Verity
Ivibrated with anger. How dare he state what he wanted without a single consideration for what I wanted? Typical man, assuming he knew best.
“What if I decide I don’t want to be with you or them anymore?” I kept my tone even, my face expressionless.
His jaw ticked. I guessed he’d not expected a rejection because, once again, he was a man. An arrogant bastard of a man who’d likely never heard the word “no” from a woman.
“I refuse to accept that.”The arrogance of the man!
My temper flared.
“How dare you!” I seethed, ignoring the hovering server who’d brought our drinks over but elected not to interrupt our spat. “If,and this is a big if, I decide to pursue a relationship with you or them, or all of you, it will be onmyterms.”
To my surprise, he nodded. “It will.”
That sucked the wind from my sails, and I slumped back in my chair.
“What are your terms, Verity?”
Since I hadn’t expected him to roll over so easily, his question had me in a tailspin. But I thought fast. What did I want from a relationship? My therapist had encouraged me to think about the things I needed to be happy. We’d discussed what healthy relationships looked like, i.e. the exact opposite of all my previous relationships.
In the past, I’d made the mistake of allowing the men I thought I loved to consume me. I’d sought to make them love me because in my fucked-up head, this meant I was lovable. Chasing toxic men was a symptom of serious daddy issues.
“You will respect my boundaries.” This was non-negotiable.
“And those are?” The server took advantage of the temporary ceasefire and hurriedly passed us our drinks. He’d already uncorked the wine but didn’t wait around to pour Declan a glass.
I eyed the glass of sparkling water with a slice of lemon he set before me and regretted not asking for something stronger. This conversation needed alcohol. Lots of alcohol.
“Lying is a red line. As is any kind of abusive behavior. You raise your hand to me in anger and we’re done.”
His gaze softened. “I would never hurt you, princess. While I might hurt other people for hurting you, you are always safe with me.” I noted how he skipped right past the lying bit but decided not to push it. No doubt he thought a few white lies were perfectly justifiable.
“I refuse to be locked up in a house ever again, even if you think it’s safer for me. Those are my red lines.” I sat back and waited for his response. If he insisted he knew best and I had to do as I was told, irrespective of what I wanted, then fuck him. We were done. I’d rather some bastard gun me down than be locked up.
“I accept your terms, princess.” He lifted his glass and took a sip, nodding in approval at the server. “Can we see the menus, please?”
Two paper menus duly arrived, along with some warm bread. My stomach grumbled at the smell of yeasty rolls, but I ignored the basket of temptation. This conversation wasn’t over by any stretch of the imagination.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Margarita pizza, please.” Pizza was the only dish on the menu here. Full of carbs and perfect for a pick-me-up after a long day of surfing. It wasn’t the kind of casual eatery I’d expect Declan to choose, but whatever.
“Pepperoni for me.”
Our server nodded and hurried away. They cooked to order here, so we had some time before the food arrived. I watched Declan pick up a bread roll, tear a chunk off, and dip it in the bowl of balsamic vinegar at the center of the table. He seemed relaxed. Just a guy enjoying a date with his woman.
But I wasn’t his woman. Or any man’s woman.
Not yet, at least.
Not until we’d ironed out a few things.
“Now you know what I want from a relationship. What doyouwant?”
He chewed thoughtfully for a moment before drinking some more wine.
“Just you.”
