He had a little box tucked in his hand as he walked forward with enough swagger to make a woman weak in the damn knees.

Tootse and Babs released me and quickly walked out of the room.

“Shut the door, please,” Jett asked, not taking his eyes off me.

His gaze was intimidating, almost too much to handle. The man was a cocky son of a bitch but how could he not be with a strong jaw like his and a stance that just screamed I know how to fuck your clit right off. And he did, multiple times.

Feeling uneasy in my silk robe and the way his eyes were undressing me, I pulled the ends of my robe together and looked up at him with as much confidence as possible.

“What are you doing here?”

Without saying a word, Jett grabbed my hand and pulled me up from my bed. If I wasn’t so far gone from the way he looked at me, I would have resisted but I was weak, I was pathetic and I craved him. I craved him so damn bad that I wanted to cry. I hated that he had such power over me, that he could turn me into a ball of mush with just a look.

He placed his hand on my cheek and looked me square in the eyes. “My little one, I’m so sorry that I left you wondering these past couple of days…”

“That’s right, you’re sorry,” I said as I pulled away, getting a little bit of my bravado back. “Do you think it’s fun for me waiting for you, wondering where the hell you are or when you’re coming back?” I held up my hand before he could talk. “I know we’re not in a relationship and I get that, but I’m sorry I just can’t sit around after you fuck the ever living hell out of me and then be cool with your disappearance. I worry about you, Jett, I fucking care about you and I think it’s real shitty the way you’ve been treating me. You either like me or you don’t, I can’t do any more of this wafting around, as if the feelings we have for each other, and I know you have feelings, don’t matter. I mean, fuck, Jett. You’re killing me! I feel like I’m bleeding when you leave without a word, when you push me away. It fucking guts me.”

My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath from the mini rant I went on. When I looked back up at Jett, his brow was furrowed and the look of disappointment crossed his features.

“Goldie, I’m so fucking sorry. I’m a…uh…” He ran his hand through his hair and then turned his back on me.

He’s a what? I wanted to shake him and scream at him to finish his sentence but from the way his shoulders sank and the way his back tensed, I knew whatever he was going to say was going to be extremely difficult for him so I pulled back my anger.

Instead of being a giant dick and walking out, like I should, I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his back, giving him comfort. He exhaled sharply and then turned in my grasp. His arms came around my back and pulled me in closer to his chest as he leaned his head down and kissed the side of my temple.

His lips caressed my ear as he said, “I’m a broken man, little one. I was fucked over by someone who I gave my heart to and she stomped on it, broke it in half. She made me feel worthless, used and I haven’t been able to get over the words she spouted off as she walked out of my house and out of my life.”

“What did she say?” I asked barely above a whisper. I didn’t want to scare him away because for the first time since he told me about his mom, he was actually opening up.

Jett shook his head, denying me. Instead of pushing him, I instead rubbed his chest with the palm of my hand and kissed him on the jaw. His body relaxed under my arms and he drew me in even closer.

“You’re too good for me, Goldie, but to hell if I can let you go.”

“I don’t know what that is supposed to mean,” I answered honestly.

He pulled away and lifted his hand that was holding a long, flat jewelry box.

“This is for you, my little one.” The way he said my name with such sincerity had my stomach flipping in excitement.

I looked at the box and then back up at him with a smirk. “This isn’t going to be some Pretty Woman moment where I reach into the box and you snap it on my fingers, is it? Because I have to tell you, you will be sorely disappointed. I have cat-like reflexes.”

A small grin peeked at the corner of Jett’s mouth as he said, “No, it’s not.”

With that, he opened the box and revealed a very thin chained necklace made of white gold and in the middle had a very small round gem pendant with a purple center. It was gorgeous.

Not skipping a beat, he pulled the necklace out of the box and unlocked the ends. “May I?” he asked, hovering over my body.

“Yes,” I said breathlessly as I turned around and he brought the necklace over my head and rested it on my collarbones as he put it on.

Once the necklace was fastened, the pendant settled right where my neck met my chest and the chain grazed the top of my collarbones. It was borderline choker status but not quite. My hand landed on the pendant as I turned to look at him.

“It’s gorgeous, Jett. Thank you so much.”

“Do you know what this is?” he asked as his fingers grazed mine so we were both touching the pendant.

“No.”

Jett took a deep breath and said, “In my world, a symbol like this would mean that you’re mine, that by wearing this necklace day in and day out, you are letting everyone know that you are taken, that you belong to me and only me.”

Realization set in as my mouth fell open and I felt the necklace again.

“Is this a…collar?” I asked, almost flabbergasted from the gesture.

Looking a little sheepish, Jett nodded his head as he gripped the back of his neck with his one hand. The man was nervous, actually nervous. Fuck, I could not deny myself any longer.

With one quick jump, I straddled him as he stood, grabbed his head in my hands and placed my lips on his. I didn’t take it slow at all, no, I drove my tongue into his mouth, demanding that he reciprocate and he did, he did with a groan.

When I pulled away, I searched his face as I said, “What does this mean, Jett?”

He stroked my face with his thumb as he held me up with the other hand. “This means I want to try, that I want to uh…be exclusive.”

“Like a girlfriend?” I singsonged and teased.

He cleared his throat and said, “Something like that.”

I hopped off him and placed my hands on my hip. “Something like that? No, that’s not good enough. I either am or I’m not. I’m sick of playing games with you, Jett. You said early on that you didn’t play games and you know what, neither do I. I’m going to sound like a broken record of a boy band but you need to quit playing games with my heart. I don’t deserve to be fucked one night and then dropped off the face of the planet the next. I’m dead serious when I say it’s all or nothing with me. I’m done with this guessing game.”

Holy shit, I was quaking in my boots. Where the hell did that come from? Even though I was surprised with myself, I realized that I meant it. I truly meant what I said. I was sick of being played with. I was at a breaking point and he either wanted me in his life, fully, or he wanted me to leave forever. I couldn’t take this up and down shit anymore.

“Well…” I asked while crossing my hands over my chest.

He looked at me as his hand held on to the back of his head. His pose was sexy as hell and I knew he wasn’t doing it on purpose it was just Jett being Jett but fucking hell all I wanted to do was rip his clothes off and take him. Forget about the clothes, I just needed to unzip his pants, I was that fucking ready.

He released his hand and stepped forward. He separated my arms and grabbed a hold of my hands. He brought them up to his lips and he lightly kissed them as he looked me directly in the eyes, stealing my heart, looking into my soul.

“You’re mine, Goldie. Are titles that important?”

Were they? Not really but I wanted to hear him say it. I needed to hear him say it but I knew at this moment, I shouldn’t push my luck. Even though I was dying to hear the words come out of his mouth, he was opening himself up to me and letting me in. I needed to be happy with baby steps.