I dropped my arms and slid around her, inserting myself between her and escape. She tried to maneuver past me, but I blocked her, stepping to the right when she did, then to the left. She came to a halt, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

“This is all…you and me…” She waved a hand between us, her words broken by the pain constricting her voice. “This is all just to keep me safe, right? I’m nothing but an obligation.”

Taking her by the shoulders, I turned around and backed her against the door. Fuck. Now I wanted the tears. Even her anger because it didn’t sear me the way her desolation did. “Baby, your douchebag brother only gave me an excuse to do the wrong thing here.”

Tears slid down her face, and her breaths came fast and shallow. “You left a hole in my heart. It took me six months, but…” Avoiding my eyes, she gulped. “I don’t need you anymore.”

“Well I need you!” I shook her shoulders, trying to banish the apathy from her bones. She was a fucking liar, cold, shut down with insurmountable walls in place. But why? Had the sight of Zach sent her into this state, or was it my fault? “I need you so fucking much. Don’t make me beg.”

The current between us sizzled, shifted, and she pulled my mouth down on hers, teeth tugging on my lip. She was a demanding little vixen in that kiss, and I was a goner. Her fingers sifted through my hair, clutched and pulled.

“Trust me,” I murmured against her lips. “I took you because I wanted to.” Another slow slide of our tongues stole my sanity. “Making you bend is all I think about,” I rasped between more kisses. “The thought of never sinking inside you again drives me insane.”

She drew back and peered at me with a splotchy face, studying me like I was a fucking enigma. “How much trouble am I in?” A hint of fear laced those words. She was too smart not to realize how screwed she was.

“A lot.”

“What do you want from me?” she nearly shrieked. She’d given so much of herself already, but it would never be enough. I’d always want more. I sensed she was beginning to understand the consequences of being with someone like me, and it scared her.

My memory loss had shown her a gentler side, and even though that guy wasn’t completely dead and gone, he wasn’t in the driver seat now. But she wanted him. She’d pleaded for the harsh reality of the guy who’d taken want he wanted from her, but underneath it all, she yearned for normalcy.

Kindness.

Gentleness with a little kink.

She didn’t want to give up control, or if she did, she struggled with it.