Page 87 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

She burst out laughing and smacked his rock-hard stomach.

“It’s true.”

“I guess you’re right,” she said, still giggling.

“What else?”

She was tempted to sit up and face him when she spoke her next secret but thought it might be easier to stay where she was, head down and pressed against his chest. Her version of speaking the words into the wind.

“This one makes me sound like a terrible person,” she said.

“Some of mine do, too.”

She swallowed and clamped her eyes shut. “From the second I ran into you at that bar, even knowing you were with Carly, if you’d have kissed me I wouldn’t have stopped you.”

He stilled beneath her, and for a split second she regretted saying it. But it was the truth, and it was better he knew what kind of person she could be. The selfishness she was capable of.

Jamie’s fingers tipped her chin up, angling her face as he gazed down at her. His hazel eyes swam with some unidentifiable emotion.

His voice was thick and weighted. “I wouldn’t have been able to stop, either.”

“I’m glad we didn’t. If we’d crossed that line before, I don’t know if I could have lived with myself.”

He nodded, just barely. “I know.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Once, twice, then again. Her heart took off like a bird in a cage, trying to break free and follow their words as they floated away in the breeze.

After a few minutes she flipped over on her back, propped up her knees, and rested her head in his lap. She admired his handsome face as he slid his fingers through her hair, sending currents of sensation down her body.

She reached up and wiggled his glasses. “How badly do you need these?”

He shrugged. “I mean I could make do without them, but I have trouble reading street signs and stuff.”

“Yeah. That’s not important.”

He laughed. “I have contacts but they drive me crazy.”

“I love these. You’re so hot in them.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Really?”

“Yes.”

A few beats of silence passed, and Jamie smiled at her, an ornery glint flashing in his eyes. “Maybe when we get back to my truck we can take care of your fantasy to get laid in the back seat.”

“That might revoke your open invitation to come out here.”

He shrugged. “It would be one hundred percent worth it.”

They got back to the apartment complex midafternoon, and Jamie had shoved her in the direction of her apartment, saying he had to get ready for their date and order her a damn fine curry.

Two hours later, she’d showered, shaved, and lotioned and was back at his doorstep in one of only two dresses she owned. It was sleeveless, robin’s-egg blue, and fell to midthigh. The best part was the design showed off her cleavage but still covered up her port, which wasn’t easy to find. It wasn’t the most practical for a cool September evening in Nebraska, but she felt pretty and was only outside walking between buildings.

Jamie opened the door and her mouth went dry. He wore tailored gray slacks, a black belt cinched around his trim waist, and a crisp white dress shirt with the top two buttons open. His hair was perfectly tousled, and a dark-blond layer of scruff covered his jaw.

His chin dropped to his chest as he looked her up and down, and his mouth went slack. “Elliott. Fuck.”

“I mean, if you think you’re up for it again,” she teased, her cheeks heating at his obvious appreciation.

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