Page 217
His forehead creases.
“I can just—”
“No.” The word is quiet but firm.
His thumbs settle against my cheeks.
“That's not what I meant.”
I stop.
He closes his eyes and lowers his forehead to mine. For a moment, he just stays there.
Breathing. Holding me.
And when he finally speaks, his voice is rough.
“I'm so fucking tired of pretending I don't want you.”
My heart gives one hard thump.
He opens his eyes.
“I'm tired of walking into a room and having to remind myself not to touch you. Of sitting across from you at breakfast and acting like I don't spend half the fucking time thinking about kissing you.”
I can't move. Can't seem to remember how to form a coherent sentence.
“And tonight?” He lets out a humorless laugh. “Watching you walk down those stairs in that dress. Having you on my arm all night. Dancing with you while every guy in that room was trying to get a better look.”
His expression looks almost pained. “I wanted to kiss you in front of every single one of them.”
“Bishop.” I sigh because I wanted that too.
“I wanted to make it pretty fucking clear who you came with.”
There's something almost painful about the way he says it. Not possessive. Not angry. Just honest in a way I've never heard from him before.
“But I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong,” he continues. “And I don't know how to do this without fucking something up.”
My chest tightens. I know what he means. He doesn't have to say Declan's name. Or my dad's. Or explain what losing the Becketts would mean to him.
I've known him almost my entire life. I know what my family is to him. And I know what it would cost him if this ended badly.
“Bishop.”
His eyes close again.
“I want you, Becks.”
“More than I've wanted anything in a long fucking time. And I don't know what the hell to do with that.”
I slide my hands up his chest.
Beneath the crisp fabric of his shirt, his heart is beating fast.
“What you said to me back there. Make the play. Fuck. You don’t even know what that— I.” He exhales a ragged breath. “I’m always trying to do the right thing. Be a good leader, a good friend. Make the pass, not the play.”
He opens his eyes and the sapphire.
