“This is the part where it’s important we remember the limits of what we have,” I shared in a whisper to gentle my words but also to hide the pain his words caused because I liked them too much for safety.

“You look at me with that sweet, sad look in your eyes, Olivia, and you say those words to me…”

He shook his head and I thought, even hoped he was just going to let that hang.

But he kept talking.

“You fuck me like you can’t get enough of me and you give me you like you want me to drown in your pussy and then you tell yourself you believe that it stops there. You do that, I got no choice but to give that to you. But I can get what we are to each other and still give a shit about you. And that’s where I am right now, with that sweet, sad look in your eyes, lyin’ on top of me after just havin’ you. And that’s where I was with you two days ago with your mom shovelin’ shit you for some reason got no choice but to swallow. And even before, you tryin’ to hide your scar from me.”

Before I could break in to stop him, relentlessly he went on.

“And I’ll let you think you’re bullshitting me that I’m just cock to you when you didn’t hide your pain for me when you thought my dad was dead. You need that, I’ll let you have it because you give me no choice.”

“You telling me it’s bullshit isn’t exactly letting me have that, Sebring,” I pointed out when I had the chance to wedge words in, but I got no more out.

“Oh yeah,” he said like it was a continuation and I hadn’t even spoken, “and I’ll try to pretend you’re stone-cold Olivia Shade two seconds after you’ve been a smartass.”

Hesitantly, I shared, “I wasn’t being a smartass. I was simply pointing out an incongruity in your statement.”

He looked to the ceiling. “Christ, I’m tellin’ her if she needs me, I’m there however she needs that to be, and she’s spoutin’ words at me like ‘incongruity.’”

She needs me, I’m there…

I couldn’t focus on that.

Instead, even more hesitantly, I began to ask, “Do you not get that word or—?”

His eyes cut to me and his arm around me squeezed hard with annoyance. “Yes, I get that word.”

“Oh…kay.” The first syllable came out in a wheeze because he hadn’t yet loosened his hold.

He studied me.

Then he slid his arm up my back until his hand caught under my arm and he pulled me up his chest so we were eye to eye.