Page 121 of Trigger

Bleeding out sounded like an acceptable option, but I let himpatch me up anyway. I stayed still as he pulled the glass out of my wound sogently that I barely felt it.

“Does it hurt?”

Not like my heart, you fucking monster.

I shook my head, eyeing him as he rummaged through the first-aidkit. And he looked as miserable as I felt. Exhausted. Hopeless. Trapped. Itmade me hate him a tad less.

“I’m sorry,” he said while tending to my wound, but I knew hedidn’t mean my face. “I fucked up. I didn’t know how to deal with my emotions,and I handled things badly.”

“Yeah, you did.” I was hurting too much to sugarcoat it.

“You make me feel things, Tye. Things I don’t understand and maybedon’t want to feel. On the other hand, you see me for who I really am, and Iwant to honor that as well.”

“You’re leading me on, Dom,” I said, not bothering to hide myfrustration. “You think you aren’t, but you are. And it’s not fair to me. Allthis hot and cold shit is messing with my mind.”

“I know.”

“I’m sure you noticed that…” I paused, trying to find the rightwords. “We’re touching each other all the time, Dominic. And it’s notaccidental, as much as we pretend otherwise. When we end up in the same bed, wefall asleep in each other’s arms. I can’t keep my hands away from you, and Ihave a feeling it’s reciprocated, but this shit has to stop if you want us tobe friends.”

The crumbs. I was taking the crumbs, and I despised myself for it.Friends. What a crock of shit.

He nodded. “I know. And I will stop.”

I laughed without mirth. “Is there a button that helps you dothat? Then please tell me where it is so I can push it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” I said with a sigh, tired of the damnconversation that made my heart bleed. “It’s fine. In fact, it’s probablybetter this way.”

He removed the gauze from my temple, looking at me solemnly.“You’re my friend, Tye, and I can’t lose that. I can’t lose you.”

How about friends with benefits? It was the one option I hadn’tmentioned yet, wary of another rebuttal.

When he chuckled, I looked at him in confusion.

“Your hair has grown since I last saw you,” he said, combing hisfingers through my hair. “It looks good on you.”

It was a badly timed compliment. And he was touching meagain.

I glanced towards the door, needing to get out of there, when heput his hand on my chest.

“Are we good?”

“Yes,” I said, because ultimately, I would take him any way Icould get him.

He nodded, relaxing visibly. “Friends?”

I bit my bottom lip, not knowing what to say, when he used histhumb to pull my lip from under my teeth.

“You’ll hurt yourself,” he said with an awkward smile, as if itexplained everything. As if it justified him fuckingtouching me again.

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling exasperated and,honestly, angry. I prided myself on my willpower, but I was running out of it.

“You’re touching me again, Dom.”

Something crossed his face. Confusion, annoyance, remorse… maybeeven stubbornness.

“I know,” he said, averting his gaze. “I’m sorry. It’s just that Imissed you.”

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