“If you say so,” I returned flippantly while shifting against the ache between legs.

“Want to test that theory now?” he challenged. I shrugged and turned my head away, giving him the cold shoulder. He gently grasped my chin and turned my face up to him. My lips opened instinctively for his. He eyed my mouth before grinning down at me. “I’m talking to you. That means you say something back.”

He threw my words back at which pissed me off so I drew my knee up to hit his balls. He caught my leg under my thigh and wrapped it around his waist and pressed me harder into the wall.

“Are you trying to get round one started right here?” His eyes were heated with sexual intent and despite the way my body responded, I shook my head no. “Then behave.”

“Why are you always telling me to behave?”

“Because you want it.”

“Do explain…” I stated sarcastically and rolled my eyes. He grasped my chin again, this time in a tight, unyielding grip. I watched the flash in his eyes and quaked all the way down to my toes.

“I don’t have to. You and I both know how wet your pussy gets every time I issue a command. You love it.” I started to protest he transferred his grip to my throat. “You need it,” he growled.

God help me, I do.

“Don’t make me prove it to you right here. You aren’t ready for the type of fucking I’d give you right here. But you will be…after tonight.”

I drew in a deep breath almost begging him to carry out his threat. “I don’t know what to say.” It was a stupid response to the hot promises he just made to me but it was all I had dammit.

“All I need is for you to say yes when I need you. That’s it.”

“Why should I say yes? You were being him again. I didn’t like it.”

His hand dropped from my throat as he frowned and searched my eyes with what looked like panic. “Him?” he asked.

“Yeah…the Keiran before now.” I didn’t miss the look of relief that crossed his features.

“I won’t apologize again since it seems that you aren’t listening so I’ll explain instead. I am happy to spend this time with you. I just wish we could spend it alone. I can’t help but want you all to myself all the time. I missed ten years with you because I couldn’t wake up from a nightmare that played over and again. But even more selfishly, I wish we were locked away in my bedroom instead of a smelly theater. Believe me baby I would do anything not to be him again.”

His arms had come around me sometime during his speech and held me tight as if to keep me from running away. His possessive demeanor told me I was dead on. The sincerity shone through his gaze but I couldn’t forgive him just yet.

“Anything?” I stressed.

His hands dropped to my butt and lifted me up and into him. “Yes.”

“Then you should know this is my first date. Don’t ruin it, okay?”

“Not even if it meant my life,” he agreed.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Lake, how good do you play with balls? Aaargh! The bowling balls, babe!” Sheldon had driven her elbow into Keenan’s stomach. I laughed at his pained expression because he never seemed to learn his lesson.

“I’m telling Keiran.” Sheldon stated.

“Snitch,” Keenan returned.

“Slut.”

“That’s it. I’m choosing Lake as my partner.”

“You can’t choose Lake.”

“Why not?”

“Maybe I want Lake.”

“Too bad. I called dibs.”

“You can’t have dibs. She’s my friend. She doesn’t even like you.”

Ouch.

“Lake, tell her we are friends now. Remember? BFFs? Art?”

“Lake, is this true?” Sheldon asked, accusingly, with her hands on her hips.

“Uh –”

“Obviously not,” Sheldon sniffed.

“Obviously she likes me better and just doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

Keiran approached with our shoes but they continued to bicker over me and didn’t notice. I eyed him for help but he merely smirked and sat down to change out shoes. I watched him pull off his hoodie, revealing the plain grey shirt that molded to his skin and instantly salivated. No one should be that hot.

“My body’s hotter. And I have better hair. Your hair is stringy.”

“Stringy? You mean like your dick?”

“You weren’t saying that last night when you came all over it.”

That’s my cue to leave.

I walked over to where Keiran was and sat next to him. “Do they always argue like that?”

“They aren’t arguing. That’s just them. When they argue, they break up.”

“Just like that?”

He shrugged. “It’s normal for them. They once broke up for an hour before they were back under each other.”

“Some would say it’s unhealthy.”

“Probably. But their relationship is theirs, not someone else’s.”

“Is that how you feel about us?” What are you saying Lake? Not. A. Relationship!

“Yes,” he said without hesitation and grinned, catching my slip. “No one else’s opinion will never matter to me about us. Only yours.” He turned his head to stare at me until I nodded my understanding and then went began setting up the game.

I looked over at Keenan and Sheldon who were for sure making out now. He practically had her laid across the tabletop as he groped her. I would never understand those two, but then it wasn’t for me to understand. We stood up to start playing the first round when I heard my name called.