Page 104 of All Too Well
This kiss is different. It’s slow and sweet. It’s filled with regret and hope, a mix of happiness and melancholy and desire.
He pulls back, and then his lips press against my nose. “If there was anyone in the world who could make me want more, it would be you.”
I close my eyes, resting my hand on his chest. The steady strum of his heart pulses beneath my fingers. There are so many things I can say to that. So many questions, but I came into this with eyes wide open.
Lachlan is not for forever.
No matter how much I wish it could be different.
“If there was anyone I would hope for more with, it’s you.”
“I can’t, Ainsley.”
“I know,” I say softly.
He sighs heavily. “This is a mistake. I’m giving you false hope.”
I glance up into his eyes while shaking my head. “No, this isn’t a mistake. I refuse to let you call this that again. No matter how fleeting or short this time is, I’ll never regret this. Will you?”
“No, God, no, but ... you deserve more. You should have someone who is willing to lay down their life just to be near you.”
“You went into a possible burning building for me.”
Lachlan lets out a throaty laugh. “Not the sentiment I was going for, but this is you.”
“I’m not a little girl, Lach. I know what I walked into with you. I’m completely fine with the arrangement. You have your life here and I’m in New York, getting ready to take the world by storm with my awesome sports story.”
“Yes, all the sports you’re so well versed in.”
The heaviness has dissipated, and I’m going to just live in denial and pretend this is all going to be fine. It’s better for me, and when I have to leave, I’ll cry, eat a pint of ice cream, sing heartbreaking ballads, and write about it. Like mature, heartbroken women do.
I rub my fingertip along his collarbone. “You know, when I was in college and had to study, I was very motivated by the possibility of a reward.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“I don’t know. By all accounts I’m a mysterious woman.”
Lachlan grins. “Maybe I cracked the code.”
“Sure you did, Sparky.”
“Sparky?”
I rather like this nickname. It’s fitting on so many levels. “I was thinking, it’s really unfair that you have a name for me, one I hate, I might add, and there’s nothing I can call you.”
“Do you not remember what you called us when we were little?”
I roll my eyes. “Please, that was child’s play. I called one dumb and the other stupid. Sparky is more ... adult.”
“It is?” I can hear the disbelief in his voice.
Therefore, I must edify him on my reasoning. I’m sure he’ll love this.
“You’re a fireman.”
“Obviously.”
“And annoying.”
