I suck in his lower lip, savoring the feel of the swollen flesh caving in around my teeth as I slow the kiss to a lingering brush of my lips.

He groans. “Don’t stop. Why are you stopping?”

I chuckle deeply at his rushed words, and I don’t miss his sharp inhale.

“As much as it kills me...” I say in a low rasp, finally breaking away from his lips as I pull back to search his dark, hungry gaze. “We need to slow down.”

His jaw tightens. I stroke a finger over his cheek, my mouth rising in a soft smile.

Fuck, he’s beautiful.

“Why? I thought this is what you wanted,” he says, voice utterly and completely wrecked. “Was I wrong? Did I—?”

“What I want,” I say loudly over him, cutting him off, “is to know what the hell is going through your head right now. Where did this come from? Because last I checked, you were pretty fucking adamant this would never happen again.”

His eyes tighten at the corners as his gaze skitters over my face. Just when I think he’s not going to say anything—that he’s going to pull away and shut down like he always does—

“I’m tired,” he says thickly. His eyes redden around the edges. “I’m fucking exhausted, okay?”

My shoulders sink. “Way...”

“I’m tired of fighting you, of fighting this, of fighting...everything. I just...I want...” He sighs raggedly. He glances down, face wrinkling with frustration. “I need to know, okay? I need to know.”

My heart pounds in my chest. “Need to know what exactly?”

He scoffs. “You know what.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going to need you to spell it out for me.”

He growls in frustration, then, “I need to know this is real.”

I still.

He bounces his gaze between mine. “Okay? I just need to know I didn’t...use you. Back then. I was...lonely.” He gives his head a little shake. “I just...I don’t know, Will. He really fucked me up,” he says brokenly. “What if I just built this all up in my head?”

Something in me plummets as what he’s saying registers. I start to shake my head. “Way—”

“I know that makes me a huge asshole,” he says gruffly. “I don’t deserve you—none of this. I’m a fucking head case, and I’ve treated you like shit time and time again. Hell, I don’t even know if this is too soon for you. Are you even ready to move on?” He shakes his head. “Fuck. I should have asked that before I kissed you. See? You’d be so much better off with someone like Jeremy, who—”

I press a finger to his mouth, cutting off his rambling. “Stop.”

His throat bobs with his swallow.

“I want you,” I tell him simply. “Just you. More than I probably fucking should. Only you.”