I scoff at that. “Trust me, Viola. You were dripping wet when you stormed out last night, and if I recall correctly, with a limp, too.” I grin, thinking of just how sore she must've been when she woke up this morning.
She lets out a dramatic snort. “You disgust me.”
“So you've told me.”
“Why did you kiss me last night?” she turns and asks with rage in her eyes.
“Because you wouldn’t shut up,” I say without looking at her. It’s a lie, and she knows it. I kissed her because I damn well wanted to. “If I disgust you so much, why’d you jump me?”
She doesn’t respond right away. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her chewing on her lower lip, contemplating her answer.
“Bad judgment, I guess,” she says, sounding defeated. “I shouldn’t have brought Alex back to the house.”
“Andrew,” I correct. Glancing over at her, I think about her shoulder again. The thought of it angers me, but I try to push it away.
She chuckles. “Yeah, whatever.”
“So why did you?”
She shrugs, pursing her lips. “It was nice to feel wanted. I’d hope you’d be in your room, and you’d be woken up from the sounds of us coming home. I wanted you to hurt the way you hurt me.” Her voice is so soft, raw with emotion, and it’s the first time in a long time I’ve seen her this vulnerable.
I pull the car over on the shoulder and shift the gear into park, letting it idle.
“What are you doing?” she asks, looking around.
I unbuckle my belt without answering her. Reaching over the center, I unbuckle hers and wait for it to zip back into place.
“Ask me again,” I say, turning so we’re face-to-face.
“Ask you what?” She furrows her brows.
“Ask me again why I kissed you last night.”
She licks her lips and swallows, tracing my features with her eyes. She shifts her body slightly toward me and blinks. “Why’d you kiss me last night?”
The corner of my lips tilts because I’m so fucking glad she actually listened to me for once. “Because I couldn’t take another minute of not having the taste of you on my lips.”
VIOLA
Oh my God.
I feel like I can’t breathe.
He’s taken my breath away.
My heart beats rapidly against my chest, faster and harder with every passing moment that stays silent. Travis’s words repeat in my head, the feel of his kiss still lingering on my lips.
This is the first time he’s admitted to wanting to kiss meever. He’s always mocked my lack of experience, mostly by insinuating I was a virgin, but he’s never spoke aloud about wanting me in that way. Last night only happened because I had pushed his buttons, and he had something to prove.
Up until he just spoke those words, I never believed he would be interested in me that way.
I still don’t believe it.
I’m losing myself in his words and my thoughts. The memories of our childhood and of last night are almost too much to handle. My insides tingle at the roughness of his voice, and I think I’m in shock. Words evade me, and when I look back up at him, he’s staring, trying to read me.
I’ve been waiting for him to say those words for over ten years. Instead, the words I heard him say crushed everything I thought I knew about him. He’s staring at me, and for a moment, I see something flash in his eyes, which causes his entire demeanor to shift. It almost looks like regret.
“I don’t want to be your pity fuck, Travis.” He flinches as if I slapped him across the face. Maybe it felt like it. Maybe I meant it as one, too.