Page 20 of Healing You
He said nothing, moving in closer to her. Fuck, she looked gorgeous. Even frustrated and ruffled. Lifting a hand, he pinched a chunk of blond hair between his fingers, letting the strands glide over his skin before he released it, letting it fall against her temple. It immediately slipped back into her eyes. She swept it back herself with a palm, shaking her head. “God, I'm such a mess. You must be getting a real kick out of this. Yvonne Sarzacki ready to explode in the bathroom because her parents and ex-fiancé are driving her bananas—”
“Remember our first date?” Steve interrupted and she froze, locking eyes with him. “I took you here. You couldn't drive yet and your dad made me take another driver's test with him as the instructor to prove I was responsible behind the wheel.”
“Even though you had had your license for a year already.” A smile threatened to turn those full, rosy lips of hers up. “You wore a suit that was too big for you.”
He laughed, dipping a hand into his pocket. “It was Cam's,” he admitted. “And you wore a white dress with sunflowers on it.” Another step closer. Yvonne backed against the sink, placing her hands on the edge, a crumpled paper towel still between her fingers. “I've never been able to look at sunflowers since without thinking of you.” He cupped her jaw and inhaled deeply. “God, Yvonne. This date tonight—me with Sophy...”
“You don't have to explain. You're free to date whomever you want.”
As she said that, she pulled her index finger to her mouth, chewing at her nail. Something inside of him broke, and he gently pulled her hand away from her lips. He didn't want to be there tonight with Sophy. He wanted to be across from Yvonne. Only Yvonne. “But I don't want to date just anyone.” He didn't finish that thought, instead leaving the implications out on the line to dry.
Could he really give this another try? And would she even let him? He ran his nose along her jaw, teasing her with just the faintest brush of his lips against her soft skin. She inhaled a sharp breath, her chest expanding with it, and her breasts pushed against the seams of her silky dress. Steve wrapped his other hand around her ribs, gently moving his thumb in circles. “I've really missed you.”
A humorless laugh exploded from her lips as she shoved his shoulders away from her. “You've missed me? You've missed me?” she repeated. “You've got to be kidding. You alienated me, Steve. You never came to visit me in the hospital. You wanted nothing to do with me for years! You broke my heart.”
“We both know you didn't want to see me in the hospital. You were pissed.”
“I was only pissed after you didn't come to see me.”
Steve shook his head. Christ. Was he supposed to just forget about that letter? Ignore all the terrible things she said to him in it? “I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. But it was pretty damn clear you didn't want me there and excuse me for not forcing myself into a situation where I wasn't welcome. So, yes, I stayed away. You deserved someone who wouldn't be so fearful of breaking you. Someone who wouldn't put his adventures before your safety.”
“They were my adventures, too. It was my life to put in danger or keep safe. Not yours. And you sound an awful lot like my parents right now.” She gulped and somehow her hands had landed on the lapels of his jacket. Smoothing Steve's tie, her touch glided down his chest and the motion made his breath stall. Why was she touching him? The tenderness of her fingers on his body were completely opposite of her words and tone.
“I am sorry I hurt you, leaving for college without saying goodbye. But after the hospital, it seemed like it was what you wanted,” he answered.
“Your attempt at a clean break? That was never what I wanted,” she whispered, finally dragging her hands up the back of his neck and tugging on his hair. Steve groaned, brushing his hands down her ribs and landing on her waist.
“Steve,” she moaned and her voice shot through his body.
He closed his eyes, dropping his forehead to hers. The next thing he knew, his lips were against hers. Sweeping over her mouth, he tongued hers open and she didn't resist at all. Her arms curved more around his neck until she was hugging his body against hers. Her soft breasts pushed against his body and he groaned, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth with a growl.
She gasped, and he didn't know who moved first, but then she was sitting on the sink counter, her legs wrapped around his waist. Her heels dug into his ass, pulling him harder against her body as he kissed his way down her neck. A neck he knew so well. He had memorized it back in the day, replaying all their kisses so many times in his head.
Her hand dragged down the side of his face and he grabbed it, sucking her finger into his mouth. Kissing her palm, he swept his lips down to her wrist and froze as his eyes blinked open. Her scar stared back at him. The reminder of exactly how bad he was for her. He lowered his lips to the inside of her wrist, pressing a kiss there. From above him, he heard her gasp.
“No,” she cried, yanking her arm out of his grasp and pushing back, holding Steve at arm's length.
“Yvonne—”
She slid off the counter, arms still outstretched to keep him away. “I said no.”
He put both hands up, stepping back. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.
Yvonne hugged her arms into her stomach and let out a wry laugh. “Clean break, my ass.” She swallowed, looking down at her lap, and brushed a hand across the scar on her arm. “Clean breaks heal, Steve. If it was really a clean break, we both would have been over this—us—years ago. That excuse is bullshit and you know it.” She pushed off the sink, wiping a finger beneath her eyes.
“Thirteen years is a long time. Things change.”
Yvonne snorted. “Some things change. Other things... never do. I felt horrible about that night. I felt responsible and alone. I not only lost my boyfriend, I also lost your sister from that accident. I lost two of my best friends.”
He had tried to convince Ronnie not to abandon Yvonne. But his sister was stubborn. And as soon as she got a whiff of that letter, she had wanted nothing more to do with Yvonne. “Yvonne—”
“Don't!” she snapped, holding her hand up to silence him. And damn, it worked. She pursed her lips together. “I really don't want to hear anything else tonight.”
He pushed too hard. Too soon. Hell, maybe it was the sort of line that should never be crossed, but Yvonne had this magnetic pull that even when they were avoiding each other, she was always in his thoughts. “Someday, I'd really like to give you that apology. And go into the details of the aftermath of our accident. I get that tonight's not the right time for that.” Bracing himself beside her against the sink, he lifted his gaze to his own reflection, nearly wincing at the sight. Yvonne didn't say another word as she shoved her way out of the restroom.
But Steve didn't see her go. His gaze was still stuck on his own reflection in the mirror. His own scar.
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