I pushed her against the brick wall with a controlled force. It wasn't hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs, but enough to make her brace herself.
"People know I'm at this café with you." Bella said while rubbing her wrist. Her voice was annoyed, but she wasn't scared of me. It almost sounded like she was scolding me. I lifted her chin so that she was looking at me instead of at her wrist. I was about to demand that she tell me why she wasn't scared when her curiosity made me pause. "You have a scar, just above your eyebrow." She whispered while reaching to touch it. I grabbed her hand before she could make contact.
"Yes, I have many scars." I lightly brushed her fingers over a thick scar just over my cheekbone. I was surprised by how soft her skin felt against mine, making my grip loosen slightly. Her small hand slipped out of my much larger one and her thumb ghosted over a jagged scar on my forehead- a searing warmth that was too brief. Her hand trailed back down to my cheek then to the shell of my ear before raking her fingers through my hair. It felt so damn good.
I put my hands on either side of her, steadying myself and trapping her against the wall. She continued brushing her fingers through my hair and I closed my eyes, losing myself in the sensation. Her other arm snaked around my back and she pulled herself flush with me, tucking her head right under my chin. Her breathing, heartbeat, and combing were all at the same pace- slow and steady.
"You're not going to hurt me." She whispered and I tensed, my hands balling up against the brick wall.
"You're a very strange woman, Bella."
"I'm pretty sure I was normal before I met you." She stopped raking her fingers through my hair making me frown, before looping her arms behind my neck loosely. "If only you weren't a caveman…" Something in her tone made me angry.
"If I was a caveman I'd be fucking you against this wall instead of talking." Her mixture of embarrassment and lust made me grin. She dropped her arms from around me and took a step back, only to be stopped by the brick wall.
"Maybe caveman was too harsh. You're clearly one of those Alpha males who likes to push the boundaries between cockiness and harassment." Bella said with a sly grin, as if she had just figured out some sort of mystery.
"If that's the case, then what does that make you? I don't see you as one of those women who like to be pushed around and manipulated." I moved in closer to her as I spoke, my arms still trapping her.
"That's a good question. Maybe I'm an ultra-feminist who wants to teach you that it's not okay to drag a woman into an alleyway."
"A real feminist wouldn't have let me cover the coffee tab; she would have split the bill." I said right back, not missing a beat. She scoffed.
"A real man wouldn't let her pay for the bill."
"Clearly you're not a feminist." I said while grinning. She brushed a lock of her hair back, almost looking arrogant.
"I think we're both looking at this the wrong way, Mr. Whitlock." Bella emphasized my last name while putting on a cool demeanor that contrasted with her entertained emotions. "In your head this is a guy taking a gal out for coffee. In my head this is a therapist meeting up with her patient. So consider a cup of coffee as your co-pay." She slipped beneath my arm and towards the mouth of the alleyway. "This was fun, but I have other engagements that need to be attended to." I went to grab her hand, but she moved just out of my reach.
"So I'm just some pet project to you?" I asked, holding back a growl. She turned around and started walking backwards, all the while smiling.
"Of course not. You're too interesting and handsome to be a 'pet project'." Bella winked at me. "Call me sometime, Jasper."
What do you think of their Banter? Of Bella's patient comment? Do you believe she means that?