Page 67 of Promise Yule Be Mine
“H-hi,” I said.
“I’ll leave you two to talk.” Jenna smiled and started closing the door when Nova stopped her.
“This is your home. Where are you going to go?”
She patted Nova’s shoulder and kissed his cheek.
“I’m going to Mom’s. Take all the time you need.”
And with that she was gone, leaving Nova and me behind. It might not have been the first time we’d been alone in the same room together, but it felt as if it was. The air was palpable. Words lingered unsaid between us like dust bunnies. Admiration and adoration growing to an almost excruciating level inside of me.
I had to keep filling my lungs in order to breathe properly.
“I’m sorry about—” I started when I felt like I could speak again.
“I’m sorry I ran,” he said at the same time.
“You…you don’t have to apologize about that. You must have thought I was a sleazeball?—”
“I don’t think you’re a sleazeball. I was just…scared. And frustrated with you. With myself for kissing you back. With life for bringing you into my life when I couldn’t have you,” he said.
I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. How true they rang for me too. How similar to everything I’d been thinking of since I met him. Only it must have been worse for him because he didn’t even know the truth about Jenna and me.
“Jenna is just a friend. We don’t—” I started.
“It’s okay.” He shook his head and took a step closer to me. “Jenna explained already. I know.”
“Oh. She did. That’s right.” I put my hands together because I didn’t know what to do with them and to stop the shaking that threatened to knock me off balance with its growing intensity.
Nova took another step.
“She also said…you’re in love with me.”
“She-she did?” I stuttered.
“Is it…not true?” He stepped closer and closer with each sentence, each word until we were so close I could breathe him in with very little effort. And once I started, I didn’t want to stop.
“I…it…Nova…” I leaned into him, almost closing any gap between us but not quite enough.
“Uh huh?” His gaze moved from my eyes to my lips and he swept his tongue over them.
“I…I can’t stop thinking about you,” I said, and when I connected with him it was with the side of his face, his cheek.
“Oh-kay,” he mumbled, rubbing against me, his eyes blinking slowly.
“I can’t deny myself around you.”
“Yeah?” he said, taking a deep breath that threatened to undo me. To scar me for life. And I wouldn’t even complain.
“I can’t stop wanting you more and more each day.”
Nova stopped and pulled back, staring right at me with big, needy eyes.
“I want you Nova. I want you with all my might,” I told him to drive the point home.
“God.” He smiled. “And I thought it was all in my head.”
I shook my head.
