Page 15 of The Next Of Us
His arms closed around me tighter.“I love you.”
I swallowed my tears and nodded before pressing my head back into his shoulder, tucking my forehead into the curve of his throat.
We couldn’t be over.
“I love you, too.”
He inhaled deeply, his hold loosening, hands shifting to my hips.“Can I make you a cup of tea?”
“I’d like that.”
With a squeeze, he released me, the loss of his warmth sending me scurrying to my usual seat closest to the wood stove.After months of hot flashes, feeling cold was almost a relief.
The cabin, that was really less a cabin and more a house that just happened to be built in the middle of nowhere, was long past due for a renovation.Max adamantly opposed making any major changes or updates and he had plenty of support from the rest of the family.
I didn’t mind.It was warm and comfortable as it was, its rustic edges softened with wide couches, fleece lap blankets, and an abundance of pillows.The lines of the interior were timeless, the wide baseboards and sturdy trim, fitting.Still, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a really good cleaning and maybe spruce up the paint.Maybe Aaron and I could take on that project while we were here.
My heart sank, unsure if we’d be here that long until I heard what he had to say.
By the time he brought my tea, I’d mentally gone over my packing list, sold the house, and had my first encounter with his imaginary new girlfriend.
Because a man like Aaron would not stay single for long.
When he chose to take a seat in the chair across from me instead of on the couch beside me, my blood ran cold.
The shame of his rejection stung.I dipped my chin to hide my tears and my rage.
“Do you want to watch a movie?”
Slowly, I raised my head to glare at him.“Really?You drag me up here with no indication for how you’d like this little getaway to go and now you want to sit here and watch a movie like everything’s okay?”
He shook his head sharply, shifting forward to brace his elbows on his knees.“Nothing is okay.I know that.”
“What do you know?”I whispered.His words of assurance did not line up with his actions, and I’d learned long ago that actions were the more honest indicator.
For several, agonizing seconds the only sound was the crackling of the wood stove and the howling of the wind outside.
Finally, he dropped his head, his gaze trained to the floor.“Nadine, can I just hold you tonight?”
I sucked in a breath.“Are we over?Is this a ‘one last night’ thing?”
“No.”He shot off the chair so fast I drew back.Dropping to his knees in front of me, he braced his hands on either side of my hips and caged me in.“I fucking promise it’s not that.”
The light from the fire burnished his handsome face as his hazel eyes searched mine.
Unable to speak, I simply nodded.
And began to hope.
A sharp whistle slipped under the doorframe, rattled the windows, and sent a flurry of goosebumps down the back of my neck.
“Nadine,” he whispered, eyes steady on mine.“Can I touch you?”
The hesitation in his voice shook me.“You’ve never asked before…”
He replied just as quietly.“I’ve never felt like I needed to.”
My voice cracked.“Why do you feel like you need to now?”What had he done to warrant such trepidation?
