Page 55 of Frozen Flames

That spirit of hers, I swear to God.

Little by little, it’s changing me—she’s changing me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy since the accident. And that thought alone is enough to bring up the guilt again for sharing these moments with this woman, forkissingher.

I pull back from our kiss, wanting more.

“I’m… I don’t know what came over me. Jesus.” Claire stands up quickly, the chair screeching against the floor, her fingers weaving through her hair.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

She swallows, and there’s tears brimming in her eyes. The same eyes I was willing to worship a minute ago are the same ones I’m willing to tarnish now.

I just cheated on Gemma.

I’m a coward and an asshole.

“I know, I’m sorry! Why did you even kiss me back?” she asks, her fingers touching her lips.

What is it about her hands and fingers that turn me on so much?

And her smell, her hair, her body.

Her joie de vivre.

Hersoftness.

Argh.I’m hard again. And I’m pissed off.

“I don’t even know.” She winces at my harsh words. “You can’t go around kissing taken people, you know.”

I swallow like I’m drowning and the saliva’s about to save my life. I need a lifeline here because I have no idea what I’m doing.

A few years ago, Gemma was my world.

Then my world crashed, and everything crumbled.

But she stood by me when many girls our age would’ve left me.

“You don’t get to try and make me feel like a fool. I’m sorry, I am, but you know that you loved every second of it, Harv.”

I shake my head, sweat forming all over my body.

The stress and anxiety and guilt are overpowering at times.

Tears are trickling down her face now. She stares down the hallway ahead, making sure Audrey isn’t there as she wipes her eyes. We can hear Audrey talking on the phone from here, so I don’t think she’s coming out any time soon.

“Claire…” I feel like I’m choking.

“I got the message, Harvey, no worries. We’ll keep it professional from now on, as we should’ve since the beginning.”

It kills me when she looks up the ceiling to contain more tears. I want to dry every single one of them with my shirt.

“Come here. You caught me off guard. I don’t know, Claire…I don’t know what I’m doing.” I snort and shake my head before shoving my face into my hands.

I glance her way again, staring at her with her rosy cheeks, her semi-dried tears, her pinned-up hair, just the way I like it.

She looks like my future wife.

“Fuck, whynow? Why did you have to come into my life now? Why notbeforeI met Gemma? I don’t want to hurt her! Just because she hurts me doesn’t mean I want to hurt her like this!”

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