Watch Your Back (Devil's Backbone, #2)

by Tate James

“Fuck me until you remember who the fuck I am.”

“Here, I’ll put it in writing so there’s no miscommunication.” Squinting, I looked down at the note. I like you. I think about you naked all the time. I wanna be more than friends. I might already love you.

“What if I told you I was the one destroying the pillow wall every night?” He dipped his head but glanced at me through his long lashes. “Because every time I did, you would snuggle into me almost immediately, and I liked to pretend for a couple of hours that you were mine.”

“I’m scared,” he confessed in a whisper, “that I won’t be able to go back to being friends after I kiss you.” “Good,” I replied, bringing my hands up to cup his face. “I don’t wanna be your friend anymore, either.” Then I closed the gap between us, our lips brushing in the softest caress imaginable.

“No one is pretending here, Ash!” he barked. “I feel it. Trust me, I fucking feel it so damn hard, it hurts, but that’s the problem. What I feel is too much, it’s too big, and I’m scared…” He trailed off but didn’t break eye contact with me to hide his emotions. “I’m terrified that I don’t have the capacity or the emotional depth to give you what you need. I can’t fucking share you, Ashley. Don’t you get it? If you were mine…you’d be mine. And I know you’d never be able to give me that because you’re already in love with the three best guys I know.”

“Ashley…things have changed so much since we first met, but I can safely say right now, with my whole heart, I never wanted to make you cry. I have tried to walk away a hundred times. I’ve tried…but it was always pointless. I needed you to know.”

“I’m so sorry, Ash. I’m so fucking sorry I can’t be what you deserve.”