Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

He murmurs, “I want everything you have to give, Natalie,
for as long as you want to give it to me.”
Knees, don’t you dare give out on me now. Sounding as
desperate as I feel, I say, “We barely even know each other.”
“We know enough. And we’ll know more the more time
we spend together.”
When I don’t respond, he says, “But you’re going to have
to make the first move.”
I blink so slowly, I’m sure it looks comical. “Wait. What?”
“You heard me.”
“You don’t consider everything you’ve said to me since I
opened the door to be making the first move?”
An amused smile curves his lips. “Fair enough. You’ll
have to make the second move, then. I won’t pressure you.
It’ll be on your timetable, not mine.”
“It?”
“Us.”
He says it like it’s an absolute. An inevitability. As if he’s
been to the future and had a good look around, and now is
back here just waiting for me to get on board with the
program.
If there’s one thing I really dislike, it’s being taken for
granted.
Staring him right in the eye, I say, “Sorry in advance if this
insults you, Romeo, but if your arrogance were nuclear energy,
it could power the entire universe.”
After a beat, he throws his head back and laughs.
It startles me so much I plop right down onto the kitchen
table.
He laughs and laughs, his broad chest shaking, his hands
clutching his stomach, until finally he sighs and looks down at
me, shaking his head.
“You’re adorable when you’re angry.”