Page 104 of Playing A Risk
I glance inside and heat rises in my chest.
“You brought me here for sushi?” My mind instantly goes back to the last time we were here together. “What are you up to, Jami?”
“I told you. I’m hungry, and I was in the mood for this. Why? Did you not enjoy it the last time you were here?” His eyes are hidden behind his sunglasses, but his tone tells me everything I need to know.
He’s testing me.
I hold my head high and stride through the door. We get seated in a booth and I wait for him to lead as I remove my coat. He has an agenda, and I’m not going to inadvertently fuel the fire.
Once he’s taken off his jacket, he leans toward me. “Let’s get back to your question about being friends. The answer is yes, we can be friends again, but there’s a caveat.”
“And what’s that?” I move my water glass to the side.
“You need to understand that I have no intentions of staying friends.”
A pang of hurt zaps through me. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve been doing my own work. Hunter came clean with you and seems to be trying to do better for you. You deserve the same thing from me. Lauren and I have come to a peaceful resolution and I can move on from that relationship now and focus on only you.”
“Jami, this is inappropriate.”
“Maybe, but you need to hear me out.” His blue eyes bore into mine. “I’m willing to do the work for you. Tell me what you need so I can fix this rift between us. I love you and will do what it takes to be with you. I’ll risk anything to show you you’re number one in my life. Just tell me what you need.”
I pull back. “Jami, you know I’m with Hunter. What in the hell are you thinking?”
“You say I’ve never fought for you, so I’m going to show you the fight of your life. I want to fix everything between us. My heart and soul yearn for you. I want to do better for you.” His chest rises and falls as his gaze searches my face. “Let me show you how much you mean to me.”
The server comes over and reviews the specials, giving me time to think. I should get up and leave, but I can’t seem to move. She retreats, and Jami and I stare at each other, waiting for the other to speak. When I don’t cave, he gets up and scoots into the seat next to me.
He leans into me to whisper in my ear. “I’ll never stop wanting you. I’ll never stop loving you. You say I’ve never fought for you. Well, this,mysweet temptress, is me fighting for you, so get fucking used to it.”
His warm breath covers my neck before he nips and then kisses it. Heat spreads throughout my body. My nipples tighten, and my world flips on its head.
I push away and back against the wall. “Please don’t do this, Jami.”
He moves closer and cages me in. “When you finally allowed me to explain my situation, you had spent two weeks preparing what you wanted to say. You said you had thoughtlong and hard about it, so I took the last week to figure out what I wanted to say. Now it’s your turn to listen.”
“If I remember right, you had a lot to say that night.”
“I did, but I went about it all wrong. You want open communication, so you’re going to get it. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry. You were right. I should’ve told you what I was going through on our first date. For that, I’ll always be sorry.”
My heart races. “I feel terrible about your loss. Please know that.”
“Of course I do, but that’s not what this is about. I’m done making the same mistakes I have over the last sixteen years. That’s how long we’ve been dancing around our connection. Take a minute to think about that. Let it sink in. That’s how long we’ve loved each other.”
That realization hits me like a lightning strike.
I swallow hard and blink away any feelings for him that are threatening to surface. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because this is what you said you needed from me. To fight for you, to put you first, and to talk to you about how I feel. I love you, Dori. You love me too, whether or not you want to admit it. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Jami…”
“If you gave me two weeks alone with you like you had with him, your relationship with him would be over. We both know it to be true because we share too much history. We share years of love. You’ve known him for less than a year. If you think for one minute that overrides us, you’re lying to yourself.”
The air crackles around us. Everything he’s saying falls over me with unrelenting truth. My blood pulses fast through my veins. I try to back farther away, but I’m already smashed against the wall.
I reach for the only leverage I can think of. “You say this now, but the second Aiden comes into the picture, you’ll cower away.”
