Page 82 of Badd Love
I felt his hands on my waist. "That doesn't just go away, Linz."
"I hurt you."
"Yeah. But not on purpose. You were hurting." He touched my chin, tipped my head back so I was looking up at him. "Do you still hate me?"
“Yes.” I choked back a laugh. "'But mostly, I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.'"
“Really?” he said, laughing. "You'rereallygonna quoteTen Things I Hate About Youat me?"
"Yes, I am."
He was close. Eyes big and dark and deep and liquid, the color of the richest hot chocolate.
"You get my movie quotes," I whispered.
"I love movies. I do it all the time. Drives Dunc nuts."
"You get my sick, twisted, inappropriate humor," I whispered.
"Takes one to know one."
"You see me," I whispered. "Not just my T-and-A."
He chuckled, which didn't feel likeexactlythe right response. "I see your T-and-A, and I'm obsessed." He brushed a thumb over my lower lip. "But yes. I see you. I see your big heart. I see the sweetness you try to hide. I see how much love you have to give, and I want it for myself." He smirked. "I'm a selfish dick like that."
“You're not selfish, Dane," I said. "Not even a little bit, not even at all."
He extended his hand to me. "Wanna get out of here?"
"And go where?"
"Well, everyone is gathering at our house, apparently, and it seems I'm the guest of honor, so I kinda have to be there."
"Your whole family?" I asked in a whisper.
"You scared?"
I dropped my head, eyes downcast. "Yes, Dane, I am. You and your family have every reason to hate me." This got another laugh, which again felt like the wrong reaction. “Why do you keep laughing at me?"
He cupped my face. "I'm not laughing at you, Lindsey." When I arched an eyebrow in sarcastic disbelief, he snorted. "Okay, sure, fine, but not in a mean sense." He kissed my forehead, which did a number of significant things to my metaphorical heart and literal stomach. "No one hates you. Why would anyone hate you?"
"The way I treated you?"
"Do I seem mad about it?"
"Maybe you're a good actor?"
He snorted again. "Linz. Was I hurt? Yes. Confused? Also yes. Have I felt moments of anger at you out of that hurt and confusion? Yeah, I have." My heart twisted again, my stomach lurched again, my eyes went hot and hazy again; Dane bisected my lips with an index finger, silencing me. "But Lindsey, I always,alwaysunderstood where you were coming from. I see the outlines of what you went through, and I know there is absolutely no way I can even begin tofathomhow that's affected you your whole life. How could I? I may not be able to empathize, but I can sympathize."
"But your family—"
"Understands. No, I haven't shared very much with anyone except Jax, Dunc, and Dad, and only the vaguest outlines, for context. I don't know enough to tell anyone anything anyway. They know I was hurt that you couldn't be with me, but it wasn'tmalicious. You were doing what you had to do to take care of yourself. So yeah, it hurt, but…so what? It's not about me."
"Dane,what? How is it not about you?"
"I have the world's greatest support system. Legitimately. Who do you have? Rune and Raquel. And Rune is now my sister-in-law. Whatever happens, I'll get through it. I'll be okay, somehow, someday, even if that means saying goodbye to you." His gaze drilled into mine. "I don't need to know the details to understand that you've been through hell and need understanding and support."
My heart twinged. "Dane, god." I shook my head, sniffling. "I don't know what to say. If you don't want to know, that's fine, I just—"
