Page 56 of Could Have Been Us
I sigh. “Me either, but I don’t want to waste any of the time we have now.”
“We’re not wasting anything. Maybe being forced to go slow is a good thing? It will give us time to make sure we don’t fuck anything up because we were being impulsive.”
“What about this is impulsive?”
Jack looks up at the window where Oliver was. “Not impulsive, but there are things—or people—slowing us down and maybe that’s a good thing. I don’t want to fuck this up. I have a lot to lose if this goes bad.”
“I think we both do, but I know that I’m willing to risk it all for you, Jack.” He’s quiet. I can see him trying to arrange his thoughts as he looks out the windshield. I give him a few minutes and do my best to stay calm since it seems Oliver has moved away from the window. The past would suggest that this is how Jack is when he’s getting ready to run.
Finally, he turns to me. “You hold all the cards, Stella. When my family fell apart, your brothers were who held me together. If things go south between us, I’ll not only have to deal with losing you, which I promise will fucking wreck me, but also your brothers. In the end, I’ll be totally alone.”
“Jack . . .”
I want to reassure him that is not the case. I won’t let my brothers shun him. I know what it’s like to feel alone. After we gave Kinsley up, I had no one. I couldn’t talk to Jack. I couldn’t talk to my family. It was horrible, and the pain was so bad that, at times, I wanted to die.
“I’m not asking for you to say a word. I know the risks, and there’s nothing you could say or do to make it different or make me change my mind. You’re worth the chance, Stella. You’re worth losing it all for, but that’s the reality of my situation. I want us to be sure. I want to make love to you more than I want air, but I need to talk to Grayson first. We have to iron this shit out before I do something I can’t undo. Does that make sense?”
A part of me, the very stubborn and insubordinate part, wants to tell him that’s ridiculous. I’d like very much for him to back out of this driveway, take me to his cabin, and screw me six ways to Sunday. That part of me would be wrong. Jack is the one who is risking the most.
I need to make sure that he doesn’t lose anything.
“It does. As much as it pains me to get out of this car and go upstairs to where Oliver has probably done something that will piss me off, I know it’s the right thing to do.” I lean toward him, my voice soft and throaty. “Once you talk to Grayson, though, and you’re both fine...I expect a very, very long and orgasmic night.”
The sound that comes from him is almost a growl. “You can count on that.”
“Good.”
“Now go before I change my mind,” Jack says, his hands gripping the steering wheel.
“Talk to him tomorrow,” I whisper and give him a brief kiss. “Or I may have to take matters into my own hands.”
I exit the car, smiling as I hear him groan.
Chapter 16
Jack
“So, you and Stella?” Grayson asks while I stand outside his door.
“Can I come in?”
Jessica appears next to him, pulling the door open. “Of course you can.”
Grayson huffs. It’s been two days since his wedding, and hopefully enough time has passed for him to have cooled off.
“Thanks, Mrs. Parkerson.”
She grins. “You were always my favorite, Jack O’Donnell.”
“Seems he’s a favorite among a few women in this town.”
“Get it out now,” I say, knowing he’s got more.
“My sister?”
Jess groans. “You need to stop.”
“No, he’s always been this way,” I tell her. “He thinks he knows what should and shouldn’t be, so let him say his shit so we can get it over with.”
