Page 98 of The Best of Us

A boyish grin crossed his lips as I pulled my finger away. “You already know you ruined all women for me.”

“You mentioned that, but I enjoyed hearing it again.” My words were a little breathy, and I doubted it was from the alcohol. “I should be sorry about that. And I mean, I am, because it caused you pain, but?—”

“The pain was worth the wait.” He brushed his knuckles along my cheekbone. “It was worth every minute to not have married the wrong person so I can be in front of the right one now.”

His words nearly sobered me up, and I suppressed a fifth L from trying to break through. Liquid tears. “You’re this big, tough guy with an intimidating, steely exterior but with the softest insides. You know that, right?”

His brows pinched. “For you, I’ll be whoever you need me to be.” He pushed up to his feet and offered me his hand to stand.

I accepted his sweet gesture and managed to stand without banking hard to the right or left.

“Maybe change out of those jeans first so you’re comfortable while I get our food?” he suggested after he’d helped me to the bed as if we hadn’t just had a fairly romantic and sweet conversation while I’d been on a toilet seat. “What do you want to wear?” He set my suitcase at the edge of the bed and unzipped it.

“Whatever you find that looks cozy.” I hugged my knees to my chest, feeling twenty years younger as this man took care of me instead of taking advantage of me.

He rummaged through my bag, said something under his breath when he stumbled upon a red, lacy bra, then quickly moved on. He picked out a long-sleeved pink cotton top and cracked a smile before reading out loud the expression printed on it: “Yes, I’m a nurse. No, I don’t want to look at it.”

“It happens more often than you can imagine.” I took the pajamas from him, returning his smile as he stepped off to the side of the bed.

“I have a lot to learn about you, don’t I?” His gaze slowly drifted over my body. “And I want to know everything. All of it.”

“Not because you have to, but because you want to,” I said firmly, needing the reminder one more time—not for him, but for myself. “Not because of obligation.”

“If it were anyone else this happened with, then yes, I’d feel a sense of obligation.” He dragged his eyes up to my face. “If it were anyone else, I’d think being together would be the right and responsible thing to do.”

“Same,” I admitted. “But I’m not just anyone to you, the way you’re not just anyone to me.”

“You’re not just anyone to me, no.”

I loosened my hold of the PJs. “Is this crazy? Three hours seventeen years ago.”

I knew it was all I needed to say if he was on the same page as me.

He bent forward and gently took hold of my chin. “If it was anyone else,” he echoed back with conviction.

Liquid truth serum, not liquid lies.

A deep exhalation fell from his mouth before he released me to stand tall. “I’ll get the food. Stay put. Don’t fall off the bed while you change, please. I’d help you, but we both know how bad of an idea it’d be for me to remove your clothes.”

“Horrible idea.” That devil of an L, lust, sent my eyes to his crotch, and I couldn’t help but clock his reaction in his jeans as a response to my gaze.

“On that note,” he said with an adorable fake cough, “I’ll reheat our food and be back soon.” He started for the door, only to turn back toward me again. “My family is coming on Monday to meet you both. I forgot to tell you.”

We really were moving fast, weren’t we? Even if the meet and greet was for Colin’s sake, I still felt the weight of pressure from the meet-the-parents moment, too. “I can’t wait.”

He nodded and started to go, only to stop. He parked a palm on the doorframe and glanced back at me. “Juliette?”

“Yeah?” I mouthed.

“Tomorrow, I plan to tell you everything.”

“Everything, everything?”

He nodded. “I can’t wait any longer. I need you to know the truth as soon as possible. I’d tell you now if you were sober.”

“You would? Why?” I clutched the pajamas to my chest, my nerves settling back in.

The side of his lip lifted. “Because I need you to know everything about me before we do what we’re both dying to.”

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