“Payback,” Forrest said, taking another step closer, and suddenly he was only inches away from my heated skin, his arms on either side of my heaving breasts.
My hand gripped the cloak closet doorknob, trying to leverage myself away, but he stepped closer, knee between my thighs, his hand closing over mine.
Then he wrenched the door open and suddenly we were alone in the small space together.
“After what I did at our wedding, that was the only solution. You had to do the same to me, on a bigger scale. You had to reject me, humiliate me, make me look like a fool.”
Breath caught in my throat.
“The news is going to be full of this for weeks. That I put my goddamn all into an apology that was completely and utterly rejected. No one is going to be talking about the wedding now.”
I backed into the coats.
“What is wrong with you? That is an insane thing to do.”
He put one big hand on my belly, curled it into my laces.
“It absolutely fucking is. You drive me fucking insane, Birdie. You always have.”
His fingers were burning through the fabric, singeing my skin.
People began to bang on the door, yell about getting their coats, but Forrest ignored them.
“That’s the senility talking,” I said.
He bent down to my lips.
“Forgive me.”
“Fuck no.”
He moved to my throat, raising me up in the air so he could bury his face in the crook of my neck.
“You know I can’t live without you.”
“You seemed very able to live without me when you went off with Phee.”
He raised me higher until we were eye level and his eyes were blazing.
“Take it out on me. God, please. Anything but your cold indifference. Slap me, Birdie.”
“Oh my god, I’m not going to slap you, Forrest,” I hissed, struggling in his arms. “What is this, a soap opera? Put me down.”
He put me down between his thighs, but kept both hands on my waist.
“I lied to you—”
“I know you did,” I sniffed. “When you told me Phee was your past.”
“No. Not about that. Never about that. Because I never told you what happened the first time I saw you. I never said that as soon as I saw youI knewI wouldn’t stop until I took you home. Because the first damn moment I saw you walk into the audition, I knew I was going to do whatever the fuck I had to do to make you mine.”
“I just assumed you fucked every contestant,” I sniffed.
“Hell, no. That was a contractual job until you walked in the door.”
“Bullshit.”
“No bullshit, please believe me,” Forrest said, his fingers tightening on my waist, gently undoing my laces with nimble fingers. “I’m begging you to let me pleasure you.”