Page 44 of Give Me Forever

"I want you too," I admitted.

He dragged his eyes up to glance at me. "But I won't do any of that."

"Why not?" I sounded desperate, but I had no shame.

"Because last night, you begged me not to kiss you. Not to even remind you of our conversation." His voice was suddenly hard. "I don't want us to do something you'll regret."

I shifted on the cold granite counter, suddenly feeling out of sorts and uncomfortable and completely vulnerable in front of him.

He took a huge step to the right, reaching for the counter, gripping it tightly with one hand. I had a strange sensation that it was all he could do not to come right back here and kiss me. If I tempted him enough, he might. My body certainly demanded it. I hadn't even known I'd missed him so much. But I knew he was right—it was too soon, and I didn’t want us to regret anything.

"I'm so embarrassed right now," I murmured.

"There’s no reason for that."

I hopped off the counter, tugging at the hem of my shirt for no reason.

"You’re looking at me with a wicked smile again," I stated.

"Yes, I am."

“You’re not even denying it."

"Why should I, Avery? I'm an open book."

"I'm not sure where we go from here. How do we forget about what just happened?"

"We don't," Sam said nonchalantly.

"But you just said—"

"That I don't plan to make you come right here, right now. Not that I don't plan to do it in the future."

My entire body instantly heated up.

"Wh-What?" I stuttered.

"You’re not ready. So I'm going to lay the groundwork. Find out exactly what's holding you back and dismantle every single wall you have."

I was too stunned to reply.

Judging by his smug smile, Sam was clearly enjoying my reaction. This was a completely new side of him. The boy I’d left hadn’t been smug. Well, the boy I'd left hadn't even been a dirty talker, so he'd definitely changed in that department. I liked it.

What other changes would I like?

None, Avery. Absolutely none,a voice said at the back of my mind.Focus on getting your life back on track and that's it. Falling for Sam Maxwell shouldn't even be part of that plan.

A loud sound rang through the living room. Sam dropped his chin to his chest.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"That’s a ringtone I have for the hospital. It means they need me back."

"But this is your day off," I said indignantly.

"I know. I should've shut off my phone. Now that I'm available, I can't ignore it." He walked to the couch, grabbing his phone and putting it to his ear. "Hi. Yes. And there's no one else who can do it? Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes." That was it. He hung up the phone.

"You're going to work now?" I asked. "But last night you were completely exhausted."

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