Page 99 of Cinderella Screwed Me Over
I glanced at the clock.He probably just got home.I shoved the plant onto the counter, determination pumping through my veins. When I got inside the elevator, I punched number twenty, trying not to think about the painful way my heart was hammering against my rib cage.
The ride up didn’t give me near enough time to prepare. Head spinning, I exited the elevator. With every step I took down the hall, my throat got drier, my stomach clenched tighter.
I stared at Jake’s door for several minutes before gaining the courage to knock.
As I waited, I ran a hand through my hair, fluffing it just so. Then I ran a hand down it, to smooth it back into place. I took the lip gloss out of my pocket and swiped it across my lips.
And then it was clear he wasn’t answering the door.
I retreated a couple of steps, then heard the door open. Slowly, I turned around. “Spontaneous visits. Just one of the advantages of living in the same building.” My voice came out as shaky as I felt.
“I thought there weren’t any advantages,” Jake said, stepping farther into the hall. His hair was wet and his clothes clung to his damp body. Obviously he’d just gotten out of the shower. Despite the nerves churning through my gut, desire burned within me. I wanted my hands in his hair. On his damp skin. Even more, I wanted him to assure me everything would be okay.
I guessed the only way for that to be a possibility was if I got on with the apologizing. “Jake, I freaked out. I didn’t handle that situation at the restaurant very well.”
A no-shit expression crossed his face.
“Or at all, really,” I said. “I guess I just got caught up in everything that could and would inevitably go wrong, that I forgot things might go right. The fact is, there’s nothing really wrong with you.”
Jake crossed his arms, and I couldn’t help but notice the way it made the muscles in his arms stand out. “But?”
I licked my lips, tasting the cherry lip gloss I’d just put on. “There’s no but. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want to date anyone else, and I don’t want you to, either. I want to say we’re in a relationship and do everything that people in relationships do, from the light and fun to the serious, to everything in between. Unless I’ve already scared you away and you want to run in the other direction.” At intense moments like these, I tended to try to joke things away. “Although, since we live in the same building and we constantly bump into each other, that’s going to be awkward for you.”
“You’re wrong.”
My heart stopped, I swear it did. “Oh. I’ll just go, then.”
“I’ve got plenty wrong with me,” Jake said. “For instance, I’m in love with a woman who doesn’t believe in love.”
Breathing became impossible. “It’s not that I don’t believe in it—” I threw a hand to my chest. “We’re talking about me, right?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Do you see anyone else?”
I let out a relieved breath and looked into his blue eyes. “I only doubted that it could last.”
“Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet.”
I closed the gap between us and put my hands on the sides of his waist. “Maybe I have, and I just didn’t realize it.”
Jake’s eyebrows shot up as he pointed to his chest. “Me?”
“Do you see anyone else?” I tipped onto my toes, his arms encircled me, and my lips parted as they landed on his. We stumbled backward, through the open door and into his place. He kicked the door closed, then pinned me against it, sending fire through every inch of my body as he pressed into me.
I drank in his kiss, his taste, as we clung to each other, making up for the days we’d been apart. I ran my hand through his damp hair as I gently bit his lower lip. He groaned and then his lips left mine, traveling down my neck and across my collarbone, sending delicious chills down my spine.
“I have to tell you something,” I whispered.
His lips left my neck, but he kept me pinned against the door with his body, the warmth from him soaking into my skin.
“I-I don’t want you to go to Salt Lake. I understand that you need to and all, but I’ll miss you.” I peered into his blue, blue eyes and had to work to continue breathing. “I was about to tell you that I was ready for a real relationship, but when you talked about being gone for months, I… Getting attached right before you left seemed like a really bad idea.”
“Even if the deal goes through, I’ll be flying back and forth. I wasn’t planning on putting us on hold for months.” He put his hand on my neck and ran his thumb along my jaw. “If we’re going to do this, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. Otherwise it’s never going to work.”
I nodded. “I guess I should confess something else, then.”
Jake’s posture stiffened.
My heart was pounding so hard it actually hurt. “I’ve never tried so hard to not fall for someone. And I’ve never fallen faster.” The words were on the tip of my tongue, I simply had to force them out. “I love you, Jake.”
