Page 55 of The Intimacy of Control

“But, um, I want more.”

He blinked a few times, furrowing his brows. “More what?”

Christ, I felt like a nervous high schooler again, asking my first girlfriend on a date. I was so nervous. So anxious, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was warm all over. Warm and completely mesmerized by his sheer fucking presence. “I want to give you more control, and I want to start by going on a date. A real date. I want to date you.”

For a second, I got scared that he didn’t want the same thing. I thought maybe I’d read everything entirely wrong. He didn’t say anything at first, just staring at me. His lips were slightly parted, a shiny gleam on his bottom one.

I needed him to say something. I needed him to say yes. I needed him to be okay with this because I desperately needed him. I needed him in a way I never thought I would.

“Forrest, say something.” I reached up, placing a hand on his cheek.

In an instant, the shocked look on his face faded away. His eyebrows lowered. His mouth curved into a bright, beaming smile. Quicker than I was expecting, he grabbed my wrist and turned me around, bending me over the counter with my hand behind my back. “You want me to take more control?”

I gasped. “Yes.”

“You want me?”

“Yes, Forrest.”

He leaned over my back, whispering. “Oh, Jackson, you never had any control in the first place. You’ve always had me. From the first night we met ‘til now. I’ve always been here. Don’t you understand that?”

“I didn’t, no.” I pressed my cheek against the cold wood below me. “I didn’t, but I do now. I do, and I want more.”

“You want me.” He tangled his fingers in my hair, pulling me up a little. “You actually want to date me.”

I couldn’t help but moan as he handled me like I was his to play with. “Yes.”

Using his other hand, he slowly wrapped his fingers around my throat. “The answer was always going to be yes, Jackson. Yes, I’ll go on a⁠—”

I fell forward as his body left mine. There was a crash behind me, and someone else was speaking. “Get off him!” He yelled. So angry. So scared.

“Whoa, woah! Stop it, hold on!” Forrest was yelling now.

Pushing off the counter, I turned around as fast as I could, finding Tobi absolutely fucking wailing on Forrest. He was punching him. Hitting him. Slapping him in the face. There was a pan and the remnants of a cake lying on the floor next to Tobi.

I wasn’t sure what to do. What did I do? Forrest wasn’t fighting back. Tobi was punching him. I was frozen, watching. Why wasn’t Forrest fighting back?

I held my hands up, trying to yell over the sound of them arguing with each other. “Tobi! Tobi, stop! Stop!”

He didn’t stop.

Forrest ducked and rolled onto his side, but Tobi was quick. He kicked him.

I raced forward, grabbing Tobi by the shoulders and trying to haul him backward. He was fucking strong, though. “Quit! Tobi, that’s him. That’s the guy I’ve been talking about.”

“He hurt you! I saw it!” Tobi’s leg shot out as he prepared to kick Forrest again. Forrest scrambled to the side, trying to crawl away.

I tugged on Tobi again, pulling him with every ounce of strength in me. I pulled him hard enough, it knocked me off balance, forcing us to the ground. “Let go of me! Let go of me!” He squirmed in my arms, damn near on top of me.

Wrapping my arms around him, I tangled my legs around his. I had him in a full hold, trying to keep him contained. “This is Forrest. He’s who I’ve been seeing. He wasn’t hurting me. He’s not hurting me, Tobi.”

He took a couple of ragged breaths, still fighting in my hold, but less often. Not as much force. “He was hurtin’ you.” Fuck, he sounded so…so defeated. So sad.

“I’m okay, Tobi. He wasn’t hurting me. You’re safe, and so am I. Take a deep breath with me.” I glanced over his shoulder as I took in a deep, slow breath. He was imitating me, and Forrest was watching, his eyes wide and afraid.

It fucking killed me. It killed me to see the blood coming from the barbell in his eyebrow. The blood pooling under his nose. It killed me, but for some reason, it was killing Tobi more.

Tobi followed me through each breath until they became stuttered. He inhaled, shaky and deep, before finally letting out a cry. He was crying. His entire body was shaking.