Page 32 of Same Rogue
“You don’t have to like me, Bridger.”
“You think I haven’t been fighting it?” he asked. “Woman, I’ve been trying to let you go since the moment you knocked on my door and ruined my beard.”
“I ruined your beard?” she asked, baffled. “But it looks perfect.”
“I like it thicker. I was trimming it and you kept banging on the door and I met you pissed off. And I tried to stay pissed off. But then I tracked you down on social media, and I saw that Chase guy comment on a picture of you and I tried to stay home that night, but my damn wolf drove me to go to The Mark so I could beat the shit out of that guy if he messed with you. And then you did your little sic him head nod, and my wolf was like…bounding toward any task you wanted me to do. And then I tried to leave again, and you fuckin’ kissed me and now I want more and more.”
“More and more sex with me.”
“Yeah. That. I crave you. But you should also know I can’t stop fuckin’ thinking about you, and trust me, I’ve tried. I don’t know what is wrong with me, or what this is, but you feel pretty important.”
“As you drag a notary here to sign separation papers.”
“Because that’s not how I want to do this. If I like you the way I think I’m liking you, I want the option of asking you myself. Someday. If you don’t haul off and find another mate on that dumb website tomorrow, which, by the way, you should know my intention is to sign up and talk to Lauren and block literally every potential mate from pairing with you, because I’minsane right now. In my head, this entire time, my wolf has been chanting for me to take you back up to your room and fuck you before checkout, so you’ll stop thinking about other mates.”
“But…” Her eyes were so wide, they were getting dried out in the hot summer air. “But you don’t want to like me.”
“Truth, but I’m also pretty sure I’m not going to be a disaster about all of this forever. I hear you. You want to be number one. You want to be the one and only, and I can’t give you that. I’m sorry. I had someone else, and there will be times I think about her. It’s not to hurt you though.”
“What do you want from me?” she whispered.
Bridger straightened his spine. “A chance.”
“W-what? A chance for what?”
“Go on a date with me. See if we are compatible outside of the bedroom. For hell’s sake, tell me no for an entire day so I can just focus on getting to know you and not on how good it feels to be buried balls deep in you.”
“Well, I don’t have that kind of power, apparently, Bridger! You look at me with your little golden smolder and suddenly my body is like, yep! We’re doing this! It’s your fault I don’t say no. I’ve been able to say no to literally everyone I’ve ever wanted to. And now here I am, knowing damn-well you are no good for me, and I can’t stop with the ‘yeses’!”
He was fighting a smile now.
“It’s not funny!” she yelled. “You’re ruining my head. I have to go.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“Yeah, well, here is what will happen if I don’t. You sweet talk me into staying one more day. You seduce me. You leave me on read for a day and I wake up tomorrow morning feeling even worse about myself than I do today, repeat for as long as it takes for me to give a shit about myself and leave. This is a waste of both of our time. I’m not wasting my good baby-making yearson some hot and cold non-relationship that always compares me and all my imperfections to a saint. And I get it! If I had lost the love of my life, I would be comparing you to him too. Probably. I don’t know. I can’t even imagine that kind of pain.”
“You see, it’s when you say understanding stuff like that, and I can’t stop wanting to be around you. That’s part of the reason why.”
“Well…” Kit wanted to hold onto her anger, but this was actually a very illuminating conversation right now, even if her voice was raised to an uncomfortable volume. “I don’t know what to do with you.”
“That makes two of us.”
“So…what do we do?”
“I think you meet Amelia’s parents.”
“You really want me to meet your dead mate’s parents.”
“Yeah. And my Pack too. I think you need to let me take you out on that dinner you talked about last night.”
“The one you ghosted me over.”
“Woman, I’m sorry.”
“And then you’ll…wait, what?”
“I’m sorry.”
