Page 85 of The Man I Love

For a few seconds, he said nothing, his eyes burning into hers with an intensity that made her knees weak. “I left you in New York when you’d done nothing wrong. I shut you out when you should have been included.”

She didn’t know what to say. Part of her wanted to tell him to shut up, to throw herself into his arms with the hope of returning to the comfort she’d felt there only moments earlier. But he was right. That’s how she felt, and she couldn't seem to forget about what happened.

It would be so much easier to brush her doubts under the rug––but they’d still be there, like cobwebs ignored in the corner of a room, collecting dust until they became ugly.

“I’ll do whatever it takes”—he bent down and whispered in her ear—“for as long as it takes, to make sure you feel safe with me again.”

His blue eyes were red-rimmed and glassy when he dropped down to look her in the eye. “I promise.”

She nodded her head, but his lips were only a breath away, and her eyes dipped to them for only a second.

The energy shifted, and he moved closer, as though he didn’t have a choice.

His hands gripped the frame of her car, as though to hold himself back, but his arms became a cage all around her.

Just one little kiss. One touch, and then she would leave.

She rose onto her tiptoes, intending something sweet and innocent. But the moment her lips met his, he groaned, deep and unrestrained.

“Samantha,” he whispered, as though the word came directly from his soul.

She couldn’t help it—her hands found his hair, pulling him closer. “Tristan.”

His name seemed to unlock something deep inside him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back and lifted her off the ground, drawing her closer as though he couldn’t bear to let go.

The kiss was deep and passionate, urgent and sexy. His mouth slanted over hers, again and again, until his soft tongue slipped into her mouth.

Like an addict, the moment she tasted him, she was lost. Her hands tangled in his hair, then slid to his back, as though his touch and his tongue were drawing her out of the shell she had fought so hard to protect herself with.

A moan escaped him, then suddenly she was on her feet again and pushed away. His eyes were blazing, his breaths coming in deep pants, as he held her at a distance.

“Are you okay?” he asked her. His voice was husky and hesitant.

She nodded. “Yes.” Then gripped the door handle, desperate for something to steady herself with.

“Good.” He released her and stepped backward slowly. “I’m going to leave now.” He licked over his lips. “Not because I want to. Because I fear if I don’t...”

He closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and seemed to count to three before opening them again. “Good night, Samantha,” he said as he turned away.

Leaving her alone by her car––completely breathless.

32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

September

Present Day

The next twoweeks were a mixture of emotions and worries. They continued with birthing classes, where both acted as though the conversation in the parking lot had never taken place—but whenever he held her, whenever he even looked at her in class, her body remembered his promises. Tristan’s words pounded in her ear every time he held her, and the only thing that distracted her from her thoughts was the fact that the news about her moving back from New York had finally traveled through Los Angeles. Soon, friends she hadn’t talked to for years were calling or stopping by for a visit. Even Steven Mathers, her ex-boyfriend and best friend from childhood.

“I heard you were back,” he said when she’d opened the front door of her apartment. He stood on the stoop of her steps, wearing a three-piece suit, and the same goofy grin he’d had when he was twelve years old.

“Steven, oh my gosh!” She blinked, then opened the door wider, allowing him inside. “How have you been? It’s so good tosee you.” She pulled him in for a quick hug, where he promptly produced a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

“These are for you,” he said shyly. They were a mixture of sunflowers and red roses. The same arrangement he’d bought from the grocery store endless times when they were a couple.

Despite herself, she blushed and turned toward the kitchen. “You shouldn’t have.”

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