Page 113 of Closer

I do… did. Whatever.

“I should start dinner.” My voice sounds distant. Foreign. Like it belongs to someone else.

“Isn’t it already done?”

“I…”

Chapter 33

Sebastian

“Yes, I-I need to check on it. Yes.” Her eyes dart around the room. “That’s what I meant.”

She scrambles off me, and I mourn the loss of her tight heat.

My cum trickles down her thigh when she stands, and a primal part of me wants to gather it with my fingers and push it back inside her, claiming her all over again.

But her expression stops me cold—something’s not right.

She snatches up her clothes in a haphazard bundle.

I reach for her, my fingers grazing her hip. “Lil.”

But she’s already out of reach, hurriedly pulling on her shirt. “No. It will get cold.”

“At least let me take care of you first.”

“No, that’s not—I don’t need you to…” She can’t even finish a damn sentence.

“You’re shaking, Lil. Let me—”

“I said I’m fine!” Her voice cracks on the last word, and something inside me twists painfully.

She turns on her heel and practically flees the room, slamming the door shut behind her. The sound echoes in the sudden stillness, a harsh punctuation to whatever the hell happened.

I glare at the closed door, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Chase after her? Give her the space she so clearly wants?

Did I misread the signs?

I can still feel her, smell her on my skin. The ghost of her touch, the taste of her kiss. It’s branded into my senses, impossible to ignore. The way she was riding me, the sounds she was making… that wasn’t a mistake. That was two people who’ve been fighting this thing between them for too damn long, finally giving in.

But more than that, it’s the look in her eyes that haunts me. That flicker of fear, of uncertainty. It cuts deeper than I want to admit.

Fuck.

Roommates. That was the deal. That’s what she wanted. Why I stayed away as much as I could, while still keeping her close. Why I didn’t try anything, even though I wanted to so many times.

I shouldn’t have done that. It’s still too early. This is pure torture. Coming home every evening seeing her completely at ease in our apartment. Relaxed, free, smiling. Happy. With me.

The selfish part of me wants to keep her here forever. To wake up every morning to her sleepy voice, to come home every night to her warm embrace.

To build a life with her, in every sense of the word.

And I thought the only thing missing is my ring on her finger.

I couldn’t resist anymore.

All I wanted was to take care of her. Instead, I only managed to drive her away. Again.

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