Page 53 of My Damaged Protector

I shake my head and try to move away from him, but his hold on me tightens, giving me no opportunity to escape.

“Sarah, please. Look at me.”

“Why should I?” I snap, my eyes unintentionally meeting him.

“Because you want to,” he whispers, his words soft yet piercing. “Because you need to, Sarah. Because you know I'll never look you in the eyes and lie to you, and because I need to look you in the eyes so I don't…” He trails off, his eyes suddenly becoming haunted with emotions. I look away.

Damn it.

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

And why do I keep letting him do this to me?

I shouldn't have called him. He shouldn't have come. Yet somehow, when I needed someone to reach out to, he was the first person to come to my mind. And the fact that he dropped whatever it was that he must have been doing and came?

That meant a lot.

And yes, I know he may not have been busy when I called, but he could have easily said no.

This is all too much.

Shaking my head, I blow out a breath. “Why are you here, Ian?”

“Because you asked me to come.”

“Really?” I fix him a look. He'll have to do better than that.

He shrugs, refusing to give me any answer beyond that.

My belly churns, and my mind won't stop spinning.

What if he's here because he knew I would definitely have sex with him?

“Are you here because of sex, Ian?” I ask, even though I know it's highly unlikely that's why he's here. The man refused to touch me for years, but I press on anyway. “Is that why you reached out, because you know I'll easily give it up?”

“If sex was the only thing I wanted from you then you and I both know I'd have had it long ago and been done with it.”

“Maybe it wasn't what you wanted then. Maybe it is what you want now.”

His hold on me loosens, and my heart breaks a million times as I slip off his lap.

“I would not deny that I find you attractive, Sarah, but I also won't sit here and let you insult yourself by insinuating that the only thing you think you can offer me is sex,” he snaps.

Although he won't look at me. I can feel his anger, and it snaps at something inside of me, too.

“Then what do you want, damn it? Why are you here? You won't have sex with me, then suddenly it's all you're panting after now.”

“Sarah, you kissed me.” He's on his feet, towering over me. I stand to meet his gaze.

“I didn't hear you complaining.”

“I hesitated.”

“For a minute.”

“Because you urged me to.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” I snap.

---