Page 43 of Promise of a New Beginning
“I have to be somewhere at nine.” He rolled onto his side again and pressed himself against her.
She wanted to climb right back on top of him and forget about work and whatever he had to do altogether. She put her hand on his cheek, and the rough stubble added another wanton thought to her already horny mind.
“I have to be at work at eight,” she managed.
He kissed her lightly, then ran the pad of his thumb along her cheekbone, following the line of her jaw to her chin, and placed a kiss in the center of it. She loved when he touched her like that—like he was memorizing everything about her.
“About last night,” he whispered.
Savannah closed her eyes.Don’t say it. If it was a mistake, please don’t tell me. Send me a text. Leave me a message. Just let me live in this amazing fantasy for a few more minutes, please.She opened her eyes, readying herself for the kick to her heart that she feared.
“I meant every word I said.” Jack leaned his forehead against hers. “Every word, Savannah. I know it’s fast and maybe even crazy.”
She couldn’t breathe.
He brushed her hair from her forehead and kissed her there. “But what I feel for you runs so deep. All those things we did together…”
Embarrassment clutched her.
Jack shook his head. His touch was so tender as he drew his hand up along her rib cage. Savannah gasped a quiet breath.
“I want to crawl beneath your skin and become one with you.” His gaze was a sensual caress, his voice a tether to her heart.
She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him to her, and she kissed him as she had so many times the night before. She’d memorized the way he stroked her tongue with a rhythm that was all his own. His touch had already become familiar. She believed his words because every confession came with a touch of proof. Jack Remington was no longer hiding behind anger and guilt, and that was clear in his eyes, his words, his touch.
Savannah put her cheek against his and whispered, “Why did it take so long for us to find each other?”
His eyes narrowed. “Fate. I wouldn’t have been ready before now.”
When she was with Connor, she’d always felt pressure to perform, and with Jack it was just the opposite. Shewantedto touch him, to please him, and she wanted to be loved by him—but there was no rush, no feeling of mandatory reciprocation.
Jack kissed her lips, and then he touched his forehead to hers and said, “I want you to know something.”
“Sounds serious.”
“I don’t know if this is the time to talk, but I need you to hear this. I know I’ve got a long way to go in dealing with everything.” His eyes played over hers. “And I’m sure you’re wondering if I’ll ever get over Linda. I spent two years wondering if I would. Last night I realized that I’ll always love her, and I will probably always feel guilty about losing her the way I did. But the way you’ve touched my heart is one hundred and eighty degrees different from the way anyone ever has before. Everything about us—how we talk, how we touch, how we make love—it’s all different. Deeper. There’s no comparison between you and her, and I’ll do my best to try to keep from mentioning her name.”
She knew she could believe him, but she also knew the pressure that would put him under. She could already see the gears in his mind ticking away, worrying, preparing the guilt for when her name came up, and that’s not what she wanted him to live with.
“Jack, Linda was a big part of your life, and I don’t expect you to forget her or to pretend she didn’t exist. She did exist, and that’s okay. You are who you are because of everything you went through and everything you had together. I can’t imagine that getting over the hurt and dealing with the grief is going to be easy.”
“I can do it,” he said. “I will do it.”
“I know you can, and I believe you will. But please, you have to know that Linda is not a threat to me.” As she said the words, she realized it was true. “You’ll probably have times when you remember something about her and it makes you happy or sad, or when you just need to talk about her. I’m a big girl, Jack. I get that. I’ve watched my father grieve for my mother forever.”Not that I’d want you having conversations with your dead wife.“You’re not in this alone anymore. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.” She brushed his hair from his forehead and cupped his cheek in her hand.
“I love you, Jack.” The words came without effort or thought, and she didn’t have any inclination to stop them. She didn’t care if she’d known him an hour, a day, or a year. She knew she should worry about scaring him off, but after the things he’d said to her, she couldn’t even hold on to that thought for a second. There were all sorts of things she should probably worry about, like if he’d ever get completely over Linda. If they’d ever be able to share a bedroom, or if the anger and guilt would come back and haunt him later that afternoon or the next day. But her father’s words came back to her loud and clear.The strength and ability to survive comes from within.When Jack looked down at her, she knew he had everything he needed to survive. He was stronger than any man she knew. He had to be to survive what he already had.
And when Jack looked into her eyes with so much honesty she wanted to make love to him again and he said, “I love you, too. I really, truly do,” she knew she could believe him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
THE MORNING SUN beat down on Jack’s back as his motorcycle climbed the steep hill toward the Grays’ colonial home. He felt stronger than he had in years and was certain he could deal with whatever lay ahead. The evening before played like a rerun in his mind, and he’d finally pinpointed the moment that he knew he was going to be okay. It wasn’t when he and Savannah were making love or sharing secrets. It had nothing to do with the fact that he had an insatiable appetite for her and that she seemed to have the same for him. It was what Savannah had said and the look of love in her eyes when she’d said it.I love you,Jack, and then,You’re not in this alone anymore.
He parked his motorcycle in the circular driveway and set his helmet on the back. Jack pulled his shoulders back and drew in a deep breath, trying to ignore the nervousness spinning in his stomach and the pinch to his heart from the bundle of memories—both happy and sad—that he’d gathered in the Grays’ home over the last decade. He had to do this, and he was not going to chicken out. He walked to the front door, and as he reached for the doorbell, the door swung open.
“Jack.” Elise opened her arms.
Jack embraced her, and the unique warm vanilla smell of the Grays’ house sifted through the doorway.
