Stars Landing [Book 3]

Chapter 12 - Control

God, help her. Christian had convinced Tegan to follow him home. He offered to drive her to work the next morning too. It was so easy for him to assume that she would be spending the night. Pah! As if she would let things escalate that quickly. The only reason she agreed to humour his delusions was because for the first time in a long time she felt like she had some control.

Tegan couldn't help but smile when she remembered how Christian looked caught off guard by her brilliant question. 'What if the roles were reverse? What if you fall in love with me? What if I get bored of you?' It was such an empowering moment. He had nothing to say to her after that, all he could do was change the subject. It was perfect. Tegan was going to keep messing with his head and see how he liked second-guessing himself.

Christian's apartment was exactly what Tegan pictured it to be, clean and proper. Nothing was out of place, not a couch cushion or his kitchen placements. The carpet was flawless and the ceiling seemed to sparkle. The interior decor appealed to her, from the hardwood dressers to the marbled floors. It was surprisingly close to Rhea's work too, she had to wonder if they had ever run into each other during the day. Tegan was sure she would have heard about it if they had. Rhea wouldn't keep quiet about those sorts of things.

Tegan felt a little guilty thinking of her friend. Sera knew about the Christian ordeal and Rhea didn't. It just wasn't smart to involve her yet. That girl had a bad habit of getting protective and hostile.

"So now what?" Tegan asked watching Christian move into the kitchen. He took out a pair of glasses and set them on the hardwood counters. "Are you going to get me drunk and bothered?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Christian replied solemnly. He went into the fridge and pulled out a jug of apple juice. Tegan refused to take her eyes off him.

"Your intentions are pretty clear," Tegan said. "So, I have to assume you have a plan of some sort."

"You already know so much." He came to sit the glasses on the coffee table.

Tegan stared up at him, her heart content with the way he was looking back at her, cautiously. "I know what you want but you have no idea what I want."

"Tell me then." He sat next to her. "Because if it's a relationship then you know I can't help you."

"Who in their right mind would want a relationship with you?"

His lips curved up as one of his hands found her cheeks. "If we agree on at least that much then what's stopping us?"

"Stopping--stopping us from what?" Tegan moved back a little. "You think I'll just sleep with you again when you admitted that no one in their right mind would want to date you?"

"I'm good for a lot of things," Christian smiled. "Sex being one."

"So you're telling me when you go to Miami, Florida and Barbados or whatever, you will be open to sleeping around?" Tegan got a hold of his wrist before he could touch her again.

Christian blinked at her with the same cautious eyes. "Are you saying you want to openly sleep with other people? I'll tell you right now that the thought of you with another person doesn't sit well with me."

"That's good to know," Tegan tightened her grip. "But unless you're my boyfriend, which we both agreed you're not, you have no right to feel anything."

"What are the chances of you finding someone else to fall for?"

"60 percent." Tegan held her ground. "But what does that matter? I'm someone worth cuddling with and sleeping with but nothing more than that."

Christian used his other hand to reel her in for a kiss. Tegan waited for their mouths to part before saying, "So whenever we're together you should assume you're going to lose me."