Page 121 of Cherry Beats

“I’m thinking there’s so much we don’t know about one another, and yet the two of us have somehow got swept up in this… thing… where I’m in a different country, surrounded by people I don’t know, and you’re throwing your reputation under the bus by declaring your love to me to thousands of people in a faceless crowd.”

“That’s a lot of thinking.” He uncurled his arms and took another drink, this time draining the bottle before he tossed it to the side, hitting the bin perfectly without even looking. “Want a drink?”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“I’m trying not to think right now. It sounds like you’re doing enough of that for both of us.”

“Presley…”

He turned away and walked back to the line of alcohol sitting pretty, waiting for him to destroy it.

“You know, one thing I always hated about my mother was her ability to turn a crowd her way with just a few words, while my father had to work his fucking arse off to get someone to listen to him.” He opened another bottle, his back still to me as he took a drink. “The poor guy gave her his everything and she just…” Presley shrugged and laughed humourlessly. “She played the victimso damn well. Do you know what they call that in this day and age, Cherry?”

“A narcissist.”

“Bingo. And do you know what narcissists are extremely good at?” Presley turned back, his eyes glazed with sadness as he rested his arse on the table again and crossed his ankles. “They’re good at selling their lie.”

“What is her lie, Presley?”

“That my father suffocated her with his love until she was miserable. That she had no choice but to be with him. He was too relentless. He didn’t give her any freedom.” I watched him growing more and more frustrated. “She can’t bear to tell anyone the truth—that she was so selfish—she wanted it all. Nothing he ever did was enough for her, and she made him feel like half a man when he couldn’t provide the life she’d always dreamed of. Love wasn’t enough for Olivia. No. She needed more. She needed material things, lavish gifts, the fairy tale. The adventure. But she needed Dad, too. So, instead of going out there and making a life for herself off of her own back, she made him feel like shit for not being able to pull through with all the promises he’d apparently made to her when they first fell in love.”

I closed the gap between us, feeling the heat of Presley’s innocent stare as I reached out to grab his free hand.

“It sounds like our parents have a lot in common.”

“No shit,” he muttered.

“I’m sorry you miss your dad so much,” I offered with all the sincerity I possessed.

Presley swallowed, the pain practically audible, like a bullet to the chest.

“I’m also sorry that it’s the anniversary of his death today, and you didn’t feel like you could tell me.”

He opened his mouth to speak, quickly thinking better of it before he pressed his lips together again and held my gaze.

“And I’m sorry Olivia ruined this night for us—a night where you told me you loved me, and I, for just a second, allowed that to get overshadowed by someone with ill intentions.”

“Too many apologies,” he whispered back at me.

“I do that a lot.”

“That shit’ll drain you.”

He was on me in a heartbeat, his beer no longer important as he tossed it aside and reached out to take my face in his hands. The kiss he gave me was hard, making promises he didn’t want to speak as his firm body pressed against mine, walking us backwards until I came against a wall with force.

“Presley,” I grunted, already breathless.

“I need you, Tess.”

Tess. I loved it when he called me Tess. The pretences and games were over when he said my name as though it was the most treasured word his tongue had ever carried.

“I… I need you, too, but…”

“Please,” he croaked, desperate and thirsty for more. “Please let me just touch you. Let me love you.”

We could go from zero to sixty in a second, the chemistry undeniable in the touches we made and the heavy panting of our breaths, and who was I to deny, not only him, but myself of something I’d been desperate for since hearing his declarations of love on that stage?

That was a strength I didn’t yet possess.

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