I want you…
Dallas
Delaney stood before me, denying herself whatever it was we both clearly felt between us. I knew from the very first time I laid eyes on Delaney Bennett that she was someone special. She was right; this was never meant to be anything real, but I’ve known all along because of the buzz she sends through my skin when she is near me and how she consumes my thoughts when she isn’t. The way her body leans into my touch without hesitation, trusting me wholeheartedly, and how I’ve unknowingly trusted her in the same way. She’s right. This was never supposed to mean anything, only to scratch an itch I desperately needed to be scratched since the first day she walked through my doors, but she was wrong about one thing.
She was alwaysmine.
“Look at me, Delaney,” her eyes darted to meet my gaze. Such a good fucking girl.My girl.
“When you look at me, what do you see?” I asked, curious about her perception. What she had to say was more than I expected.
“I see a man who hides, a man who runs from vulnerability behind amask figuratively and physically, but I see a man who is worthy of love. A man who deserves to be cherished for who he is, who he really is. One that I want to know.” Her voice was small but certain. The quiet that followed was thick and full of emotion.
“I loved once. I loved hard, once.” I started; Delaney had asked me if I had ever been in love. I gave some tough guy answers and brushed it off, but now I see she needed the truth.
“She was perfect, my entire world. She was my strength when I was weak, my control when I lost mine, the logic to my chaos. One decision, one rash outburst, caused me to lose her tragically. I blamed myself for her death. I hung on to the what ifs and the if onlys’ until I lost everything I worked hard for.” I stopped when I felt Delaney’s fingers lace through mine, giving me the strength to keep going.
“I lost myself so completely that when I looked in the mirror, I hardly even recognized the broken man staring back at me. I finally fucked up so badly running from the pain with substances and alcohol, turning to the company of people who wanted to see me fail, that I lost my athletic scholarship, everything I had worked for since I was a young child just starting in the little leagues.” I stopped when she sniffled beside me. While she listened to my words, her eyes were full of concern, and she listened without an ounce of judgment.
I took a deep breath, ready to say aloud something I’d known all along but had never had the nerve to admit to myself.
“I built my empire from the ground up to make a difference, to create a safe place for others. I worked a day in and day out trying to correct what I’ve done, to try to soothe the never-ending dull ache of everything I’ve lost, hoping to fill the void, keeping myself emotionally unavailable to others, never letting anyone see me as the man I am.”
“Including me?” Delaney whispered beside me, her hold that was once tight loosened.
“Yes, sweetheart. Including you.” I answered with a small touch toher cheek.
Her gaze slowly fell to the floor as something shifted.
“Will you ever love like that again?”
“That’s what terrifies me.” I stopped, searching her eyes as I finished.
“I think I already am.” I smiled a smile I knew she couldn’t see and reached for her hand, but she swatted it away as tears fell rapidly down her cheeks.
“Take me home, Dallas. I want to leave now!” she raised her voice, which was now laced with so much pain I didn’t understand.
Was she really upset that I was telling her that I love her?
She stood up, pacing the floor, wrapping her arms around herself as she sobbed. My eyes grew wide at the sight. I stood and tried to wrap her in my arms, but she pushed me away.
“Dallas, don’t!” she yelled, stepping away from me.
“Delaney, I don’t understand, sweetheart. Why are you so upset?” she glared at me through a heated look that forced me to step back.
“You tell me you are in love with someone. And I’m supposed to just be okay with you holding me? This is a joke. Take me home.”
“Someone?”
“Yeah, I already knew by the way you were pressed against her, nuzzled into her neck. The way you…” Her voice trailed off before she could finish.
“I was?” I pressed her to finish because whatever it was bothered her the most.
“You didn’t even hide your face from her.” She stood, wet cheeks, as her heart broke with the words that slipped from her lips.
“Is that what this is about, Delaney?” I snapped with more aggression than I intended.
“This mask?” my voice a low whisper.
