“What’s the other reason?” Her green gaze made him feel like a douchebag but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last time she would make him feel like that. He dreaded that aspect of their marriage.
“You’re not going to like it,” he warned.
“Tell me.” Her jaw was clenched so tight that he heard her teeth grinding.
“Because I wanted to fuck you, and I didn’t think you would let me with Logan sleeping next door.”
“You fucking bastard!” She rose up, snatching the daisy from him and crushing it in her hand before throwing it at him.
Greer swatted it away then jerked her back down to the ground, pinning her in place. “A man can only put up with so much temptation. Jesus, do you think it was easy for me, seeing you sashay out of the bedroom in the morning to make coffee with that housecoat on?”
“I didn’t sashay.”
“Woman, you worked that housecoat as if you were on a runway. You’re damn lucky I restrained myself, or Logan and Dustin would have come out to eat breakfast to see me fucking you on the table.”
She gaped up at him. “I would come out to start the coffee then go back to my room to shower.”
“With those tits busting the housecoat at the seams, it only took a second. After six years of you doing that, I had to get you out of the house or I wouldn’t care how many protests you made about Logan being next door.”
“Like I would have let you,” she scoffed.
He raised a sardonic brow. “You still doubt me?”
Her lips firmed. “You wanted me, but you didn’t mind getting your rocks off with Diane, or any other woman whose panties you could talk your way into.”
“I’m not a saint, but I didn’t fuck anyone else after talking to you the first time you messaged me.”
“Like I’m going to believe that. You were practically there every night before I left.”
“I didn’t touch her. She’ll vouch to that. That’s why she started seeing Luke, because I wasn’t giving her any.”
“Don’t be gross.”
“I’m just saying.” Shrugging, he picked out another daisy, seeing her staring up at the sky sightlessly. Giving her a break, he let it swing uselessly from his hand.
“I’m not going to marry you.”
“Why not? You love me, and I love you.”
“You premeditatedly forced me into becoming engaged by making me feel bad about catfishing you. You turned it to your own advantage to get what you wanted.”
“I did,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we love each other.”
“I don’t love you anymore.” Another tear slipped from her eye.
“Yes, you do. I wanted you to get to know me. I know how hard of a time I gave you about Logan, and I wanted you to see another side of me. I knew you wanted to pay me back for some of the little jabs I made at you, so I let you.”
“Some?”
“Okay, a lot. If it makes you feel better, feeling like you got one over on me, then it was a win-win situation for me.”
“You always have to win.” Bitterly, she refused to take her eyes off the sky.
“Where you’re concerned, I do. I couldn’t let you get away. I was actually going to let you get away from me after the first time we chatted. I said we didn’t have anything in common and left the chatroom. I was going to drop it and let you have a good laugh.”
“Why’d you change your mind?”
“Because you changed your picture to a daisy.”
Her eyes dropped to his, her brow puckering. “What did that matter?”
“Because I had a vision when I was six years old that a daisy was the sign of me finding the woman I would love.”
Bewildered, she searched his eyes.
“I thought it was Diane. When we were in sixth grade, she wore a daisy shirt. That’s why I put up with all the cheating. When you changed your icon, I realized it was you.”
“You really believe that, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever make love to Diane like you just did me?”
The slight twinge of jealousy in her eyes had him running the daisy over the curls on her pussy. “No.”
“Any other women?”
“No, I saved that just for you.” He let Holly hear the vulnerability in his voice, lowering his guards now, just as he had done when he made love to her. “It’s hard to do, and it takes too much strength. You have to give a part of yourself, and when you give it, you don’t get it back. I didn’t want another woman walking around with a part of my heart. Just the woman I’m going to marry, and that’s you.”
“Sutton said you’ve been saving your strength, because you and your family think that one of you are in danger.”