Page 92 of Stay with Me

“That’s not what I mean.”

“What do you mean?”

I smooth her hair back from her face. She let loose her natural hair for me. It seems longer and thicker than the last time.

“Can you take some time off?”

“I don’t know if I can make that happen right now.”

“Can you work from home? We don’t have to go away. I just want some time alone. A few days to be together without the world.”

She searches my gaze. The wheels are turning as she looks for something. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until she replies.

“Okay, I think I can make that happen. I don’t have many court dates on my calendar. This may be one of the weeks with nothing on it. I’ll have to check. The rest I can have my assistant bring over,” she says thoughtfully.

“Perfect,” I croon and press my lips to hers.

“You had a crush on me?”

I groan. I told her that in a moment of panic. I needed to calm her down. I would have told her anything to get her to breathe.

“Yeah, I did. I wanted to ask you to my senior prom.”

“Really?” she says and sits up, the sheet falling down to her waist.

I cup one of her breasts and lean in to kiss her. The distraction works for a moment. When I pull away, she has a dazed look in her eyes.

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“I got into a fight with one of Legend’s friends. After that, he wouldn’t let me around you. Trust me, I tried.”

She bursts into laughter. She’s gorgeous when she laughs. The way her eyes sparkle and shine captivates me.

“I remember your brothers a lot more from high school. That’s insane because they’re older.”

“You had a boyfriend and your friends. Besides, I was on a rival team. You probably didn’t pay much attention.”

“I said I remember them more. Not that I didn’t pay attention. I knew who you were. Everyone knew who you were. Then our dads became friends, and all my friends wanted me to ask you to hang out.”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

She laughs again. “Are you kidding me? I was way too shy for that.”

“You?”

“Yes, me.”

I chuckle. “Okay, yeah, I remember that. You were.”

She looks at me through her lashes. “Do you still have a crush on me?”

I cup her face and run a finger over her lips. “Baby, I have way more than a crush on you. Come here, I’ll show you just how I feel.”

For the next few hours, I show her how crazy I am about her. How much I love her. My Rem.

* * *

Reminisce

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