Page 57 of Please Don’t Go (The Midnight Strike #1)

He almost pulls me off the chair. Most of my ass is off the seat. I’d be afraid of falling off if he wasn’t holding me as firmly as he is. I shouldn’t be okay with him grabbing me like I’m his, warning whatever-his-name is that I’m off-limits, but a needy part of me enjoys this.

The guy raises his hands in surrender, taking a few steps back. “Shit, I’m sorry, Danny. I didn’t know she was your girlfriend.”

“Just back the fuck away.” His voice is thick, almost sounds like gravel as he pins the guy with a dark look.

“Right, yeah.” He pivots and huddles around his other friends, not once looking back at us.

“I’m not your girlfriend,” I say, keeping my voice even. Hoping I’m hiding how happy I am that he’s here.

He’s still looking at the guy, protective and annoyed as if he’s waiting for him to come back and try something. I’m pretty certain he’s not, but Daniel’s on alert.

I shouldn’t find this hot or like how serious he looks. I’ve seen various versions of him, but this side is different.

A beat later, he looks down at me and his face softens a fraction. “No, I miss you? No, congratulations? I’ve been gone for four days, Josie, and that’s the first thing you say to me?”

“Congratulations, Cap. You kicked ass out there.”

Daniel helps me adjust back on the seat and stands in front of me. He places his hand back on my waist and my skin tingles as his calloused palm softly glides over my back. Then he props his elbow on the bar top and grabs one of my bubble braids.

I crane my head back to look up at him, keeping a straight face at his pout.

“Did you not miss me?” He sounds genuinely disappointed like that wasn’t what he was hoping to hear.

“We live together. Why would I miss you?”

His lips twist and he leans in. My eyes flutter as his minty breath and woodsy cologne fill my lungs. I almost collapse in my seat, feeling overwhelmed by having him this close, smelling him, feeling him, hearing him, but I manage to keep myself upright.

“I missed you.” There’s a longing in his voice that grips my soul.

We’re supposed to be casual, so casual that I don’t have expectations and didn’t make him be exclusive to me. We don’t sleep in the same bed after he makes me come and I don’t cuddle with him because that’s something people in relationships do.

That one time was an exception.

But I’m stupid because I want to be exclusive. I don’t want to share him. I don’t want to wonder if he’s making someone else come and giving them his shirt and socks after. Or if he makes them grilled cheese and plays all kinds of music.

I don’t want to keep wondering, but he makes it hard and now he’s here, touching me and saying things like that. How the hell am I not supposed to crumble?

“I—” My mouth goes dry. I’m in too deep; this isn’t okay. He’ll leave soon and I’ll be alone again.

I look away and as I do my gaze connects with Kai’s. He smirks, his eyes drifting to Daniel then back to me. He curves his fingers making a heart sign and mouths something but I can’t make out what it is.

“I need to use the restroom.” I quickly finish my drink and push off the seat.

“I’ll go with you,” he states, his hand still on my back.

“No, you stay here. I won’t take long.” I start backing away, but he follows closely as if he were my bodyguard. “You didn’t have to come.”

“It’s been four days. Unless you physically tell me you don’t want me around, I’m not going anywhere,” he shouts, his body flush against mine from how crowded and loud it is.

A zoo breaks loose in my stomach, making my body feel fuzzy and warm inside.

When we get to the restroom, he grabs my hand and spins me around.

“Do you not want me around?” The dim lighting makes it hard to see his face, but I don’t have to look at him to know he’s hurt. “Do you want me to leave you alone so they can flirt with you?” he grits, breathing out harshly. “Is that what you want?”

My brows hike up, but I bite my tongue before asking something I’ll regret.

I don’t owe him anything. He doesn’t owe me anything, but the tequila is taking a quick effect, the buzz is a little more heightened, making the words easily tumble out of my mouth.

“Are you sleeping with other people?” My cheeks flame at the stupid question. I can’t believe I succumbed to this, but I really need to know.

“No.” He doesn’t miss a beat. “Answer my question.”

But I don’t. “Why not?”

“Because, Josefine, you’ve rewired the way I feel touch.

Touching anyone that isn’t you feels overwhelming and so wrong.

It’s like my brain can’t process that it’s not you.

I don’t know how to make sense of that but I don’t want to touch anyone that isn’t you .

You’re incomparable. And no, I haven’t touched anyone to find that out.

I just know. I can’t and won’t touch anyone that isn’t you.

Does that answer your question? Can you answer mine now? ”

I try to unravel what he said and not twist his words into something they’re not.

He made sense; I get what he said. I’m just having a hard time believing I have that effect on him. I’ve done nothing but bring him stress and test his patience.

“I don’t care about the other guys.”

Daniel lets go of my wrist and grabs my hips, spinning and guiding me until my back touches the wall. He leans in as I tip my head back. “Tell me. Do you not want me around?”

“I always want you around.”

“Why did you let him get so close to you?” he questions, his voice dropping an octave.

“You were watching me?”

“I’m always watching you.”

Oh. “Because I wanted to stop thinking about you.”

I don’t know if it’s the tequila or my brain’s unwillingness to cooperate, but I can’t get it to stop formulating words that I swore I’d never say out loud.

“You were thinking about me?” His fingers lift up to curve around my waist, idly brushing my skin.

“I’m always thinking about you.”

“Did you miss me?” I hear the smile in his voice.

That shuts every loud thought in my head, focusing on three words.

“All the time,” I awkwardly admit. “But I don’t want you to think I’m going to start being clingy. I promise I’m not. You were gone for a while, and it was weird not having you around, so don’t think too much into it. I missed you, but it’s not a big deal, so don’t make it one.”

I look away, hating how my entire body burns at my admittance.

He hooks a finger underneath my chin and tilts my head back, forcing me to look up at him. “You’re a big deal to me, so I’m going to make it one. And I want you to be clingy, just for once, be clingy for me, Jos.”

I grimace, hoping that hides the blush on my face. “That’s embarrassing. No thank you.”

“Can I be clingy?”

“Aren’t you already?”

He chuckles, cups the side of my neck, and leans down. God, how I missed the sound of that. “Not really but I’ll show you clingy.”

“Oh yay. Just what I wanted,” I reply sarcastically.

“Don’t pretend. Be honest with me. Admit you like me needy,” he gruffly says against my lips. “And while you’re at it, tell me whatever’s happening between us is staying strictly between us .”

Blood roars in my ears, and my body is floating as if I were on cloud nine.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Say it,” he demands, not content with my answer.

Everything I say to him, what I do, how I feel, it’s a lot. That’s why I didn’t want to open up, to talk about what we’re doing because it scares me. But what’s the point in denying what we both know is true?

There’s no point in holding back.

“Yes, I like you needy and whatever is happening between us is staying strictly between us. That shouldn’t have been a question. You already take up most of my time; I don’t have it for someone else.” And I don’t want to give it to anyone else.

“Even when I’m not around?” His lips graze mine.

“Even when you’re not around,” I reiterate, pecking his lips because I can’t help myself anymore. “Happy?”

“Always with you.” He eliminates the tiny space between our lips and kisses me hard.