Page 69 of Best Mistake Ever
This seems to have the right effect, because the frown drops from her face and she gives me a heartbreakingly tentative smile in return.
Seeing this just about breaks me and without another thought, the moment I reach her, I lift my hands to her face and draw her towards me, kissing her hard.
There’s no hesitation on her part either; she kisses me back with just as much passion and purpose and we sink against each other’s bodies, our arms wrapped tightly around each other, as if we’re afraid to let go in case we lose each other again.
It’s so absolutely right, her being here with me, kissing beneath the apple trees.
‘I’m sorry I pushed you away,’ I mutter against her lips, once we finally break apart for breath. ‘I was afraid I was being made a fool of again, even though I knew, deep down, you’d never do that to me. My fear of rejection got the better of me.’
She pulls back a little to smile at me. ‘I totally understand. And I don’t blame you for the way you reacted. I probably would have done just the same if I’d been in your shoes.’ I see her swallow. ‘But you do believe that I never meant to lie to you and hurt you, don’t you? I really thought I was doing a good thing for everyone when I first came here. But I messed up by not being able to leave. I pushed it too far and ended up having to lie to cover my bad choices and I’m truly sorry for that.’ My skin tingles as she cups my face. ‘I fell in love with you.’
I can tell from the expression in her eyes that she really means that.
‘I love you too,’ I say, completely certain that I do. How could I not? She’s absolutely perfect for me and I can’t imagine never seeing or being with her again. My life would be very much more the poorer for not having her in it.
The look she gives me now is full of relief and pure joy. ‘Thank goodness,’ she murmurs, her voice sounding a littlehoarse, as if the emotion of the situation has got the better of her and she’s holding back happy tears.
‘Let’s sit down,’ I suggest, gesturing to a patch of soft-looking grass under one of the trees.
She nods in agreement and we sit down, so close our bodies are pressed together from the tops of our arms to our thighs. Sliding a hand along her back, then cupping her shoulder, I pull her in even closer to my body and kiss the top of her head, breathing in the wonderful, familiar, sweet scent of her.
‘You know, because of my dad’s fame, I’ve always felt like my relationships were conditional. That my partner was only with me because of it. Tessa was the perfect example of that. She was clearly a music groupie, I knew that from the moment I met her, but I fell for her hard anyway. I know, I’ve been screwed up about what happened with her and it made me paranoid, but when I found out about you and Dee, I was afraid the two of you were playing some sort of game with me. When Dee failed at getting my attention, you stepped in and took over. I actually thought you might be the “good cop” to Dee’s “bad cop” to mess with my head.’
She shoots me a wry smile. ‘Honestly, it was almost impossible to act as if I didn’t find you incredibly attractive whenever I was around you. It was actually torture, especially when you started paying me more attention and I knew I couldn’t return it. I wanted to so much.’
‘Same. It nearly killed me to stay professional around you.’
We look at each other now and our gazes lock. There’s such heat in her eyes, such need. I feel it too, thrumming in the air between us.
I’ve never experienced this kind of intensity with anyone else and it’s the best feeling in the world.
Glancing down at her mouth, I see it curving into a smile. Without another thought, I lean in and press my lips againsthers, feeling them open under mine and I slip my tongue into the heat of her mouth and run my fingers into her hair.
This is exactly what my body’s been craving since the last time we touched and it’s the sweetest feeling to be able to have it again.
I’m never letting her go.
‘What made you change your mind about seeing me again?’ she asks when we come up for air.
‘Your sister coming over to read me the riot act,’ I say, smoothing down the front of her now rather wild-looking hair, ‘and for once in my life, I listened, then gave myself a talking to about how I’d been behaving – like a bloody stroppy child. It helped that it was Dee that said it to me though. Seeing her made me miss you even more.’
She lets out a surprised snort. ‘I never thought it’d be my sister fixing my relationship for me. It’s always been the other way round with us. But something’s clearly happened to her recently to make her grow up a bit.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. I don’t know what, but I intend to get it out of her the moment I see her again.’
‘Intriguing.’
She grins at me, her eyes alive with happiness. It’s a beautiful sight.
‘Thank you for giving me another chance.’
The sincerity in her voice sends an arrow of guilt through my chest.
‘Yeah, well. I figured I was being an idiot to let what happened to me in the past inform what happens to me in the future. Especially if it meant losing you. I’d much rather lose face than lose you.’ I huff out an embarrassed laugh. ‘Listen to me, I sound like an inspirational bloody quote again.’
‘I know exactly what you’re saying,’ she says, hugging me tightly.
