Page 23 of The Fall

“I could say the same about you right now, Dallas,” I snapped.

“Really, well, don’t worry. It’s all over now,” she said with finality.

“No, it’s not. I will always be here for you. I had to let you sit in your own mess for a while, Dallas, because you’re acting like such a stupid girl. You deserved it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. I know that you’re young and acting dumber than you’re smart. You’re brilliant and beautiful and way above all this crap. I wish you would just realize it already.”

“How can I when the one thing I want …” she caught herself. “It’s harder than you think.”

“I know exactly how hard it is,” I said as she stopped her rant to finally look at me. Her mouth parted as I gripped her shoulders and leaned in. “I know,” I emphasized as I silenced her by taking her lips in a kiss that was anything but friendly. She gave in immediately and wrapped her arms tightly around me. I lost myself in her for a brief moment as our lips met and melded. I indulged on her mouth, swirling my tongue in and tasting all of her. The surprise in her return kiss dissolved as we were both lost and found together. I always knew I’d been right about her. I selfishly took as much as I could, knowing my craving for her was now seared into my DNA. Tearing myself away, I noticed the heated color of her face, the swell of her perfectly parted lips, and her need for me, memorizing every detail. “I’ll see you again, Dallas. Tienes la otra parte de mi corazón.”

“Dean?” she whispered in question as I forced one lead foot in front of the other, walking away from her.

I turned to look at my spitfire one more time, pressed two fingers to my lips, and turned them outward toward her, and her answering smile was breathtaking. “See you at Austin, Dally.” I winked before joining my parents, who were watching us with interest.

“One look, one touch, I was hopeless”—Laura (Room 212)

Dallas

Now

I spent the next two weeks burying and losing myself in work. It took the better part of the first week to get Josh to speak to me. We’d never had a single issue that had kept us at odds for so long. I had apologized to him profusely one night at his front door as he refused to look at me. When he’d finally let me in to explain, it took the better half of the night to convince him that I’d remained faithful.

“Dallas, I can’t be with a woman I can’t trust,” he said as he paced his living room, refusing to look at me. I walked over to him and forced his eyes to mine.

“And I’ll never give you a reason to again. Stop treating me as if I’ve done something wrong here,” I said, exasperated.

“You have slept with that man before?”

“Dean?” I asked stupidly, hating my answer. “We had one heavy year in college, okay? That was centuries ago, and he is engaged,” I said, throwing my arms around his neck.

He looked down at me, his body tense under my touch.

“And if he weren’t?”

I shrugged. “Look, I’m tired. There is nothing between us. It’s history. We were talking about old times. I realize how it might’ve looked, but we are over, okay?”

“I don’t want to see him around you, Dallas. He doesn’t look at you like an old friend.”

“Fine,” I agreed quickly.

“Fine?”

“Yes, Josh, I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Let’s go to bed.”

“Why do I feel like you aren’t telling me everything?” Josh eyed me suspiciously as I kissed his stubble-filled chin without answering him. “I’m serious, Dallas. I don’t want to see him.” Josh proceeded to pick me up, throw me on the bed and show me just how serious he was. I lay awake that night trying to figure out why I was so desperate to keep Josh and my relationship with him. I lay on his chest with his arms wrapped around me as I stroked his hair, thinking of Dean and his blue gaze.

That same familiar guilt washed over me as I stared at Josh in his slumber. I couldn’t stop thinking about one man while I held another.

And then I remembered why and gripped Josh tighter to me.

I parked in my usual spot, cursing the Texas heat as I wiped a mascara smudge away from my eye. In less than the ten minutes it took from my door to the parking garage at the hospital, I went from completely ready to a wilted hot mess. I groaned inwardly as Dean pulled up next to me and parked. I cursed my luck as I waited out of courtesy for him to exit his Jag. I could keep our interaction professional and friendly. I had no idea what was going on in his head the night we went to dinner, but I was sure it was nothing more than flattering old memories. Of course, the attraction was still there, but for all I knew, we were two different people now. I was sure he had gone home to Helena, finding the situation as redundant as I had.

“Good morning.” He smiled as he joined me in our walk toward the elevator.

“Dean,” I said as casually as I could when the smell of him intoxicated me immediately.

“I went to look for you a couple of times last week to take you to lunch and could never find you,” he said, glancing at me as we stopped in front of the elevator.

“I’ve been really busy,” I said lightly, trying to match the conversation with my tone.

---