Page 32 of Never Pucking Ending

“Bells,” I say softly. Painfully.

Because what am I going to do about it?

“Just…” She sniffs back tears, closing her eyes and squeezing them to fight back the very things that will kill me if I see them leak down her face. “I just need a break. I need this to be fair. Because it’s not fair to either of us, Jesse.”

When she opens her eyes, they’re bloodshot and glassier than before. Without thinking, I cup her cheek and rub the pad of my thumb over a damp spot just under her eye. “I never wanted to be unfair to you. There’s just so much—”

“Don’t,” she stops me sharply. “Don’t you dare make up bullshit excuses. It isn’t like there are any I haven’t already played out a million times in my head before.”

I swallow, feeling my Adam’s apple bob as I try contemplating what I could say to make this better. To make her feel better. My options are limited, and I’m walking a fine line that something tells me I’m on the verge of falling from.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I step away from her before scrubbing the same hand down my face. “I don’t know what to do, Bells. Nothing about this is easy. Knowing you were out with Dane fucking sucked.”

She scoffs. “And what about you? I have to see women throw themselves all over you every time we go somewhere. Do you think I enjoy that? Do you think that’s fun for me?”

“I never entertain them,” I all but growl.

She gapes, and I know I pushed the wrong button. “So what? Am I the bad guy for saying yes to a date with somebody for once? You used to date all the time. You used to hook up more frequently than that. Who cares if I’m catching up with an old friend or trying to have fun for once?”

I grind my teeth so hard they hurt. “I do! And that’s the goddamn problem, isn’t it? I care when I shouldn’t. I want you to have fun. I want you to be happy. But that doesn’t mean I have to like watching it from the sidelines when it should be me who—”

“Do not finish that sentence,” she cuts me off for the second time, “unless you plan on doing something about it.”

Son of a bitch. If she won’t let me talk, then I’ll just have to fucking show her.

I close the distance before she can blink, cupping her face in my hands and crushing my mouth against hers until a surprised gasp escapes her. Her hands go to my waist, and I back us up until she’s pressed against the fridge.

A soft moan bubbles past her lips as I open them with mine and get a taste of her for the first time. She tastes like wine and peppermint gum, a habit she has after eating because she’s always afraid her breath will smell after. It’s why I have a pack with me in my car and in my gym bag in case she needs one when we’re out.

Subconsciously, my hips roll forward until my hard length is pressing against her thigh. Her arms raise to round my neck, pulling me closer as she sucks my tongue into her mouth and makes me turn steel in my pants.

If this is how I die, I’ll be a happy man.

I’m not sure when it happens, but Belle’s legs wrap around my waist, and I turn us toward the stairs. As soon as we’re at the top, I drag my mouth from hers, down her jaw, and settle into the crook of her neck and bite down on the skin. A low whimper vibrates her throat as I smooth my tongue over it with a chuckle.

Her fingertips raise to the back of my head, tugging at my hair as I nip and suck and kiss the skin of her neck until I hope to God a mark is left behind.

Then I’m walking again, kicking her bedroom door open and gently laying her onto the mattress. Her face is flushed, her lips are swollen, and her neck is red from the combination of my teeth and stubble.

Her chest rises and falls quickly, and she draws her bottom lip into her mouth as she watches me stand at the edge of the bed. There’s no hiding how turned on I am right now as her eyes roam over the front of my body until they land on the tented denim.

She tries to sit up, but I don’t let her. I kneel on the edge of the bed, carefully laying her back until I’m hovering over her. “Tell me something,” I croon, lips ghosting over hers, “did you let him kiss you tonight?”

A stuttered breath leaves her. “N-no.”

“Hmm.” My mouth brushes her in a barely-there kiss before moving away. “Interesting.”

“Jesse,” she says, a threat in her tone. Will she combust if I stop this? I know there’s a high likelihood that I will.

My arm reaches out to brush hair away from her face. “What? It seems like a justifiable question. How about a follow up? Did he touch you anywhere?”

Her nostrils flare. “No.”

Fingertips dancing along her face, I give her a half smirk. “So you saved it all for me, didn’t you? That’s a very good girl.”

Her thighs clench and I notice the small pebbles poking through the fabric of her shirt. My grin grows at the reaction.

She likes being praised.