“What makes you think you’ve got me back?”
His head pulled back, and he studied her face for a long moment. “Crash? You’re with him still? He left town. For good, the way I heard. And you’re here. I thought that was over.”
She swallowed, considering for a moment letting him continue thinking what he’d been led to believe. But in the end, she couldn’t do it. “No. I’m not with him, Shades. I never was.”
His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean you never were?”
“Crash and I, it’s not what you thought. We’re just friends.”
“So you and him…”
“No.”
“He never fucked you?”
“God, Shades!”
“Need to hear you say it. Need to hear those words come outta your mouth, Sky.”
“No, he never fucked me, Shades. Happy?”
He studied her a long time, and then a slow grin pulled at his mouth. “Yeah. Ecstatic”
She rolled her eyes.
His smile faded. “All this time you let me think you were with him. Why?”
“It was the only thing I knew would keep you away. A brother doesn’t mess with another brother’s ol’ lady.”
He took a step away and ran an aggravated hand through his hair. “Christ, Skylar, you’ve been lying to me since the minute you rolled through those gates.”
She watched him begin pacing back and forth in front of her. “I never lied to you.”
He spun around back to her. “Okay then, half-truths and bullshit. You withheld the whole story, and that’s just as bad.”
“And what about you? You’ve done the same. You never told me the truth about why you sent me away. You told me you didn’t want me anymore.”
He stalked toward her. “I never said that. Never.”
“You let me believe it.”
His eyes searched hers, something powerful flaring to life in them. And then the words that came out of his mouth shocked her.
“Just get naked, and show me how sorry you are.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“For letting me think all this time you were with Crash. For all this time we’ve wasted.”
“Any wasted time we’ve had is your fault,” she argued right back.
A moment later, she found herself on her back on the bed. He’d bent, wrapped his arms around her thighs and lifted, heaving her back onto the bed, his big muscular body coming down on top of her, pinning her down. Her breath huffed out with her surprise, and she pushed on his shoulders. “Wait, Shades. What are you doing?”
“Done talkin’, babe.”
She looked up into his eyes. They were hungry. A hunger she remembered from so long ago. And suddenly it was like no time had passed since they’d last been together like this. In each other’s arms. She paused only a moment before she found her arms winding around his neck, pulling him closer, her eyes falling to his mouth, wondering why he was hesitating when she wanted that mouth on hers so badly.
He was up on his elbows, his hands cupping her face. He must have seen the questioning look in her eyes, because he explained, “I’ve waited forever to have you under me again. Let me take it in.”