Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(77)

“You have my car keys.” The sensation of his thumb pressing harder into my achy muscles felt like heaven. “You keep doing that I’m gonna fall asleep.”

“So go back to bed,” he murmured near my ear.

“Why didn’t you knock on my door, Adam? You were there.”

I felt his chest rise and fall. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure that one out myself.”

His words crushed me. I can’t keep doing this to myself. I pushed off of his chest, trying to put some space in between us. I had nothing left in me. The last guy to tell me he needed to figure out our relationship was f*cking a Radiologist while he did it. “I have to go.”

Adam pulled me back in, gripping me by my upper arms. He was so much stronger than me and, in my weakened state, his hold was unbreakable. “I’m done letting you go, Erin. Made that mistake too many times now. You want to go back to sleep, go crawl back into my bed. You need to chill, pick one of my couches. But you’re not walking out that door without a fight.”

“Please don’t mess with me.” I was close to cracking. “I can’t take much more.”

Adam’s hand rested on my throat; his thumb pushed my chin up. I had no choice but to look at him. His eyes searched mine. Something heavy was weighing on him, too. “I came for you last night because I can’t stop thinking about you, no matter how hard I try. You’re not just some girl to me and honestly, I just needed some time to figure it out.”

His answer sounded reasonable; still it was a bit unsettling. I’d read enough self-help books and seen enough sappy movies to know that a guy who’s truly interested in you makes time to be with you or at least makes his presence known.

Adam did neither.

The hopeful romantic inside me that twined daisies and paper hearts together all day jumped with glee, elated to hear that he had set me apart from any other. The other part, the sobering, rational, and skeptical part, was telling me to run before it was too late. What would happen if he changed his mind again?

Another half-assed relationship with someone who couldn’t commit to it was the last thing I needed. “We’ve had two dates, Adam, neither of which ended very well. I don’t know what’s left to figure out. You’ve just said you’ve been trying to forget me. That sort of says it all.”

The implications of that admission hit me like a physical blow to the chest, ripping the protective shell around the insecure woman inside, cutting a fresh wound across my heart. He wasn’t the first man to make me feel unwanted. I felt the tears of rejection pool in my eyes. “Being with someone shouldn’t be such a hard decision. I get that you’re not sure. Neither am I. It’s too risky to take such leaps of faith with someone you don’t really know. And I sure as hell haven’t asked you for anything, but either you want to see me or you don’t. It’s just that simple.”

I stepped away from him, but he stopped me. “I just told you I do.”

I tried to wriggle out of his hands. “Sounds like you’re still trying to convince yourself.”

His fingers constricted into my arms just deep enough to tell me he was serious. “Go ahead and try to leave if you want to test me.”

The rebel in me tested his hold instead. “What about what I want?”

His fingers relented ever so slightly, but still he didn’t let go. “I know what you want. It’s what every woman wants.”

His arrogance annoyed me. “You think you have it all figured out. Well you don’t. You have no clue about what I want.”

He grit his teeth. “Like hell I don’t. The question really is if you’re the one I want to give it to.”

I jerked my arm back. “Well let me know when you’ve made up your mind.”

He snagged my hip and threaded his other hand into my hair, bringing us nose to nose. “You’re not the only one in the middle of a head f*ck. Your yesterday was far worse than mine, but that doesn’t mean we both can’t take the time to think things over. I’ve never met anyone like you before, Erin. I needed some time to process that. And before that smart mouth of yours hits me with another comeback, how’s this for a final answer?”

I was stunned for all of about two seconds, trying to determine if he’d just given me an admission or a confession, before his head tilted and his lips covered mine.

The messages his mouth conveyed drilled right into my core. It was want and desperate need and unbridled desire mixed with a plethora of unspoken promises all worth exploring.

Adam’s fingers tightened on my scalp while I took every one of his throaty moans and gave back my own.

The need to protect my heart didn’t seem so important anymore as I clutched his shirt in my hands. He was giving me an answer and shutting down my worries all at the same time, making a serious effort to make his point irrefutable.

And that’s when I realized when he was kissing me, none of the senselessness seemed to exist. It was as if he had the power to erase all of the doubts he’d placed in my mind and replace them with the promise of hope.

My mind began to feel cleansed of all its pain and sorrow, allowing me to simply be.





I WANTED TO argue, plead, tell her we were both wrong, but instead I cupped her face in my hand, pulling her into my chest with the other. Her unspoken argument disappeared on a gasp when I let my actions speak for themselves.