was.” She raises her brows and crosses her arms over her chest. Maybe she thinks I’ll back down. That I’ll give her space. That’s not gonna happen thistime.
“You weren’t. You felt every bit of my cock pulsing inside of you.” I close the space between us and trace her hips with myhands.
“Sean, don’t.” She drops her gaze as if it pains her to hear. As if it doesn’t hurt me to sayit.
“Don’t what? Remind you how good it was? How you fell apart at my fingers. With mymouth.”
Her chin lifts and gaze narrows. “It can’t happenagain.”
“Jess, it can. That’s why I’m here. We could be together. We can. I’ll take care of you. If you wouldonly—”
She steps back, one step and then another until the gap between us feels miles wide. “Don’t askme—”
“Leave him.” If there’s a way to beg, plead, and demand everything with those two words, I give it myall.
Her scowl falls to one of pity. “Sean. . .”
“No, don’t say my name likethat.”
“Likewhat?”
“Like you feel sorry for me. I know you feel more. I know we’re good together. I want you, Jess, but not as some dirty littlesecret.”
Her lower lip trembles from where her teeth bite against it and her gaze drops. “Ican’t.”
It’s not the response I want and I bristle at her words. “Why?” I need toknow.
“I just can’tokay?”
“Help me. Tell me.” I close the space between us and take her hands. “Explain to me why that son of bitch gets to be with the most precious woman on Earth and treat her like garbage. Why I have to stand by andwatch?”
“I’m not . . .” She tries to tug her hands back but I don’t let her. “You don’t understand. You nevercould.”
“Try me. Please, Jess. Explain it to me and I’ll leave you alone. I’ll let you live your life however you want, but just tell me why you’re withCoy.”
I don’t know if she will. I can almost see the war inside her. “You think I’m good but I’mnot.”
“You are good, Jess. You just can’t seeit.”
“Or you can’t see the dirt. I’m not so pretty, believe me. The things I’ve done . . . I’m not proud of them. I’m not proud of myself. Do you know what it’s like to be so hungry and so tired, and so damn dirty that it doesn’t matter anymore? That you’ll do anything because everything is so effed up you can’t make it anyworse?”
I hate that she does this. That her view is warped from her past. “But that isn’t you. You don’t see what Isee.”
She yanks out of my hands and stabs a finger into my chest. “No, Sean. You don’t see me! Not for who I was. If you did, you wouldn’t likeme.”
