Page 13 of Forever My Soldier

“Even if it is,” I said, pausing in the middle. “It’s in the past, Deke. What we oncehad.”

He grinned. “I’m home now. We could still have it.”

“What?”Was he out of his mind?“You just got back!”

He chuckled. “So what? I’m not supposed to know what I want just because I just got back. How does that make sense?”

I paced, shaking my head. “None of this makes sense.”

“Hey, you came here,” he pointed out.

I threw my hands in the air. “Yeah, well maybe that was a mistake.”

“It wasn’t,” he said in a matter-of-fact way. “Don’t tell me you don’t feel it. That spark we used to have, it’s still there. It’s always been there. When I left, the last time we slept together, and now,” he said, giving voice to thoughts I was too afraid to.

Eyebrows raised, I acted appalled. “I thought you didn’t have a head injury. Now I’m thinking you might.”

He laughed. “I’m right as rain, princess. And that tattoo,” he argued and pointed to my wrist, “has nothing to do with the fact that you wish you were a fairytale princess.”

I picked my purse up and regained my composure. How dare he say things like that? Assume he knows what I’m thinking, feeling. Not that he was wrong, but still, the fact remained that we could never work. Not anymore. Could we? “I’m going to leave before you say something you won’t be able to take back.”

He got up, too. “I’m not going to take anything back.”

“You just got home. This is wrong, it’s all wrong.” I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes before finally turning around to leave.

We couldn’t just pick up where we left off as if nothing changed. It’d been years, dammit, a lot had changed!

“You can’t run from this, from me, princess.” He knew that would piss me off and make me turn back around, but I wasn’t going to prove him right, not this time. It wasn’t going to work, I was walking away. That was until he shouted, “There’s a reason you came today!”

That did it. I turned around, annoyed as could be and pointed a finger in his face as I said, “You are so infuriating, you know that?” Taking a deep breath, I ran my hands through my hair and tried again. “You can’t just leave well enough alone, ever. No, you always have to upset the apple cart.”

He cocked a brow. “Upset the apple cart?”

“Yeah, it’s an expression.”

“I know what it is, but what apple cart am I upsetting exactly?”

I let out a shriek. “My life! That’s the apple cart. You’re upsetting my life. Dammit, I was doing just fine without you. I was getting along just fine.” I motioned to the house. “Coming here was a mistake.”

He cupped a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh, then brought it down as he outlined his jaw with it. “I see you’re still the same hot-head you always were. You can’t stand it when someone else is right. But I have you all figured out. Always have.”

I screeched. “You’re exasperating.”

“Convince me I’m wrong. Look me in the eyes and tell me you’re not still in love with me.”

No chance in hell I could do that honestly. “Then you’ll let this go and leave me alone?” Somehow I sincerely doubted that, but it was worth a try.

He crossed his arms, his muscles straining at his forearms. He was built before, but now his arms were even more built and powerful. Deacon finally agreed, “I’ll never bring it up again.” He looked serious, but looking into his eyes I knew that he was finding this whole exchange amusing.

I responded, “Great!”

“Great,” he repeated and waited for me to look him in the eyes and do as he asked.

I sighed, looked him in the eyes and there it was. I couldn’t lie to him, not again. But I had to. Because if we did end up back together, I would have to tell him things I didn’t want to.

“You can’t do it, can you?” he pushed, raising an eyebrow.

I let out a “ha” and pursed my lips. “Please, I so can.”

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