Page 44 of Everything We Left Unsaid

“Okay,” I reply, wisely dropping the subject. I don’t want her to feel like a charity case, and I certainly don’t want to put more strain on her than what she’s already feeling.

“Do you mind waiting for me while I go back to visit with her a little longer?” Abby asks, worrying her lip between her teeth.

“Of course not. Take all the time you need.” She gives me a grateful smile and I kiss her forehead before shooing her away.

I take a seat in the lobby and catch up on work emails from my phone. There’s a lot going on with the company right now, but I’ll stall my return as long as I can. Abby needs me right now and I won’t let her down this time.

Abby returns a little while later looking tired but relieved. “She fell asleep after eating her lunch, so I slipped out. She needs her rest.”

“Do you want to grab some lunch? I think we could both use a break.”

“That sounds great.” She lets the nurse know that we’re leaving the hospital for a little while and ensures they have her number in case they need her while she’s gone.

“Where to?” I ask when we get into my SUV.

“Ah, I need a burger from Rosie’s,” she breathes, her body going limp from relief as she sinks back against the passenger seat. She immediately sits back up and her face morphs with regret. “Sorry. That’s probably the last place you want to go, considering...”

The memory of our last encounter there makes me wince and my hand automatically moves to my face, reminding me of the imprint she left on my cheek. “It’s okay. We have a lot of good memories there, too.”

“I’m so sorry,” she apologizes again. Her hand comes up to rest on top of mine, her eyes filled with pain and regret. I slide my hand out from under hers and bask in the warmth of her soft touch.

“Let’s just forget it happened. It’s in the past,” I assure her as my body leans into hers. All I can think about is getting closer to her and brushing my lips against her mouth. Her hand on my cheek makes me crave even more of her touch.

“But I slapped you. I had no right to do that. I feel terrible about it.” Her body instinctively moves toward mine and soon we’re nose to nose, our breath mingling in the close proximity of our mouths.

“I forgive you,” I whisper as my gaze drops to her lips. My hands move up to cup her face and she grabs hold of my wrists, pulling me the rest of the way to her waiting kiss. Our lips part, our tongues dancing and gently sliding over each other as we give in to temptation.

I kiss her harder, our need for each other growing more urgent. A drop of sweat beads on my skin in the warm car, but I don’t want to stop long enough to start the engine and turn on the air. She moans against my mouth when I gently sink my teeth into her lower lip. The sound excites me, and I move my kiss and my hungry tongue to her neck. She groans as I work my way from the base of her throat to her chin, stopping to press kisses along her jaw, giggling when I tickle her ear with my teeth.

When I slide my hand to her bare thigh, she gasps and presses her hands to my chest, giving me a gentle shove. The motion releases my lips from her skin and my eyes fly open. She leans back, panting, her wide emerald eyes burning with desire. So why did she push me away?

“We can’t do this here!” she exclaims. I glance around and the reality of where we are sinks in. In the heat of the moment, I’d forgotten myself. Lost in Abby’s intoxicating presence, my mind loses all track of time and place and biology takes over. Our attraction is just as explosive as it ever was. The chemistry between us just as strong, as if every part of us craves the other right down to our cells.

I take a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm my racing heart. I’m rock hard and my hormones are in overdrive. Looking at Abby doesn’t help, either. Her heaving chest, kiss-swollen lips, and short shorts activate my baser instincts and all I can think about is throwing her in my backseat and making her scream my name. “You’re right,” I concede, turning away from her and gripping the steering wheel, my jaw tense. She must take my rigid posture and clenched jaw as anger, because her voice is quiet and apprehensive when she speaks.

“Jacob?”

My eyes flash to her for a second before looking away again. “I can’t look at you,” I confess. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me.” My voice is pleading and laced with desperation. “If I look at you, I’m going to need to touch you and feel those fantastic fucking thighs against my fingertips before you wrap them around my head.”

Her breath hitches and I chance a glance her way. She squeezes her legs together as if what I just said is making her ache just as badly as I am right now. Her pupils are round and dilated, the green of her irises thinned into tiny circles. One hand grips the headrest while the other presses against the dash.

“Fuck, don’t look at me like that,” I beg. “I’m barely keeping myself in check as it is.”

“Jacob,” she repeats my name in that breathy voice that destroys me.

I reach over and slide my hand to the back of her neck, my fingers tangling in her hair, and pull her toward me. I devour her mouth in a needy, scorching kiss. That ought to hold us over for a minute. Releasing my grasp on her, I settle back into my seat and throw the car in drive. “Buckle up,” I command and roar out of the parking lot.

We both cool down during the drive to Rosie’s. I want to hold her hand, but I’m afraid that simple touch will ignite my desire again and I’ve finally gotten rid of my hard-on. The lunch time rush is winding down when we step inside, and only about half the tables are full.

“Abby!” the hostess greets from her podium.

“Hey Sarah, how are you?”

“I’m doing alright. How are you?” she asks, giving Abby a sympathetic look. “I heard about your grandma. Is she doing okay?”

“I’m fine, and she’s doing better than expected. They think she’ll make a full recovery.”

“Oh, thank the good Lord above,” Sarah praises in her thick twang. She grabs two menus and leads us to our table.

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