Page 67 of Love Lies Bleeding

God, I love this woman. “Deal.” Bending, I drop a hard, swift kiss on her upturned lips, and head for the door.

“Wait, what?” Cherry trails me to the door, confusion on her pretty face.

“We made a deal. I’ll be back tomorrow to show you that thing I told you about earlier. We can take the bike.”

Cherry waves her hands no. “Stop, that wasn’t real.”

“A thousand dollars for every one of your heartbeats is a bargain, Blossom. I would’ve paid ten times that amount.”

“You’re insane.”

“Nah, just willing to do whatever it takes to make you forgive me.”

“You have a time machine?”

I cup her face and wish like hell I did. So many things I’d change, so many bad choices I’d fix. But then, maybe changing the past would mean I never met her. “If I did, hurting you would be the only thing I changed, baby.” Leaning in, I press a kiss to her temple and close my eyes, inhaling her sweetness.

“See you in the morning, Blossom.”

With that, I wait for her to close and lock up and then head home, feeling the tension in my chest ease for the first time in weeks.

Step one in winning back my Cherry Blossom is happening. Now, onto step two, make her fall in love with me again. That I can do. I did it before, and I can do it again. Getting her to forgive me though might be harder, and for that, I might need to open some old wounds of my own and let them bleed.

23. Cherry

I have no idea what Jake has planned for today, so I don’t have a clue what to wear or think. I feel unsettled, out of control, and it isn’t a feeling I like. I woke to a text from him this morning and it was so reminiscent of how he was before, butterflies take flight in my belly.

Jake: Morning beautiful. What book are you reading right now?

Cherry: Morning, Jake. I’m reading one called How to Kill Your Ex.

Apparently, he found that amusing because he’d sent me a laughing emoji. I wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but he’d railroaded me and I’m not backing down like a frightened child. If he needs me to spend time with him to prove that I’m over him, then so be it.

The fact that I’m not over him and probably never will be, is immaterial. So I pull on a cute pair of denim shorts, and a sleeveless pink and white gingham shirt, and tie it under my boobs. I’m not giving him the satisfaction of dressing up for him, but neither am I taking my standards down too far.

A knock at my door reminds me I need to charge my doorbell as I go to answer it. “Who is it?”

“The man from your dreams.”

I roll my eyes but can’t help the grin at Jake’s outlandish comeback. Although it isn’t entirely wrong, he’d been in my dreams last night, and I’d had to get up extra early to spend some time with my bullet vibrator this morning because of it.

I pull open the door and school my expression to one of mild boredom. Those pesky butterflies swarm again at the sight of him in dark jeans, a black tee, and his worn leather jacket. “Good morning.”

His eyes skim over me in approval which only makes my body respond more. Jake has never hidden his attraction to me before and he doesn’t now either, and I like that.

“You look beautiful.”

“This is old, but as you didn’t tell me where or what we were doing, I just threw it on.”

“It’s almost perfect.”

“Almost?”

“You gonna let me through the door, Blossom?”

Stepping back, I give him plenty of room, so that his body doesn’t touch mine as he walks past. The smirk on his face tells me he knows exactly what I’m doing.

“Almost?”

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