Page 72 of Nash

“I know,” I say. “I always knew,” I continue. “I knew you wouldn't do that. I knew you weren't that person. I'm so sorry, Reese. I was an idiot. I was terrified of losing you. And I know that's not an excuse for my behavior, but if you’ll give me another chance, I promise I willneverspeak to you in that way ever again. I obviously have some learning to do when it comes to this love thing, so whatever we need to learn, I hope we can do it together.” I take a breath. “I’ll spend every day trying to make it up to you. I’ll do whatever work needs to be done to ensure you never doubt me again. And I’ll totally understand if you never give me that chance. I know I don't deserve you, not in any universe, but I promise I'll do everything I can to be worthy of you, if you allow me to.”

I hold her gaze, feeling the moment stretch between us like a tight wire ready to snap the longer she stays silent.

CHAPTER 20

REESE

Nash is holdingme and spilling his heart, putting it on the line and giving me the power to do what I will with it.

No one has ever said anything as heartfelt or real to me in my entire life, so it takes me a few seconds to find my voice again.

I shake my head, reaching up to put my arms around his neck when he tries to pull away. “I love you,” I admit on a released breath.

His blue eyes flare wide, unbelieving. “Say that again.”

“I love you, Nash Stokehill. As infuriating and impossible as you are, I love you. I love your playfulness, your need to debate every side of every ridiculous argument, your ability to get under my skin in the best and most maddening ways. I love the way you love your team and your family and the way you take care of everyone around you but still cling to a sense of playfulness that lifts everybody up anytime they're around you. And yes, you made a mistake the other day, but I love you enough to know that you’re bigger than your mistakes.”

His arms wrap around me, lifting me up so I'm eye-level with him, his smile wide and infectious before his mouth is on mine again.

He kisses me with a frenzied sort of passion that has my heart racing before he pulls back, just a breath of space between us, his eyes on mine.

“I love you,” he says, and I feel the declaration all the way to my bones.

Warmth floods me, and I'm the one kissing him this time.

Holding him tight, our tongues clash together, silently correcting the wrongs of the past few days. My head spins, losing myself in the sensation of him, in the crystal-clear clarity that rests between us now.

He loves me. There’s something so incredibly fulfilling about that certainty. Knowing that we’re on the same page and are prepared to work to create a future that will be perfect for the both of us. It’s everything.

Nash is everything.

He sets me on my feet, interlacing our fingers as he glances around the club. Tugging me through the crowds, he navigates us through the exit in a hurry.

“Can I have your keys?” he asks, and I immediately hand them to him.

“Where are we going?” I ask as he gets behind the wheel of my car and pulls onto the street.

“Somewhere I can apologize properly,” he says.

“You really don't need to,” I say. “We both made mistakes, and we've already agreed we won't do that going forward?—”

“I know that,” he cuts me off, pulling into his place. He's around the car before I can even reach for the door, opening it for me before scooping me into his arms and giving me a breathtaking kiss, only to pull away quickly and rush me inside. “But that isn't going to stop me from making it up to you every single day from now until forever.”

His mouth slants over mine before I can respond, and I whimper at the intensity in the kiss, at the way he claims mymouth. We’re a frenzy of hands and need, shedding each other’s clothes right there in Nash’s entryway.

He makes no move to guide us to his bedroom, instead dropping to his knees right there in front of me, looking up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes of his.

“Can you forgive me, Reese’s Pieces?”

I laugh, my breath catching in my throat as his hands gently squeeze my hips. “I already have.”

“Good,” he says, then leans forward, kissing my inner thighs as his hands roam, every touch and kiss making me absolutely liquid for him. “But I’m still going to make it up to you.”

I gasp as he spreads my thighs, hooking one leg over his shoulder as he holds me steady against his front door, his head dipping between my thighs as he licks up my center.

Heat floods my body at the sensation, and I tangle my fingers in his hair as he licks and sucks and laps at me in a hurry, every caress a promise. He doesn’t go slow, doesn’t take his time, instead working me up so quickly I’m dizzy, riding that edge in seconds as he expertly devours me.

“Fuck, Reese,” he mumbles against my oversensitive flesh. “You taste so fucking good.”

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