“No.A flaw is when you disappear afterward.”I held his gaze.“When you decide I’m too much—or not enough—and vanish.”
His jaw flexed.“You think that’s what happened?”
“I know it is.”
Something hardened in his expression.
“I’m not letting you pull me back in,” I said.“I’m not letting you make me feel—”
“Feel what?”His voice dipped low, smooth, and dangerous.
I swallowed.“Exposed.”
His gaze flicked to my mouth, then back to my eyes.“You already are.”
I stepped back, but he caught my wrist.Gentle.Unyielding.Heat bled through my bracelet, straight into my bones.
My breath hitched as he lifted my hand, his thumb brushing my knuckles.
“You can be angry,” he murmured.“You can tell yourself I’m dangerous.That I’m not what you need.”
“You’re not,” I said, even as my pulse betrayed me.
“And yet,” he said softly, “you’re still standing here.”
I pulled free.He let me go, but his gaze didn’t soften.“I don’t want this anymore,” I said.The words lacked conviction.
“You sure?”His eyes swept over me, deliberate and thorough.
Damn him.
“I’m not doing this again,” I said, nails biting into my palm.“I’m not stepping into a cycle where you decide when and how we exist.”
“Then don’t,” he said.
I blinked.
His mouth curved slightly.“Stop waiting for me to pull you in.”
“What are you talking about?”
He stepped closer again, heat brushing my skin.His fingertips rested lightly on my waist.“I’m saying stop waiting,” he said quietly.“If you want me, come get me.”
I shivered.
“I can think of three million reasons you should take my advice.”His knuckles traced my jaw, tilting my face toward his touch.His gaze burned, making it hard to breathe.
Bastard.
The air thickened between us.His mouth hovered near mine.One inch was all it would take.
Then something sharpened his eyes.He stepped back, hands falling away.
“You don’t want this?”he said.“Fine.But don’t pretend it’s because of me.”
“What does that mean?”
“Figure it out.”He walked away.
