Okay, then.
“Look-”
“Plus, how fucked up is it that you couldn’t reply to the texts that asked if you were okay?”he went on, and that one hit its mark.“After everything that happened, you could have been decent enough to let me know that you were okay physically, if nothing else.”
Since it was obvious that I needed to get comfortable for this, I adjusted my purse and bag over my shoulder, but as soon as I did, Riaz was reaching for both items, muttering under his breath like I was the bane of his existence.
“Give me that,” he ordered before adding, “Open your door.”
I did as he’d ordered, and as soon as I did, he was placing my stuff in the front seat of my car, and I couldn’t lie and say that his display of consideration wasn’t making me feel things.It was obvious that he was angry and frustrated with me, but that still wasn’t stopping him from putting me first, and that wasn’t something that you saw often.
Getting to the subject at hand and why he was here, he looked back down at me, saying, “What the fuck, Teal?Why have you been ignoring me?”
“Can we talk about this somewhere else?”I asked, though I probably wasn’t entitled to that at this point.
“No,” he answered like I had suspected.“Just...just let me know if you’re okay, and then I’ll leave you alone.”
Well, that was one way to feel like an asshole.
“Ruiz, I’m sorry-”
“Just let me know if you’re okay, Teal,” he repeated.“Just...I need to know that we didn’t hurt you or...something like that.”
My chest ached with the realization of what I had unknowingly put this man through this past week.While I’d been cowering in embarrassment, Riaz had been worried about my physical wellbeing, and instead of just sending a quick reply to his numerous texts, I had forced him to suffer in silence, and talk about a dick move.I really had made it all about myself, and discarding him like that had not been fair or even reasonable after everything that had happened.
“I’m fine,” I finally assured him.“I promise.”
Riaz let out a heavy sigh, and I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d felt this bad.
Seriously.
“Good,” he said, his voice no longer sounding harsh.“That’s all I wanted to know.”
“No, wait,” I quickly rushed out, stepping towards him because he deserved an explanation.“I just...I was embarrassed.”
His brows immediately furrowed.“Of what?”
“I just...I guess I’m still having trouble...trouble...”
“Baby, just say it,” he said as his hands landed on my shoulders, rubbing them soothingly.
“I’m embarrassed for enjoying myself so much,” I finally confessed.“And...and I was worried that you...that you might see me differently now.”
His brows jumped high, giving me hope.“Are you out of your mind?Watching you lose all your inhibitions was the sexiest thing that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
My cheeks immediately blushed.“Riaz...”
Taking my face in his hands, he said, “Teal, that night hasn’t changed anything that I think or feel about you.You’re still the same intelligent, strong, capable, caring person that you were when I first met you.”He let out another sigh.“Baby, it was just sex.”
“You don’t...it really doesn’t bother you?”I asked earnestly.
“If it did, then I would have walked out of that room after the first time that you gave yourself to us,” he replied easily, and the hope that I felt was nearly strangling me.“Now, is it something that I want to do regularly?I honestly can’t answer that at this point.However, that’s because I don’t want our relationship to just be nights at The Fantasy Factory.I want this to be a normal relationship with a normal routine and normal obstacles.”
“You...you want to date me?”I asked, needing to hear it in clear terms.
Riaz let out a low chuckle, placing his hands back on my shoulders.“I thought that was pretty obvious by now, baby.”
“I’m just...I guess I’m just still processing,” I muttered lamely.
