You Will Be Mine (Forever and Ever #7)(9)

He had a point. I promised I would take baby steps with him, but when he pissed me off, my anger got to me.

“I wasn’t flirting with her,” he said firmly. “I don’t flirt with anyone but you. You’re the only girl on the back of my bike, in my bed, and in my thoughts.”

It was one of the sweetest things I’d heard him say. “I never thought otherwise, Arsen.”

“Then why are you jealous?”

“Like I said a hundred times, I’m not jealous. I was pissed off you were being rude. That’s all. If I were jealous, I would have marched over there and told her where to go. But I didn’t.”

“Really?” His anger softened.

“Really.”

His shoulders relaxed and a slight smile formed on his mouth. “That means a lot to me.”

I moved into his chest and rested my head against him. His arms circled me and held me close. His chin rested on my head. People passed us on the sidewalk while we held each other close.

“Can I take you home now?” he whispered.

I nodded.

“Then let’s go.”

***

We got into bed then turned off all the lights. Arsen wrapped his body around mine and held me close. Whenever I was in his arms, I felt relaxed, like I was sleeping on a cloud. I loved feeling his naked skin against mine. His natural scent came into my nose and made me feel safe. The nights spent with him were the best of my life.

“Beauty?” His lips were pressed to my ear.

“Hmm?”

“You’re on the pill, right?”

“I already told you that.” I kept my eyes closed, feeling tired.

His hand moved under my t-shirt and to my stomach. “Well, I’m not sleeping with anyone else and neither are you.”

“What’s your point?” I yawned.

“I want to feel you…without wearing anything.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him over my shoulder. “I do too.”

He pressed his lips to my ear. “You’re ready for that?”

“If you are.”

“I’ve been ready for a while, before you dragged all that mushy shit out of me.” He gave me a playful smirk.

“Well, you just told me you’ve slept with all of Boston,” I said. “Are you clean”

He nodded. “I get checked pretty often.” He didn’t ask the same question of me.

“Aren’t you going to ask me the same question?”

He kept smiling. “Why? You’re a good girl.”

“I am not,” I argued.

“It’s not offensive.” He kissed my neck. “I like that you’re a good girl.”

“I don’t know what I did to give you that impression, but I’m definitely on the opposite end of the spectrum. I’ve been around…”

He moved on top of me then dug one hand into my hair. His face was an inch from mine. His warm breath fell on my skin, making me melt. A distant light burned in his eyes, a playfulness just for me. “Oh really?”

“Yes, really,” I said firmly.

“How many?”

Huh? “How many what?”

His grin stretched. “If you don’t know what that question implies, then you haven’t been around.”

“No, I do,” I lied. “I just want to make sure you know what it means.”

He chuckled. “How many guys have you slept with, beauty?” He let the question linger in the air. “Give me a number.”

What was a lot? Five? What should I say? “Um…too many to count.”

He tried not to laugh. “Come on, bad girl. Fess up.”

“A hundred…”

Arsen wasn’t buying it. “You want me to go first?”

“No,” I said quickly. “I don’t want to know.”

“I’m not going to judge you, Silke. You can tell me.”

Judge me because the number was pathetic? “One…” I felt the redness flood my cheeks.

He smiled in victory. “One other guy before me?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “No. Just one.”

His face changed into one I didn’t recognize. His eyes lost their light and he didn’t blink. The room became dead silent. Neither one of us moved. All we did was breathe.

Arsen’s eyes bored into mine, and a different kind of emotion shined through. It was unidentifiable but strong. He swallowed the lump in his throat while he stared at me, a thousand thoughts going through his head.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told him that. I was surprised he hadn’t figured it out in the beginning. I tried so hard to be confident and cool. I just wanted to be what he wanted me to be. The moment I laid eyes on him, I wanted him. It was a sensation I couldn’t explain. I just had to have him, and for some reason, I knew he was mine forever, even if it seemed so unlikely.

He took a deep breath and the emotion was undeniable. “Silke…why me?” His eyes shined in the darkness, a coat of moisture forming. His hand fisted my hair more tightly, trying to hold onto me like I might slip away. He held himself up on one elbow, and his legs were in between mine.

I felt the stubble of his chin with my hand then moved up his jaw. His blue eyes were beautiful and cold like the artic, but if you looked long enough, you could see them change and become heated like a desert. There was so much more to Arsen than he let people see. Only I got to see the real him. And he was wonderful, passionate, and perfect, despite all his flaws. I was probably stupid for feeling this way about him, and maybe one day that would become a painful regret, but that fear couldn’t stop my heart from beating for him. My thumb brushed over his bottom lip then I moved my fingers through his brown hair. “You know why.”