Page 53 of Obligation
“Not as much as I used to.” He rolled onto his side, too, and propped his head in his hand. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his ex-girlfriend, so he hoped Carissa wouldn’t push the topic.
“I wish I had a place like this.” She sighed.
“What do you mean?”
“Somewhere I could go when I needed to get away.” She gave an awkward shrug. “Somewhere no one could find me.”
He studied her intently. Her hair was wild despite her obvious attempt to tame her locks; her face was no longer tear-stained, though her cheeks were redder than usual; and her normally vibrant eyes were dull and devoid of the spark he’d come to associate with her.
“You do have a place like that,” he said before he could think about the implication of his words. “You havethisplace. You can come here any time you want.”
Her smile was faint but still noticeable. “Thank you. Seriously. You’ve been a great friend to someone you hardly know.” She slid one arm beneath the pillow and rested her other hand on the bed.
He let out a sigh that was much heavier than he’d meant. “So, I’ve been officially friend zoned, huh?”
Despite knowing that’s all they were, hearing her say the words was like a billion tiny pinpricks to his heart, each one deeper and more painful than the last. And even though he’d sworn not to pursue her while she was in a relationship with another man, the second he’d found out Danny abandoned her, Bradley changed his mind. No way was he going to step aside and let someone as awful as Danny have Carissa and treat her like she didn’t matter.
“I thought we were friends,” she said, her tone unsure. “Was I wrong to think that?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Wearefriends, but we were both there for that kiss. You can’t tell me that was just a friendly kiss.”
She averted her gaze and aimlessly traced the stitching on the comforter. “I told you. That kiss was a sorority test. I had to—”
“You had to kiss me. Yes, I know. But you didn’t have to respond to me the way you did. No one could fake that kind of reaction.” His tone was soft but insistent.
He needed to make her understand, to help her see that she had other options, that she didn’t need to waste another day—or one more tear—on Danny. Maybe Bradley needed to be blunter in his approach, but he didn’t want to come on too strong and end up pushing her away.
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” she whispered.
Bradley placed his hand over hers, stilling her movements. She didn’t attempt to pull away, so he took that as a sign to keep going.
“I want you to admit that you felt something when we kissed.” His heart pounded as he waited for her to say something, even if her response crushed him. At least then he’d know the truth.
“I did,” she finally said, meeting his gaze. “No one has ever kissed me like you did, and I couldn’t tell you the last time Danny kissed me with any real emotion.”
Bradley scowled at the mention of Danny, but rather than dwell on the bad, he focused on everything else Carissa said.No one has ever kissed me like you did.Those words were a balm to his raw nerves.
“When I found out you had a boyfriend, I was bummed, but I swore to myself I wouldn’t do this.” He waved his hand between them. “I wouldn’t be the guy to move in on another man’s girl, but then I saw the way Danny treated you, the way he spoke to you, and I saw red.” The muscle in his jaw tensed just thinking about it. “And tonight, when he left you…”
Carissa’s sigh sliced through his growing anger, and Bradley forced himself to calm down. The last thing she needed was for him to bash her boyfriend, even if Danny deserved every word said about him.
“Sorry.” Bradley frowned.
“No, it’s okay,” she said. “I know Danny doesn’t always say and do the right things, but he does love me.”
Bradley raised a brow. “If he loved you, he wouldn’t constantly make you cry, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have left you alone in the woods.” His face heated with a renewed sense of rage. “Anything could’ve happened to you, Carissa. Do you realize that?”
She nodded and once again lowered her gaze so she wasn’t looking at him.
“Does he? Because if he did, he wouldn’t have left,” Bradley said, his tone hard. “Look, I may not understand what you see in that guy or why you stay with him, but you obviously love him enough to stick around and put up with that kind of treatment.”
The glistening sheen of tears shone on her cheeks, and Bradley wanted to kick himself for making her cry. He’d vowed never to do that, and that’s exactly what he’d done.
“Please don’t cry.” He gently placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head up, bringing them face to face again. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do this, that I’d stay away from you and far from your relationship, but I’m willing to be that guy for you, Carissa.”
She blinked, and a few more tears slid down her cheeks. “What’re you saying?”
“I’m saying I like you. A lot.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I’m saying I’ll go against everything I believe in if doing so means I might have a chance to be more than your friend.”
