lips.
“Think about it, Iz,” he said. “You’re not that person. You’re not a cheater. You’re a good, kind, sweet person and I’m not going to put you in a place where you feel horrible about yourself.”
My heart swelled at his words, making me want him more.
“You’re right,” I conceded, although my body was telling me otherwise. “Maybe I should go back to my room.”
He dropped his arm across my stomach. “No, you don’t have to go.”
“But,” I said. “I don’t want to, well, you know – make things difficult.”
Chuckling, he leaned over to kiss me again. “I just want you here. This is what I’ve wanted for a very long time.”
Tears burned the backs of my eyes but didn’t fall. For that I was grateful. I’d thought for sure that I’d outgrown my crybaby stage.
“Are you sure you want me to stay?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” he said, dropping his head next to mine on the pillow. “I wanted you here last night but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be here. I didn’t want to piss you off or scare you away so I left you alone.”
I nodded, not wanting to admit that I would have been here last night in a heartbeat if he would have asked.
“Let’s get some sleep,” he said, kissing my cheek. “We’ll figure all of this out in the morning.”
“Okay,” I said as I snuggled into his side. He tightened his hold on me as I closed my eyes, more exhausted than I’d thought.
“I missed you, Iz,” he whispered as I felt my body drift off to bliss.
“I missed you, too.”
Seven
Sun filtered through the curtains as the birds chirped in the trees. I came to slowly, wrapped safely in Jake’s arms. Warmth and security enveloped me, topped with a huge dollop of guilt.
Popping up, I clutched the sheet to my chest, even though I was still fully clothed.
“Iz,” Jake mumbled in that adorable, sleepy voice that used to fill my heart with love. “I know you have to get home to that idiot fiancé of yours but just let me hold you for a few more minutes.”
“I can’t, Jake,” I said as I wrangled out of his arms and to the floor. “Oh, damn. I cheated. I lied. I lied and cheated!”
“You didn’t cheat,” he said, climbing out on his side. He rounded the bed and clutched my shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I did,” I said as I brushed his hands away. “I did. I lied. I didn’t tell Brad I was coming here and then I slept with you!”
“Yeah, and we slept, Iz,” he said, his eyes firm. “We slept. That’s all.”
“That’s not all, Jake,” I said, panic flooding my body. “We…we kissed. We kissed.”
“Okay, so?” he said. “So what? Just go home and tell him that you’re not going to marry him. Go home and tell him that I still love you. Tell him that you’re going to move in here with me.”
“I can’t,” I said, beginning to pace. “I can’t. You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t,” he said, standing in my way. He held my shoulders again, causing me to crane my neck to look into his eyes. “So, tell me.”
“It’s complicated,” I said. “I just have to go.”
“Please, Iz,” he begged. “Don’t leave again.”
“Again?” I said, anger clouding my brain. “I didn’t want to leave in the first place! You were the one to make me leave.”
“I had to.”
“You pushed me away,” I said, crossing the room to the door.
“I had to,” he repeated as he followed me across the hall to the guest room. “Iz, I was going down and going down hard. I couldn’t let you see that. I couldn’t drag you down with me.”
“You needed me,” I said, shoving my things into my bag. “You needed me and I wanted to be here for you but you made me leave.”
“Yes, I did,” he said. “And I hated that I had to do it. But I was a mess. I was afraid of what I was doing to myself, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want you exposed to that. Hell, I was afraid I was going to kill myself and I didn’t want
“Think about it, Iz,” he said. “You’re not that person. You’re not a cheater. You’re a good, kind, sweet person and I’m not going to put you in a place where you feel horrible about yourself.”
My heart swelled at his words, making me want him more.
“You’re right,” I conceded, although my body was telling me otherwise. “Maybe I should go back to my room.”
He dropped his arm across my stomach. “No, you don’t have to go.”
“But,” I said. “I don’t want to, well, you know – make things difficult.”
Chuckling, he leaned over to kiss me again. “I just want you here. This is what I’ve wanted for a very long time.”
Tears burned the backs of my eyes but didn’t fall. For that I was grateful. I’d thought for sure that I’d outgrown my crybaby stage.
“Are you sure you want me to stay?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” he said, dropping his head next to mine on the pillow. “I wanted you here last night but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be here. I didn’t want to piss you off or scare you away so I left you alone.”
I nodded, not wanting to admit that I would have been here last night in a heartbeat if he would have asked.
“Let’s get some sleep,” he said, kissing my cheek. “We’ll figure all of this out in the morning.”
“Okay,” I said as I snuggled into his side. He tightened his hold on me as I closed my eyes, more exhausted than I’d thought.
“I missed you, Iz,” he whispered as I felt my body drift off to bliss.
“I missed you, too.”
Seven
Sun filtered through the curtains as the birds chirped in the trees. I came to slowly, wrapped safely in Jake’s arms. Warmth and security enveloped me, topped with a huge dollop of guilt.
Popping up, I clutched the sheet to my chest, even though I was still fully clothed.
“Iz,” Jake mumbled in that adorable, sleepy voice that used to fill my heart with love. “I know you have to get home to that idiot fiancé of yours but just let me hold you for a few more minutes.”
“I can’t, Jake,” I said as I wrangled out of his arms and to the floor. “Oh, damn. I cheated. I lied. I lied and cheated!”
“You didn’t cheat,” he said, climbing out on his side. He rounded the bed and clutched my shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I did,” I said as I brushed his hands away. “I did. I lied. I didn’t tell Brad I was coming here and then I slept with you!”
“Yeah, and we slept, Iz,” he said, his eyes firm. “We slept. That’s all.”
“That’s not all, Jake,” I said, panic flooding my body. “We…we kissed. We kissed.”
“Okay, so?” he said. “So what? Just go home and tell him that you’re not going to marry him. Go home and tell him that I still love you. Tell him that you’re going to move in here with me.”
“I can’t,” I said, beginning to pace. “I can’t. You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t,” he said, standing in my way. He held my shoulders again, causing me to crane my neck to look into his eyes. “So, tell me.”
“It’s complicated,” I said. “I just have to go.”
“Please, Iz,” he begged. “Don’t leave again.”
“Again?” I said, anger clouding my brain. “I didn’t want to leave in the first place! You were the one to make me leave.”
“I had to.”
“You pushed me away,” I said, crossing the room to the door.
“I had to,” he repeated as he followed me across the hall to the guest room. “Iz, I was going down and going down hard. I couldn’t let you see that. I couldn’t drag you down with me.”
“You needed me,” I said, shoving my things into my bag. “You needed me and I wanted to be here for you but you made me leave.”
“Yes, I did,” he said. “And I hated that I had to do it. But I was a mess. I was afraid of what I was doing to myself, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want you exposed to that. Hell, I was afraid I was going to kill myself and I didn’t want
Similar Books
