He laughs. “What did I do?”
“You challenged me. You didn’t have faith I could play it cool. Therefore, I had to prove you wrong. You could have come after me.”
He rolls his eyes. “You asked me to keep things a secret. How was I supposed to come after you?”
“I didn’t think you were a permission guy.”
“I’m a permission guy when it comes to consent. I’m a permission guy when it comes to a promise I made to you.”
Oh. Only then does it occur to me I’ve become so accustomed to men ignoring what I want, I anticipate my wishes being dismissed.
I’d expected Charlie to disregard me.
I swallow hard. His word to me had meant more than his lust for me.
Unfortunately, it never occurred to me that would be the case.
I look past him, trying to see into his house. “Maybe we should talk about this inside.”
He shakes his head. “No, we’re talking about it now, and then we’re leaving it on the porch and in the past where it belongs.”
I sigh. “All right, fine. But I want it noted for the record that you’re very bossy.”
“You’ve missed it, huh?”
My brows slam together. “I did not.”
He readjusts his body on the doorframe. “And I would like it noted for the record that your definition of playing it cool is still complete shit.”
I place my palm on my chest. “How can you say that? I was so cool you thought you were iced out.”
“You didn’t execute the way I expected, but then, that’s nothing new. But don’t think for one second everyone didn’t know we were very much not cool.”
My gaze slides away. “Not everyone.”
“Do you intend on rectifying that?” Charlie’s voice holds a quality to it that is both stern and scorching hot.
I was wrong, and he’s right to call me on it. I’d manipulated Cole Montgomery being into me and used it because Charlie scares me, and I wanted the upper hand. My actions were about controlling the situation.
I played games, and it backfired.
But I don’t want to play games anymore.
I want to give in. I’m done resisting. “I have been.”
He raises a brow. “Directly?”
I think of the other night at Sam’s, how it looked when Charlie got there and Cole was talking to me. “Well, not exactly, but I’m pretty sure on Friday the, um, situation was clear.”
Silence sits between us until my attention is pulled back to the man in front of me. Only then does he say in a hard voice, “I don’t care how you do it, but make sure Cole Montgomery is crystal clear he has zero shot with you.”
My body takes it as the claiming it is. “What about you?”
“Do you see me with anyone else?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”
“It’s not happening.” The words are direct, and he doesn’t shy away from them. “I don’t want anyone but you.”