The Crush

The Crush (part 9) - Before I Do

If it was one thing to sober a chick up and turn her off from a man, it was making her feel like a fool. At least that was what did it for me. So his words had no affect on me other than the eye roll I gave him.

"Michael, miss me with the bullshit," I said. "Because I haven't heard anything past Piper calling you her fiancé." I looked him dead in the eyes. "She's beautiful. Congratulations. Send me an invite to the wedding – or not. Just leave me out of all of it, please. I'm not interested in whatever little game you are playing. I am not a toy."

He moved closer to me and I slid back on the couch. I didn't need him any closer to me than he already was. I was hoping Edward would get worried and start looking for me, but then I had told him I was going to the bathroom. I had to get out of this room with this man.

"I'm not running a game on you, Nia. You know I'm not that type of dude." He gave me a searching stare. "Tell me you know I'm not that kind of dude."

I was weakening. I didn't want to believe I had been so gullible. My pride was making his words penetrate the wall I had been building, but it lacked the foundation of what I believed to be true about this man. He had me going. I really believed him when he said he wanted to see where we could go. But all the while he had a stunning fiancée in the background. I shook my head and steeled myself. We were not about to do this.

"I honestly, don't know what kind of dude you are, Michael," I said. "All I do know is that you have a fiancée."

"And who was dude on your arm? Your brother?" He threw at me. He rocked me a little with that one. It was true. He wasn't the only one that had been hiding a whole relationship. The difference was I had been ready to end my relationship and he was getting ready to put vows on his.

"Edward is my boyfriend," I said, meeting his eyes. I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing I was about to end it all for his cheating ass. "How many girls are you chasing after behind that poor beautiful girl's back?" I asked. I shook my head. "She doesn't deserve that. No one does."

"Whoa, wait. So now I'm a dog?" He asked.

"Woof, woof," I said. I was being petty now. He laughed and shook his head. He licked his lips and took another step toward me. I will be damned if that man did not ooze sex.

"Look, Nia," he said. "I'm not going to be too many more names besides Michael in here tonight. I am not a dog. I think I have shown you nothing but the upmost respect when it has come to pursing you. Now did I omit the fact that I had a situation, yes. But from my observations so did you."

I didn't say anything so he continued.

"When I ran into you that day my life had already been mapped out. And honestly, it hadn't totally been plotted out by me or to my liking. And then there you were. And I'll be damned if the sight of you didn't shift something in the universe. My universe." He paused. And with every sentence he was inching closer to me. I had stopped breathing. "It is a complicated situation. It looks like on my end and yours. But don't confuse my words, Nia. When I say I want YOU, I mean, I would choose you."

I shook my head again.

"Breathe," he smiled as he finally sat right next to me. I inhaled and stared at him. I could not wrap my head around the things that he was saying. All I knew was that he was engaged and I was involved and this was a whole mess of epic proportions.

He put his hand on my neck and I felt myself melting into his touch. I jumped up.

"I need to get back downstairs," I said. I rushed past him and he grabbed my arm to pull me back to him.

"I'm not stopping until you are mine," he said. He pulled me closer still and again those lips were on mine – his lips were soft, but there was a roughness and urgency in his kiss. A damn oxymoron wrapped up in a kiss wrapped up in a Michael. My head swam and a dizzy headiness swallowed all of my thoughts. This man was going to be my undoing. I let out a moan and jerked away from him. I put my hand on the door knob and swung it open. I stared at Edward's back.

At the sound of the door opening, he turned and met my eyes with a smile until he noticed Michael standing behind me.