God, now I’m fishing for answers. Desperate much?
“Mind what?”
“Me, dating Colin. Going on dates with him. Like the holding hands, kissing kind of dates.”
“Why the fuck would I? He’s your dream guy, right? Who am I to stand in the way of that?”
I set my box of food on the truck bed and turn toward him. “Sem.”
“Hm.”
“Look at me.”
Sem turns his face toward me, and I reach out, grabbing onto the back of his neck and pulling him closer to me. His blue eyes flash a little, and then flick down to my lips. I wet them and say, “You’re telling me that after months of stalking me….”
“I don’t stalk….”
“Riiiight… ok, so after months of following me aroundby accidentandhaphazardlyfinding yourself all up in my shit…” I smirk playfully. “You would be fine with me just walking away? Letting another man date me, letting another man fuck me?”
Sem swallows and diverts his gaze from mine.
“He’s the one you want.”
“What do you want? Doyouwant me, Sem?” I ask softly.
He closes his eyes. “Fuck.”
“Tell me, please.”
He slides his tongue over his teeth and then pulls away from me, his food discarded next to him.
“I do. But fuck, I’m confused…I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing…” he finally utters after a long, drawn-out silence.
“Right back ‘atcha.”
“…or what I’d even label myself as. All I know is that from the moment I laid eyes on you in that hospital…” My heartbeat increases as I watch him run a hand across his strong jaw. “I wanted to know you.”
“Tell me why,” I demand softly.
“Because you’re…different. I’ve never met another guy like you before.”
“Is that why you followed me around for ages?”
He shrugs. “Maybe, and I wasn’t following you. I was…observing. For my drawings.”
I nudge him with my elbow. “Observing, okay. Whatever. Just admit it. You’re inlurvewith me. You want to marry me. Have my babies.”
Sem scoffs and grabs his food, shoving the rest of the burger into his mouth and chewing. I laugh lightly at his awkwardness and then lean back, popping another fry into my mouth.
“Well, to be fair, I’ve never seen anyone as big as you before that night. You kind of scared me at first. All wild-eyed and intense.”
He scowls at that. “Why the hell were you afraid of me? I’d never hurt you.”
“Well, I know that now,” I say, sighing. “But at the time, you looked like a madman.” I side-eye him and add, “You still sometimes look like one. A hot, sexy one, but a total psycho nonetheless.”
“Yeah. I only look like that when people mess with you. When I see you get hurt my brain cracks a little, and I go a bit nuts. I just want you to be safe.”
My heart flutters in my chest, and I rub it.