feet away, so he eliminated some of the distance, holding her stare as he peered down at her.
“How would you explain it?”
“I’m not runnin’.” Her teeth were clenched.
“Sure looks like it to me.”
“Why? Because I haven’t followed the two of you around like a little puppy?” Bristol’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not one of your toys, Kaden. I refuse to be.”
He laughed, stepped forward until he was practically on top of her. “Toys? Name the last time you saw us with a woman, Bristol.”
It was obvious she was attempting to think back on that.
“Months,” he said, his voice lower as he pursued her when she took a step back. “That’s how long it’s been since we’ve entertained a woman. And that was because you decided to flaunt Barry in our faces.”
“Bradley,” she corrected.
Yeah, he knew the guy’s name. He knew all their names. Hell, he even knew how long they’d stuck around.
And that was the problem.
Bristol took another step back, him a step forward until she was up against the wall. He had to give her props, she didn’t attempt to slip away. Bristol held her ground, tilting her head back to stare up at him.
“You remember that night,” he said, cupping her face and brushing his thumb over the slight dent in her chin. “You remember the same way we do.”
She didn’t respond with words, but her increased breaths told him all he needed to know. She did remember.
“And you’ve been runnin’,” he accused.
Bristol shook her head. “No.”
He ignored her response because it was a lie. “Why’re you runnin’ now?”
Leaning in, he brought his lips closer to hers.
“Kaden…”
“Do we scare you?”
“No,” she rasped. “You terrify me.”
He pulled back an inch. “I do?”
“Both of you.”
“Why?”
Her response was a shrug.
“We won’t hurt you.”
“That’s not the fear I’m talkin’ about, Kaden.”
He knew that, but he’d wanted to hear her admit it.
“Can you make that promise, huh?” Her whisper was laced with pain. “That you won’t break my heart?”
Because there were no guarantees on anything, he didn’t answer. What he wanted to tell her was that she was it for him. Something he’d realized when he’d fallen for her without even trying. Since the day they met, Kaden had been a goner where she was concerned. She was his end game. He would walk through fire to protect her and he would never forsake her. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t believe the words even if he spoke them. Actions spoke much louder.
“I should go.”
Initially, he had intended to let her simply walk away after, but now that she was here, now that she was this close, he couldn’t bring himself to let her go. God only knew if or when he’d ever have this opportunity again, and truth be told, he was growing tired of the chase. He wanted her, had always wanted her. And it was high time they all faced the truth. There was something between them, something worth pursuing if only they could all get on the same page.
“Stay,” he whispered, leaning down. “For a little while, Bristol. Just stay.”
“It’s not a good idea.” There was no conviction behind her words.
To prove her wrong, Kaden leaned down until his lips brushed hers.
“I’ve thought about that night,” he softly. “When you kissed me like there was no tomorrow.”
A soft whimper was her response.
“Do you think about that night, Bristol? And don’t you dare lie to me.”
Another whimper. “Yes.”
“Did you enjoy it? When we both kissed you?”
“Yes.” The word was a breathless moan.
Kaden pressed his lips more firmly to hers, retreated but never enough that his mouth wasn’t touching hers.
“Did it scare you at the time?” When he knew she was going to agree, he added, “Be honest.”
Bristol shook her head, her lips brushing against his, which resulted in another whimper from her.
He had to admit, he was rather fond of his own self-restraint in that moment. As it was, his cock was like a steel beam behind his zipper, throbbing with an ache he’d battled damn near every night since the one he was referring to. He wanted this woman with a passion that defied logic.
“No, Kaden. It didn’t scare me.”
“But you wanted more.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say so?”
Her eyes remained on his and he could see a wealth of emotion in them, but she didn’t put voice to what she was feeling.
“Trust me when I say it was damn hard to walk away that night.” He kept his voice low. “So damn hard, but we did it for you. We