Page 68 of Unconditional

“The man that just left also used to be one I was fucking.”I lifted a brow.“I could call him a lover too.”

“He’s a weasel.”Talon’s tone was threatening.Maybe more threatening than it had been when he was addressing Brantley directly, and I found it flattering.He wasn't offended that I had slept with Brantley, he was offended that I was implying I might still like to.I blew out a breath and let myself collapse onto the opposite end of the couch.

“You know what, you’re right about that.”I ran two hands over my face, not caring if I smeared my makeup.“Hopefully he finally takes a hint.”Letting my head fall back on the back of the sofa, I stared up at the ceiling.

A beat later, Talon spoke again.“How did things go with Benji?”

I sucked in a tiny breath.“You didn’t come here to talk about my job, MacArthur.”

“No, but I’d like to know, regardless.It’s important to you.”

A new frustration crept in, hindering any filter I might have had.“It’s not like you cared before.”

“That’s not fair.”

I snorted.“None of this has been fair to me, have you thought about that?”

“Look, I know—”

“You don’t know anything about how I’m feeling right now,” I ground out.I could feel his stare on the side of my face but didn’t dare look to him.At any moment, he would decide this wasn't worth the time, curse and stomp out of the apartment.

His words were cool and calm.“No.But I’d like if you told me.”

forty-nine

Misely

IfeltlikeIcould crawl out of my skin, there were so many things trapped beneath the surface.But hadn’t I learned the hard way too many times to count that being honest about my feelings, especially when they rung this strongly, would do nothing but force people away?

Nobody wanted me in my entirety.Nobody wanted someone who talked too much, who felt too much, who was just…too much.

But Talon had showed up literally at my doorstep at two in the morning, and was now sitting on my couch asking me to tell him what I was thinking, what I was feeling.After only a week together and a week apart.And I was scared.Scared to tell him the truth and see him walk away.Even more scared that he’d stay only to hurt me again.

So, I stuck with what was safe.He’d asked about Benji, so I told him about Benji.About everything that had been accomplished in the last week and my relief at knowing that the boy was finally in good hands.When I finished, he was smiling, the sight soft and warm and everything I’d come not to expect from Talon MacArthur.

“If anyone could do right by that kid, it was you.”He said it with so much reverence it blindsided me.“You are amazing.”

I couldn’t meet his eyes.“That’s not what you were saying in Milo’s kitchen.”

His sigh shook and he cleared his throat.“Misely, about that…”

“It’s fine.”It wasn’t.“You were just caught off guard.Besides, you weren’t wrong.It’s not like we’re a couple.”

“No, but—”

“But what?Had a change of heart?You’re suddenly ready to settle down and be a daddy and husband and all those mundane things you never had any interest in before?”I could feel a full-blown spiral coming on, the word vomit stuck at the base of my throat.Until a large palm came to rest on my thigh, squeezing gently.

“Shut the fuck up and let me speak.”Those words had no business being spoken so softly.

“But—” His other hand came up to cover my mouth, his eyebrow cocking as if he were daring me to bite him as I had last time.

“Misely, I shouldn’t have said the things that I said to you.Yeah, I was caught off guard and instead of thinking it through, I overreacted.No, I completely fucked up.But look, I’m not some fucking prince, Blondie.You’re going to have to expect me to fuck up from time to time.

“But I’m here, aren’t I?And I’m in it, if you are.There won’t be a picket fence and I probably won’t be able to give you some elaborate wedding.But I’m not going to just…I can’t just forget about everything I found with you either.I know you were talking to your ex and he probably made pretty little promises that I will never make, but it took that asshole how many years to realize what he had?”My eyebrows narrowed in confusion, realizing he must be referring to James, but with his hand covering my mouth I couldn’t protest if I’d wanted to.

“It took me one week, Misely.One goddamned week to fall in love with you.You infuriate me and confuse me and are everything I thought I hated.But the last week without you has been one of the worst weeks of my life.”

Oh.My.God.Air.I needed air.There was no air.My heart felt like it was going to come out of my chest, and I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t breathe,I couldn’t breathe.The last time a romantic interest had told me they loved me, they were walking away.Everyone whoeverclaimed to love me, never loved me enough to stay.And Talon was right, hewashere.And he was telling me he loved me, something that I never would have dreamed would happen.And the Misely from before, the Misely that wanted nothing more than she wanted that true, unconditional love, wanted to submit to it.But the Misely of right now knew better, knew that I had to be tread lightly, be cautious, because if I didn't, I wouldn't survive the heartbreak.

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