Page 55 of Fighting Fate

“I…I can’t.” The teary whisper is gut-wrenching. “I can’t, Rory.”

I won’t push her right now. I can’t bear to be the person that makes this worse. Whatever it is.

Standing, I deposit her on the bed. She won’t look at me, but I don’t need her to, to know that she instantly feels rejected. Her body curls in on itself as she tells me, “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll be right back,” I reply, stroking my thumb down the side of her wet face.

I have no idea what to do right now because the only actions that come naturally to me won’t fix her sadness, but I recall the conversation we had on the phone.

Wandering to the en suite bathroom, I flick the light on before going about pouring a warm bath. It’s what she said she needed earlier, and maybe it’ll help. Maybe doing this will allow me to make today better for her. And inside, I’m hoping that by dropping these layers between us, maybe it’s enough to show her that there is nothing that can get in the way of us. There’s nothing she can’t tell me. Absolutely nothing that she could ask of me that I wouldn’t give her.

The quiet shuffle of footsteps has me looking up at the open doorway as I find the lighter beside the cluster of candles on the small table at the foot of the bath. The girl is beyond stunning, and while she watches me light the candles, the heat of her gaze has my insides twisting wildly.

“What’re you doing?” Willow asks when I strip out of my clothes.

“Earlier, you said you needed a bath…” I meander to her, flicking off the lights before I tug her into the bathroom. “Wanna have one with me?” Pausing beside the tub, I grasp the hem of her top. “What do you say?”

“It sounds like a lovely idea, but I’m not sure you’ll fit.”

She’s got a point. This has got to be the smallest bath I’ve ever seen. Still… “Don’t worry. I’ll work myself in there.”

“Pretty certain I’ve heard that before…” A tentative smile tugs at one side of her mouth, and my chest loosens a little at the sight.

“Pretty certain I made good then too.” I grin, tugging her top off, followed by stripping her of her jeans.

I’m crouched in front of her, my head level with her stomach as I tug them off her feet one by one. Lowering to my knees, I press a kiss to the front of her panties. Slowly, I guide them down her long legs until they’re pooled at her feet.

“I got in there deep.”

With my mouth this close to her pussy, it’s hard to resist tasting her. However, I know that if I do, we won’t get in that bath. We’ll fuck, and we’ll fall asleep. Tomorrow will be another day, and maybe it’ll be better for her, but I’ll still be wondering about today. About what’s made her feel shitty and cry.

I want more. I want her to let me in. I want her to know that we can be more. I can listen and she can talk because even if I can’t do anything about her problems, I can be there with her.

Rising to my feet, I take her hand before I step into the warm water. “Get in,” I tell her while I sink back to my knees and sit back. I’m cramped in every way, but when she joins me, lying back into me, I can’t bring myself to care about anything except the way she feels in my arms.

“Are you really always this pushy with everything?” she asks when I adjust myself around her so that her head is resting on my chest and I can get a clear view of her face when I glance down.

“Only when it’s something I want.”

A look of confliction flits over her beautiful face as she allows my words to sink in.

“I did something terrible,” Willow whispers, staring down at her lap where our hands are laced together. “And if I tell you, you will never look at me like this again.”

I don’t care what secret she’s hiding. There’s nothing that could change the way I see her. Nothing that could erase the deep pang in my soul to have her. To keep her.

“Nobody has ever looked at me the way you do.”

“No one ever will.”

“I know.” She nods morosely. “I know that, and as much of a bad person as it makes me, I want to keep it for as long as I can.”

“Truth is, I’ve never looked at anyone the way I look at you, Willow, and if that ever changed, I could never allow myself to either.”

There are a million and one things running through my head and swelling on my tongue. So much that I want to say to her about all the ways she’s changed my life in such a short time. I could spend the entirety of it showing it all to her, and it would never be enough.

“Look at me,” I tell her, using our intertwined hands to nudge her chin up. “This is different…you are different from anything I’ve wanted before. To anyone I’ve allowed into my life. There is nothing I won’t do for you. Whether you’re right or wrong, I’ll always have your back. But you got to trust me. To trust this…us.”

“I’m not good at that. Trusting other people has never worked out well for me.”

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