Page 7 of Toxic Things I Love About You

“Could you insult the dress one more time? I didn’t pick it. I couldn’t care less what I wear.”

I mumbled under my breath as I pushed the buckle in.

“I, for one, prefer you in nothing.”

She scoffed at me, and I finally got the buckle to click in place.

“Well, if I would have known that me naked was far more impressive, I would have just saved the effort of wearing said tent. Maybe Reggie wouldn’t have been so cross at me for trying to leave had I forgone clothing.”

Fucking hell.

“I know you’re baiting me. You weren’t going to marry that pile of shit.”

The side eye she gave me stopped me from pulling out of the garage.

“What now?”

She shifted as much as she could.

“I would do whatever it took to make sure my company stays alive, Mr. I’m-buying-up-everything. And what do you care? You proposed marriage and now what? You fuck me in a garage and expect me to be all swoony and bow to you?”

I glared.

“What’s your alternative? Marry someone who hits you? Or marry someone who already owns you anyway?”

That wasn’t the right thing to say. She hit the buckle release and fought against the dress to find the door. I was confident that she wouldn’t actually get out until she proved me wrong and the door swung open and she fumbled out. The car was already so low that she pretty much crawled, hands out on the ground. Why again was I so impressed at her talents of just figuring out everything? She pulled herself and the dress out. She kicked at the skirt fabric and swung around on me and started to yell.

“Well, maybe he would have been better than someone who’s using me. Someone who lies to me. Someone who ghosts me. Someone who thinks he fucking owns me. I’ll get an Uber, you stupid, stupid—” she paused and growled and kicked my car. “Just fuck off, Roman. Marry someone who wants to be owned. Worst case, I’ll take my drugs and build a new company.”

The door slammed, and I sat there for a few seconds. I never fucked up anything. I was level headed. I knew what I wanted.

Fucking hell. I wanted her, and I was fucking it all up.

I swung my door open with far too much force and chased after her. She hadn’t gotten far, although the trail she left of one shoe then the other, then metal pins from her hair, would have made it easy to follow her.

“Are we playing Hansel and Gretel? Pretty sure I could find you without the trail.”

She stopped and looked behind her, but I stopped at the sight of her.

“Are you crying?”

She spun around before I could stop her.

“Damn it, Emilee.”

She fucking kicked my shin and now she was hopping around.

“You broke my toe. First my heart and now my toe. You are the biggest asshole around. I hate you.”

She hopped and limped a few steps.

“What is it? You hate me or love me?”

She stopped and glared over her shoulder.

“Fuck you.”

She hadn’t gotten far, and I reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into my chest in a hug that I wasn’t sure she’d actually let me give her.

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