Page 119 of Bragg's Christmas

“I’m sorry, Angel. I wanted to do something special for you for the holidays. I didn’t mean you aren’t allowed in my house anymore.”

She pushes away from me. “You dumped me and fired me. Why would I be allowed in your house? To pick up my things? I’m surprised you haven’t boxed them up and sent them over. Wait. Maybe you have. Maybe they’re in my room.”

“This is not going the way I expected.”

She glares at me. “What did you expect? I’d take one look at the Christmas decorations and jump into your arms.”

Kind of.

“And forget all about how you walked in on me being assaulted and assumed I was cheating on you!”

Fuck me. I screwed up.

“Will you at least hear me out?”

“The same way you listened to me when you thought I cheated on you?”

Damn. She’s not supposed to know I dumped her because I saw her kissing another guy. Or thought I saw her kissing another guy. But this is Winter Falls. Of course, she knows.

“I’m an asshole.”

“You won’t hear me arguing with you.”

“In my defense, I’ve never been in love before and it scares the living crap out of me.”

She purses her lips. “You’re seriously using love as an excuse?”

I rub a hand down my face. “I suck at this.” I decide to give humor a try. Nothing else has worked. “This is the part where you say I’m not that bad.”

“I try not to lie.”

I blow out a breath. “Let’s start over, shall we?”

“I’m not going outside and walking back in and gushing over how awesome the living room is.”

I smile. “But you think it’s awesome.”

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t beg for compliments. It’s not attractive.”

I step closer to her. “I don’t know. I think it’s awful sexy when you beg.”

She sniffs and sticks her nose in the air. “I do not beg.”

I run my nose along her neck. “Yeah, you do, Angel.”

The vein in her neck throbs. I want to bite it and then lick it and make it all better. My cock hardens at the image of my mouth on Love’s skin.

I force myself to retreat before I end up pushing my cock against her stomach. Using sex to get Love to forgive me is manipulative. I don’t want to manipulate her. I want her to forgive me because she accepts me and understands I made a mistake.

“My biggest regret in life is not staying in the room when I thought I saw you cheating on me.”

She frowns.

“It is, Angel. I would give away all the money I have to be able to go back in time. I didn’t protect you. I should have protected you. I was your boyfriend. What kind of boyfriend was I if I believed the worst of you without asking for an explanation?”

“I protected myself.”

I place my palm against her cheek. “And I’m damn proud of you for doing so. I just wish you hadn’t needed to.”

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