Forever You're Mine (MINE #4)(8)

Our relationship had been doomed from the beginning. Not only because he lived forty-five minutes away in a fraternity house, but Dent also came from a wealthy and respected family. Dating someone like me with a junky whore for a mother, and a brother on death row was out of the question. I never cared what other people thought of me so I was cool with it at first. And he’d made me a lot of pretty promises. There was a time I would do anything to preserve what we had. But after almost three years of hiding, my heart had grown weary, and what I thought was love had turned into something ugly. I was twenty-three years old and I needed more than the promise of forever. I needed more than the words. No more fighting for something I could never have. No more waiting for forever to happen.

But it turns out, I was weaker than I thought.

I let him tell me how much he missed me. How much he loved me, and after a heated kiss in the hallway at work…I let him back in. Only when Cannon interrupted us did I begin to question why I was back in his arms so easily.

I wanted to slap Cannon’s scruffy face.

How dare he tell me who I could and could not kiss?

After Dent picked me up from work, we went to a hotel across town. The same one we stayed at every single time. This was our safe place. He normally stayed at his parent’s house, so it seemed ideal at first. It was even exciting, being whisked away on a whim, made love to for hours on end, anything was better than being alone. I didn’t care whose secret I was, as long as I belonged to someone.

But things were different now.

I didn’t want to be anyone’s secret anymore. I wanted to be someone’s everything.

We didn’t even make it off the elevator before he was tugging at my clothes. Hot kisses and caresses, I was shamefully swept away by him once more.

As we lay there, both searching for our breath, his fingers grazed my skin. I reveled in his touch, knowing this could be the last time I was in his arms. The thought made me sad, even though revelation was sobering and clear. The mind may know right from wrong, but the heart is a fool. And mine had been a fool for him for far too long.

I blinked back the tears as I lifted my head from his chest to find his eyes. I needed to end this once and for all. It would hurt like hell, but over time, I would heal.

There had to be something more than this.

I was about to open my mouth when Dent spoke. “I thought you and that * were just friends.”

I tensed. One because I didn’t like anyone calling Cannon an *. Even if it was true.

And two…

“That’s none of your business. We’re not together, remember?” I reminded him.

Dent smiled wickedly, rolling me over and kissing me hard. “Looks like we’re together right now.”

“You know what I mean.”

He was hard against my leg. I fought the urge to take him in my hand and let him make love to me again. But that would only prolong the inevitable. And I’d done that enough times already.

“You want that guy.”

“Dent, please,”

“Please what?”

“Nothing has changed.”

The center of his brow furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Between us, nothing has changed.”

“You’re right. I still f*cking love you. That will never change.”

“Are you ready to introduce me to your family?” The way his face fell, I knew he would never be ready for that. “Exactly. That’s what I thought,” I said, trying to squirm from beneath him.

He held me in place. “I want to. You know that. But shit is complicated. They wouldn’t understand what we have. Hell, they don’t even love each other.”

“I just…I can’t keep doing this, Dent. I can’t. It’s not fair to me. I should have let you go a long time ago.”

“You can’t let me go…you still love me,” Dent said and there was so much truth in that statement, yet so much of it was a lie.

The knot in my throat grew tighter but I squeezed passed it. Maybe the sooner I accept the fact we weren’t meant to be, the sooner I could get on with what was. “What we have is not love.”

“Cora, please.”

A tear slipped from the corner of my eye and I almost caved with his heartfelt plea, angrier at myself more than anything for believing this time would be any different than the last.

I pushed against his chest and he let me go with no resistance. “I shouldn’t have even come here tonight, but then again, I think I needed this closure. I deserve better than this, Denton.” I said, searching the floor for my clothes and my determination. “I need a man who will fight for me. I want a man who is not afraid to take me home to meet his mama. Who is proud to have me on his arm. Who wants the same things I do.”

“I want you, isn’t that enough?”

“Not anymore,”

“Is it because of him?”

“Who?”

“You want him, don’t you?” he smirked.

“Don’t you dare turn this shit around on me.”

After I was dressed, I reached for my purse. Dent didn’t move to stop me. A part of me hoped he would. That weak part of me wanted him to chase me down the hall, take me in his arms and never let me go…but that never happened.

I finally let go of the hope that it ever would.