Read If I'd Only Known (Milan Women Series Book 1) for Free Online

Perri. Would you stop that shit?” She's definitely black. Just country
as hell, he decided.
    “Before
or after you stop laughing at me?”
    Rolling
his eyes, he sighed hard. “Are we about to play tit for tat again?”
    “Are
you about to start asking dumb questions again? Because if you are—”
    Kissing
her mid-sentence, he swallowed the last of her words. He needed her to listen
to him, and he could only think of this one way to get her to shut up.
    Pushing
angrily at his chest, “Dirty dog,” she hissed.
    Ignoring
her name calling, Barrington kissed her again, this time, more deeply and much
longer until he felt her push at his chest again.
    “Why
are you doing this to me?”
    Barrington
closed his eyes; his heart just about stopped beating in his chest when he
heard her whimper, probably out of pure frustration; frustration that he was
putting her through. “I'm sorry, Perri,” he sincerely apologized.
    “Why?”
    He
opened his eyes and met her intense gaze, glimpsing unshed tears in her eyes.
He cursed himself inwardly for putting them there. “Because I did something to
make you believe I don't want you as much as I felt and know you wanted
me back at your place.” He kissed her cheek softly. “For that, baby, I am so
very sorry.”
    Perri
quickly showed him the back of her head and looked down at his hands clasping
her belly. Something warm in her stirred and she felt herself soften. Then it
just hurt because she couldn't make her heart harden toward him. “Why?”
    “I
just told you.”
    “No.”
She shook her head, hesitating then said, “Not that. I mean, why don't you want
me like I want you?”
    “Because
I want you more.”
    Damn. Every defense she spent much energy building against him was now useless . . .
just like her trying to stay mad at him. She was eating out of his hands like a
hungry hippo, and was convinced he knew it, too. Perri slowly looked back at
him. “But you had your chance to have me. I offered myself to you. That wasn't
easy to do. And it was even harder to have you pull away from me, Barrington.”
She resented the tears welling up in her eyes. “How could you embarrass me like
that?”
    With
the pads of his thumbs, he brushed her tears, and slowly licked away the
remainder that lingered behind. Then he said, “How can I make you happy?”
    “Love
me.”
    “I
do love you, baby. I told you that.”
    “Yeah,
you did. You said you love me and yet you won't make love to me.” She
nodded. “Yeah, Barrington, that makes a lot of sense in my mind.”
    “It
makes perfect sense in my way of thinking.”
    “Either
you have one warped sense of humor, or you're just plain cruel one.”
    “Neither
of your accusations applies to me; not when it comes to you.” He kissed her
shoulder blade.
    “Stop
that,” she ordered, ignoring the sensuous fire it sent through her.
    “Why?”
    “Because
you have no intentions of taking it any further; you're just teasing me again.
I don't like it and I want you to stop it now.”
    “Give
me your hand.”
    “What?”
    “Your
hand, Perri, give it to me,” he ordered.
    “Barrington—”
    He
took her right hand in his and proceeded to place it against his chest. Smiling
at her affectionately, he told her, “This is what you do to me, sweet Perri.
Every time I'm near you, or hell, even when I'm away from you for months at a
time . . . this is what you do to me, girl.” His look intensified as he gazed
in her eyes. “I want you so bad, Perri, I can damn near taste you in my dreams,
and I feel it all the way in the center of my gut.”
    “Really?”
    “What
you mean really ? Of course I mean really.”
    “Why?”
    “You're
so damn sexy, Perri. You're like picture perfect, girl. How could I not want
you?” He lifted her chin when she looked down embarrassed. “Hum?”
    Perri
bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.
    “Un-un,”
Barrington protested. “Don't do that, baby. Let me.” He nibbled her lower and
upper lip,