I glanced at the door, then back at him.“What, uh … what are you doing?”In my bedroom, unannounced.
He lifted a shoulder nonchalantly, but the gleam in his eyes didn’t seem nearly as calm as he was acting.There was an … intensity there.I shivered.Kind of like dangerous animals in a zoo.The way you looked at them and they stared back.As if it were your fault they were held captive.It always made me feel funny, guilty even.My stomach would tighten, much like it was doing now.
“Coming to find you,” he replied.
I cut my eyes to the door again.Okay.He had found me and barged right on in.What now?
I watched him, waiting.A little scared to ask anything else.
He tilted his head slightly, and his eyes scanned my body slowly.
“Did you decide you didn’t like the company after all?”he asked as his eyes traveled back up to meet mine.
“I, uh …” I stammered, not sure what to say to that.
Admitting why I’d left would be embarrassing.He didn’t need to know I’d been jealous.I had to live here with him for I wasn’t sure how much longer.I’d hidden my feelings about Calvin for years.Over a decade.Yet, with Forge, I was already struggling.
“You, uh, what, Pickles?”he asked, his gaze softening.
I licked my lips nervously.Okay, what lie did I tell him?Why did he have to rattle me so much?If he just wasn’t so … so … really nice to look at—oh, God, who was I kidding?He was gorgeous, and I knew just how incredible he looked naked.
“It—well—I just—” I blew out a breath.Think, Elsie.“I felt out of place.I wanted to be alone.”Close enough to the truth.
His eyes narrowed.We stood there in silence for a moment.
“The only thing out of place was where you were sitting and who you allowed to touch you.”
Oh.
His eyes were heated again.
“Wayon wasn’t touching me.”
“Yes, the fuck he was.He touched your back.”
He had done that.I’d forgotten.Lula Mae pressing so close to Forge had been all I could focus on at the time.
“Why is that an issue?”I asked him, feeling defensive.
No one had told me that talking to Wayon was a problem.
“Because I didn’t like it.”His tone was dark.“I fucking hated it.”
Sucking in a breath, I held it as I replayed that response back in my head.
He moved then, causing me to tense, but he wasn’t coming toward me.Was he leaving?I opened my mouth to say something, but he closed the door and locked it, then turned back to me.
“You pulled out of my hold,” he said as he began coming my way this time.Slowly, like the predator he reminded me of.“And you went to him.”
A smart girl would back away.Not continue to stand here while a riot of tingles went through her body.
Excitement began to bubble inside me.Was I crazy?
When he was in front of me, barely an inch between our bodies, he grabbed both my wrists in his hands, wrapping his fingers around them.It wasn’t painful, but his grip was firm.My instinct should be to try and get free, but my body wanted to sway toward him.Close the little space that was left.
Crazy, crazy girl.
“You gonna pull away now?”he asked in a husky tone.
