“Why is us such a hard concept for you to comprehend?” he snaps in my face.

I shove his chest, but he doesn’t even sway. “Fucking doesn’t mean us. You’re lying to him.”

He moves both of his hands into my hair, grabbing a handful, forcing my head back so I have to look up at him. “Why is it so hard to comprehend that I want more from you than just your body?”

His words make me pause. My eyes search his, looking for any indication he’s lying. I wait for him to laugh, but instead, he licks his lips and steps in closer to me. His body presses into mine while his grip loosens. “Cross …”

“I’m serious about you. About us.” He runs his hands through my hair. “So, if you don’t want that, I’ll let you leave. But just know I want you to stay.”

I ignore the butterflies in my stomach that he wants more than just a fuck. I’ve had the same thoughts, but I’ve refused to try to decipher them. But I’ve been doing this a lot lately—jumping without thinking twice. That’s how I ended up with Kink. And the same way I added Jasmine to Lucky’s. Why not do the same with him? He told me that timing was rarely on our side. And that seems to continue to prove true. “I want to stay,” I say softly. The more I learn about Cross, the more I can’t walk away. He’s exactly what I thought he would be—all consuming.

Letting go of my face, he runs his knuckles down over my neck, feeling my pulse race. “I was lying,” he whispers, his free hand wrapping around my back, holding me in place.

My stomach drops. He was baiting me to see how I felt just so he could say it’s over.

A slow smile spreads across his handsome face. “I wasn’t going to let you leave.” Then his lips are on mine. Desperately, demanding all of my attention.

“Don’t you have to go to work?” I ask, not wanting to keep him, knowing he has a lot to do. The poor guy never stops.

“I can be late,” he answers against my lips.

I jump up into his arms and wrap my legs around his waist, suddenly a little less tired. Nothing a Monster drink can’t fix later. He starts walking up to his room and then we’re on his bed. Clothes are being ripped off.”