I’d been missing. So, I don’t care your dad’s gonna have a shit hemorrhage. I’m not gonna waste his time or mine trying to talk him around, because the man he is, that will not work. He’ll need proof you are who you are to me and that’s gonna take time. That I intend to give him. That’s the respect I’m going to extend to him. I’ll show him with time and deed what my intentions are.
“But, baby, Brady was right, and we both better brace, because the wrath of Jasper Walker is gonna scorch the earth. And he’ll be coming at me with an assault team. Your uncles will take his back and I’ll feel the full weight of your family.”
“Trey—”
“Let me finish,” I cut her off. “I welcome it.”
“Welcome it?”
“Yep. Not only do I welcome it. You need it. And I’m fully prepared to give you everything you need including time, deed, and proving to your family I’m exactly what you’ve been missing.”
“I don’t think I need that,” she whispered.
“You do, Addy. Not only does your dad know my reputation, you do as well. And it fucks me to say it, but that reputation was earned. I don’t deny it, I won’t make excuses for what I’ve done in the past, mainly because I don’t regret it. I was young, single, and never lied to a single woman I’ve been with. I will tell you that, since I’ve been in Georgia, I’ve only been with one woman—you. Haven’t touched anyone else, haven’t thought about it, didn’t want it.”
“You haven’t?”
Her wide eyes and disbelief pissed me off more than Brady thinking I’d fuck Addy.
“Did you miss the part where I told you I fell in love with you before I spoke a single word to you?” I snapped.
“Are you mad?”
“Gettin’ there, baby.”
“Why?”
“Seriously?”
Addy flinched at my biting tone, then served up her own attitude when she responded, “Yes, seriously. I can’t imagine why you’d be mad at me being surprised you haven’t slept with someone in, I don’t know…months and months and months.”
“Adalynn—”
“Don’t growl at me, you caveman.”
That was it.
I was done.
I surged up, Addy let out a squeak, and I flipped her on her back, pinning her to the bed.
“Serious as shit, woman—you think I’d fuck another woman knowing I’d found The One?” I gave her my weight and she wheezed something illegible. But I didn’t give her a chance to repeat herself before I went on. “You think I’d fuck some random chick when I knew I was gonna make my play for you, knew I’d found someone special? Finally after years of living with nothing, I found something—someone who made me want to be better. You think I’d seriously stick my dick—”
“No,” she rasped and I propped more of my weight on my elbow. “Not when you put it like that.”
“And me telling you I took one look at you and fell for you wasn’t enough?”
“I’ve been told that before,” she whispered. “Twice. The first one left me after he took my virginity and gave me some lame reason. The second bided his time, got me into bed, told me I was frigid and not very good at it, and…it um…ended badly. However, both told me they were in love with me. But obviously, they weren’t.”
I felt my chest cave in at the humiliation and embarrassment she couldn’t hide. I also got the sense there was more to the story than the second relationship ending badly, but I didn’t question her because she looked positively mortified.
Motherfuckers.
“Now why do you look mad?”
“I’m not,” I told her and stared down into the most amazing pair of green eyes. Christ, she was beautiful—every inch of her—but it was her eyes that did it for me.
“You look like you are,” she pushed.
“Okay. I’ll amend. I’m not mad at you, I’m pissed as fuck at both those assholes. But more, I’m pissed I only have a shot at shoving Jake’s teeth down his throat, and not the other idiot, too.”
“You can’t—”
“Shh. I can and I will. First, because he’s going to understand that you’re off-limits and that understanding is gonna come direct from me. Seeing as he’s a douchebag idiot, he’s gonna puff his chest and square up. Something I’m looking forward to him doing. Thankful even, that he’s gonna provide me with the golden opportunity to teach him a lesson about how to treat women.”
“He didn’t—”
“I don’t know how he treated you when you were together and I don’t ever wanna