Finally, he speaks and it’s the last thing I expected him to say. “I just want you to be Bailey Collee.”
I swear I misheard him, or something is in the air. A full moon. Something is wrong with him, with me. In no world did Wes Anderson just say those words to me.
Which can only mean one thing, and it’s that he doesn’t mean them. So I react like I always do with a scoff, and an eye roll as I try to push him away. “Yeah, right.”
He doesn’t let me go. Instead, he flexes his arms, holding me even tighter against him, unable to move or create any distance between us.
“You don’t believe me?” he asks darkly.
“Considering we don’t like each other, no I don’t believe you.”
“Who says I don’t like you?”
I try to detect the snark in his voice, any indication he’s fucking with me, but he’s completely deadpan. All while keeping me completely pressed against him. I curl my fingers into him, gripping his shirt as I shake my head.
“You don’t,” I protest weakly.
His hand slides up to the back of my neck, gripping me roughly, immobilizing me even more.
“I don’t usually make it a habit of doing the things we do with people I don’t like.”
“Really? I do it all the time,” I retort sarcastically.
“Is that why you were going to go home with that idiot wearing a fucking button down in a shit hole like this?”
“Maybe.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why does it matter to you?”
“Because I don’t share. And the second you didn’t say the safe word after we established it, you’ve been mine.”
I scoff again. “I don’t belong to anyone, especially not you.”
“I’m going to prove to you how wrong you really are.”
“Yeah? With another one of your little punishments? Do yourworst, but you can’t stand here claiming you ‘like me’ when we’ve never even kissed.”
“That what you need, Angel? You need to be wined and dined? Kissed at the end of the night? Move slowly while we dance around the things we both really want?” He chuckles, but it’s lacking humor. “That’s bullshit and we both know it.”
“You don’t know me.”
I haven’t even realized how close our faces have gotten until this moment, lips barely an inch apart. My heart feels like it’s going to burst from my chest at the way he’s looking at me. His words not even sinking in.
“If you want me to kiss you, then you’ll have to wait because the first time isn’t going to be in front of every eye in town. Especially because once I start, I know I’m not going to be able to stop.”
And just like the time in the shower, he separates us, letting me go and leaving me confused, needy, and pissed off.
He doesn’t even spare me a simple glance as he walks out of the bar. That’s when I notice every single person has their attention on me and my face flames; I drop my head, not ready to be at the center of town gossip.
By the time I race out of the bar, Wes is nowhere to be found. I drop my head back letting the cool air hit my skin, trying to let it wash away all the feelings hitting me at once because there’s no way any of that just happened.
Worst of all there’s no way I actually wanted it to.
CHAPTER 21
Bailey
I’m goingto regret this. I know I will.
I shouldn’t do anything.
