“Quiet now,” he mocked to cover up his low groan. “You wouldn’t want your dear aunt to hear.”
I pressed my hand against his chest to stop him, and even though I wasn’t strong enough to actually stop him, he paused and waited anyway. “Before this goes any further, I want you to agree to two things.”
“My cock is already inside you, Monroe,” he rolled his eyes, appearing annoyed. “This is hardly the time to make demands.”
“You either hear them and agree or get off me, get out, and never speak to me again. I will only agree to one night. Take it or leave it.”
“Is that one of your demands?”
“Call it a prelude.”
“Go on,” he answered warily.
“First, I want you to stay away from my aunt and stay away from Willow. You don’t use them against me, at all.”
“What—”
“It’s non-negotiable.”
“Fine. Agreed. You drive a hard bargain.” His voice oozed sarcasm.
“I’m not finished.”
“What is your heart’s desire?” he sneered.
I lifted my upper body enough to bite into his chin and whispered as seductively as I could manage, “I want you to make love to me.”
That was a mistake.
He reared back as if I’d slapped him and stared down at me with an unreadable expression. “Come again?”
A little of my confidence dissolved at the sudden chilly vibe I was getting from him. His body had gone rigid, and his jaw clenched and unclenched as the silence stretched between us.
“For once, I want to have sex and not be treated as an object.”
Some unnamed emotion changed his features, and then he was gone. My body mourned the loss of his, as I suddenly felt cold and just a little foolish. I closed my eyes and reminded myself that this is what I wanted.
“An object? You think I treat you like an object?”
“I don’t think, Keiran. When this all began, you used me as some sick pawn for your misplaced anger and need for revenge. Where do we stand now?”
“It’s sex, Monroe,” he answered as he pulled on his jeans. “We fuck. That’s what we do. Don’t romanticize it.”
“You don’t mean it,” I said even as tears welled up in my eyes.
“You don’t know me well enough to tell me what I mean. I may not hate you anymore, but nothing has changed.”
“Everything has changed. Why can’t you see that?” He ignored me as he pulled on his shirt. Suddenly, I was very aware of the fact that I was naked and quickly used as much of the bed sheets that were accessible to cover up.
“I see everything. It’s why I’m telling you this,” he motioned between the two of us, “is a mistake. What you’re trying to create will never happen.”
“What gives you the right to choose the boundaries of our relationship? You think you can control what happens between us by being a dick, but I know you care about me. Sooner or later, your feelings are going to catch you.”
“There’s nothing to catch. I’m only trying to right a wrong.”
“Screw right or wrong. You don’t give a damn about doing the right thing. You never did.”
“Well, I like to think I’m an advocate of new beginnings,” he replied sarcastically.