All Chapters of I Just Want You: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"You think I'm girlie?" he asked in a low, slightly dangerous voice. A voice thick with power. A voice that made her realize he was a whole lot bigger than her and that there were a couple of floors between her and help."Not at all," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to say it. The words just slipped out. Bad me. You should probably stalk out and teach me what for by leaving me alone."Instead he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you play all the men in your life?"She swallowed. "Pretty much.""Does it work?""Mostly.""Not this time."He cupped her cheek with his hand, bent down and kissed her.She'd sensed he was going to and should have had time to brace herself. It was just a kiss, right? No big deal. They'd kissed before, and while she'd liked it, she'd managed to keep perfect control...sort of.But not this time. The second his mouth touched hers, she started dissolving from the inside out. Technically that couldn't be true, but it felt true.Heat poured through her,

"That's sure the story," Sloane said calmly. "The one you've been telling yourself for years. But is it the truth?" She shrugged. "I have my doubts. I think you've never gotten over Liam. I don't think any of this is about revenge. You can't accept you still love him so this is the story you tell yourself. But be careful. You're not into casual relationships. What happens if you sleep with him and then can't walk away? You want him to break your heart twice?"In love with Liam? "Never. He can't hurt me. I won't let him. He's little more than a symbol of the issues in my childhood. Once I prove I've outgrown him, I can let my past go.""An excellent theory. You'll have to tell me how that works out for you."Eva hated her friend's doubts. Sloane was her oracle, the keeper of social and romantic knowledge. They'd never disagreed on anything significant before."I have to do this," Eva said. "I've waited too long to walk away now. I have to go for it. You should, too. Tonight."Sloane la

When Liam finished getting dressed after his shower, he debated going downstairs for coffee or heading up to the loft to check in with his office. Coffee won, mostly because he hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night.Sharing a bed with Eva had been anything but restful.He walked out of his bedroom, then paused at the landing to look at the picture he'd mostly avoided since arriving at the house. It showed him and his friends during college. When everything had been easy and they'd called themselves the Six Heavens.Emmett laughed into the camera, because he'd always enjoyed whatever he was doing. Ryder and Jackson-twins who couldn't be more different-held Ian in a headlock, while he and Kevin poured beer over the group.He knew that just outside the view of the camera sat a teenage girl on a blanket, her head buried in a book. Because Eva had never quite fit in.Emmett had worried about her, especially after he'd found out he was dying. That's when he'd asked Liam to take care o

Words that should have melted her hearts emotionally if not physically. Because the temperature required to melt a body part would cook it first, and that was gross, even for her twisted mind. So what was wrong with her? Why wasn't Justice getting to her?A question that seriously needed an answer.***An hour later they were down at the edge of the lake. Eva counted heads to make sure no one had ducked out of what she had planned and was surprised to see Liam had joined them."Derrick told me I wouldn't want to miss it," he said when she approached."He's right." She had a little trouble speaking, which was weird but possibly explained by how great Liam looked in swim trunks and a T-shirt. He was tanned—mostly all over, she remembered from the previous night.Bad memory, she told herself. Don't think about making love with Liam. Think about Justice and how sweet he is. Although sweet Justice had chosen not to show up for her afternoon of fun on the lake."So what are we doing?" Sloan

Eva needed coffee more than she needed air. It had been another long night but not for any fun reasons. She'd tossed and turned, not sure what to do with her life—something she hadn't wrestled with in years.She was supposed to have things together by now. She was supposed to know her heart as well as she knew her head. Or did being so damned smart mean she was destined to be stupid in other ways?The coffee had barely begun to pour through the filter when someone rang the doorbell. She hadn't seen anyone else up yet so she walked to the front door and opened it.Justice stood on the porch. He held a single red rose in one hand and a stuffed bright-green monkey in the other."It's possible I behaved badly yesterday," he said with a shrug. "More than possible. I want things to work between us."She didn't know what to say. While she was relieved to not be fighting, she wasn't exactly in the mood to throw herself into his arms. Which meant that there was a whole lot more for them to dea