Page 85 of Burn With Me

Jackson is waiting for me, dressed in a pair of gray joggers and a plain white shirt. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. The entire room smells like a bottle of expensive alcohol was dropped and left to evaporate into the air.

Our eyes connect, and I’m overwhelmed by the feeling of wanting to run into his arms and just be held by him.

Instead, I slowly step out of the elevator and slip my ballet flats off, dropping my purse next to them on the floor.

“Hi,” he finally greets me when I look back at him.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I raise my brow and do my best to give him a hardened look. “Hi.”

Ire melts through my veins as the corner of his lips tilt up in a smile before he squashes it down. Nothing is amusing about this situation, yet here he is, trying not to laugh at me. “You wanted to explain. So explain.”

His eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. “You want to talk about thisnow? At almost four in the morning?”

“Yeah, I do. So, tell me, Jackson. Was it your plan all along?” Keeping my feet firmly planted, I glare at him in my best attempt to show him that this is not a game to me. That just because I’m here, it doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive him.

I have no intention of forgiving him.

“No, Ginny. It wasn’t my plan all along. It was a moment of weakness after a really shitty day. Not to mention, youbarely spoke to me after we had sex, so I thought that maybe it wasyouwho was done withme. You didn’t exactly sing my praises and beg to fall back into my bed.”

“Insecure much? Is that what you need, Jackson? Someone to tell you what a pro you are in bed and how good you fucked them?” Every word that leaves my mouth turns angrier and angrier. My rage bubbling beneath the surface of my skin.

“No, I don’t need anyone to tell me how good I am in bed. But I didn’t exactly fuck you the way I do other women. So the fact that you didn’t speak to me and then ignored me all day Saturday didn’t exactly feel great.” He crosses his arms, mirroring my posture as he speaks to me like I’m a petulant child.

It pisses me off even more.

“My phone was sitting in a container of rice for most of the day Saturday. So sorry I wasn’t at your beck and call,sir. Good thing you have a whole list of women who will fall at your feet and do whatever you want them to.”

“It wasn’t like that. I’ve told you that a million times, Ginny. I know it looked bad, but I swear to you thatnothinghappened. I didn’t want…I couldn’t do it. Trust me, I tried. I wanted to burn you from my memory. I wanted to erase the way your skin felt on mine and the way your body felt like it was made just for me. Because I thought you didn’t want me, and because I thought I didn’tneedyou. But the second that woman touched me, I knew it was a lie. I doneedyou.”

He uncrosses his arms and walks toward me, but I veer around him and head into the living room. “Well, maybe I don’twantyou.”

When I turn, he’s watching me with guarded eyes. I can tell my words hurt him, and triumph floods my body because I want him to feel as hurt as I’ve been. “You know what I do want, though, Jackson? I want to know why you were so gentle with me.”

His body relaxes, and he takes a deep breath, walking intothe living room until we’re nearly chest-to-chest. “Because you aren't like other women. And I didn’t want to scare you away.”

“What does that even mean?”

“You know what that means, Red. I was practically begging you to be mine. I would have never done that with any of those women.” He reaches for my hand, but I jerk away and take a few steps back.

“Yet those are the women that you can be yourself with in bed. It was obvious that you were holding back. Even if you say it’s because you wanted something serious with me, you would have had to show me that side of you. So why couldn’t you? What is the appeal of those women? What do they have thatIdon’t?”

I didn’t even realize it until now, butthisis exactly what I want. I want to experience sex without him holding back. Just once. Just to see what it’s like. I want to know what he’s keeping from me. Then my curiosity will be sated, and I can move on with my life and pretend the last month and a half never happened.

“You arenothinglike them! And that’s exactly why I wantyou!You aren’t listening to me, Ginny. Nothing happened with that woman. That life isn’t what I want anymore.”

“But youwantedit to. You wanted to go back to your old ways just to prove you aren’t the man you’ve become since we started hanging out. So show methatman, Jackson! Show me what I’m missing out on. Fuck me like you do all those other women!” I’m throwing my hands around like a crazy person, and I can feel the tears falling from my eyes as I yell at him.

A look I can only describe as disgust appears on his face as he shakes his head and turns away. “That isn’t us, Ginny.”

“There is nous! So show me!” My words make him freeze before he turns back to look at me, his eyes staring intensely into mine.

“Is that what you really want?”

“Yes. I want to know what it’s like to befuckedby Jackson Tailor,” I sneer.

My chest is heaving, cheeks wet from my tears. Jackson clenches his jaw repeatedly, breathing heavily and looking like he’s at war with himself.

I see the moment he makes up his mind. Something shifts in his eyes, making them appear harder—darker. His body tightens, and he draws himself up to full height.

---