I didn’t trust myself to speak so I just nodded dumbly.
“Fine. Fine,” he murmured, eyeing my lips intently.
I licked them.
Moaning, he came back, drawing a hand around my neck as I stood up on my toes to meet him halfway. Our mouths fused, he had my leg twisted around him again as his hand slid up and around to my stomach, resting there a moment, his thumb caressing in a rhythmic motion.
Sliding his hand inside my front pocket he pulled out my ringing cell phone and handed it to me, chuckling wryly. I didn’t comprehend what he handed me for a moment. Blushing, I snapped it open. “Hello?”
“Babe.”
Turning around, my back to Tray, I snapped, “Brian, I swear to God, if you don’t—”
“Don’t what?” he snapped back. “Give up on the one person who’s been there for me my entire life? I’m not doing it, Tar. I don’t give a shit what you throw at me.”
Without realizing, I had softened my voice. “Brian, I’d do it for you,” I said hoarsely. “And you know it. I’d back off if you had this chance.”
“No, baby, I’d bring you with me.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Yes, it is. I’d make it work someway.”
He would. We both knew it, but I wasn’t him. “Fine, but we both know I would’ve done anything to make it right, and if that meant giving up the fun, I would’ve done it. You can’t do that for me.”
“That’s what this is about? You think I won’t give up the ‘fun’ for you?” he asked bitterly.
“We both know you won’t. You’re in too deep, Brian.”
“Baby.”
“Don’t,” I said firmly, unconsciously standing straighter.
“Tar.”
“I said no.” I’ve rarely told him no and he’d learned to listen when I said it.
Brian was silent on the other end. I knew he’d listen this time too.
“Goodbye,” I whispered, closing my phone before he could say I was fighting back tears because I knew he’d listen to me this time.
“You love him,” Tray murmured, watching me intently as I turned back around.
“I loved him. He was my…he was my family when everyone else didn’t want me.”
“I get it.” He nodded solemnly. “What you’re doing, I get it. I do.”
“And yet you still want me to steal the PRS-500,” I stated.
Grinning, he shrugged. “Yeah…I gotta take care of the school.”
I made my decision. I looked him straight in the eyes and said, “If you’re looking to turn me into one of those girls that’ll bow down to you—it won’t work. I’m not going to pant after you, hoping you’ll pay attention to me.”
He waited. He saw the decision in my eyes.
“But I’ll get the PRS-500,” seeing his triumph flare quickly, I continued, “after I have a friend of mine take a look at it.”
“What?”