The Seduction (Finding Forever #2) - Jessie Jones Page 0,57

fell between the two of them as they lay together. The silence told John that his little woman was in her head again. He would rather have her asking him questions than drawing conclusions in her brilliant, little brain, so he asked, "Did you still want to talk, kitten? I swear I can hear the thoughts forming in your head. You might as well tell me what's on your mind."

Gillian sighed loudly as she looked up into John's handsome face. This man was so beautiful, and he made her feel so weak. If she was being honest, she was terrified of this conversation. What if John wanted her plus other women? There was no way that she was willing to share him! Feeling her temper beginning to build, Gillian blurted, "If you want other women, then this won't work! I would love to try a relationship with you, but not if it means that I have to share you."

"Ah, kitten! What the hell am I going to do with you?" John replied, his hand stroking her beautiful face. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're all I want? The last time I was intimate with another woman was before we even met."

"For now, John!" Gillian said as she pushed his hands away and sat up on the bed. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked away from him into the fire that burned in the fireplace. She attempted to hide her vulnerability as she softly said, "What about a month from now? A year? Women throw themselves at you, John! What if…what if I'm not enough for you?"

John closed his eyes for a moment as he fought with himself for control of his anger. How much more fucking obvious could he be about his feelings for Gillian? Wasn't she listening to a word he was saying? "Should I be offended that you have such a low opinion of me?" he finally asked as she immediately turned to look at him. "I admit that I have had my fair share of women, kitten, but I'm not a fucking animal!"

"I didn't say—"

"Aye, you did, woman!" John growled as he quickly got off the bed to begin pacing the room. "You're saying that I am so fucking weak when it comes to women that I have no control over myself, and that implies I'm an animal! I fuck women, kitten, and often, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a monogamous relationship with one woman! If you were simply a piece of ass to me, I wouldn't be here now trying to explain myself to you, damn it! Why are you making this so fucking hard?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Gillian looked down at her hands and softly replied, "Because I have never wanted someone so badly before. I'm not trying to insult you, Bear, I swear. I just don't want to get hurt."

John walked over to Gillian and slid his scarred fingers under her chin. Lifting it so he could look into her eyes, he said, "I know exactly how you're feeling, love. You have to be willing to give this a chance, though. Don't condemn us before we even begin. Have I lied to you?"

"No, you haven't," she answered honestly.

"And I won't," John replied, stroking her slender neck as his eyes seemed to bore into the depths of her soul. "You have my word on that, kitten. I've done a lot of bad things in my life, but I've never lied. The other women I have been intimate with knew exactly what they were to me—a fuck and nothing more. Promise me that you will give us a chance."

Gillian inhaled deeply and exhaled as she gazed into John's dark chestnut eyes. She saw the vulnerability there and knew the Brit felt as though he was putting it all on the line for her. She had lived her whole life being afraid and not trusting others, but John made her feel something completely different. Gillian knew instinctually that she could trust John and that he would protect her. Could she give herself to this man completely? She knew that he was going to be an all or nothing type of guy who was just as strong willed and stubborn as she was. Truth be told, Gillian could not picture her life without John in it. She had been absolutely miserable these past few days, and she never wanted to experience those types of feelings again.