Page 61 of A Whirlwind of Color (The Light to My Darkness 2)

"That's okay. I can't take that," I laughed uneasily. "You should put it back on, James." I moved to the side so he could pass by me. I felt my cheeks begin to blush.

"I insist." He had a slight smile on his face. "First day of classes," he shrugged. "You'll want to make a good first impression."

I took the shirt from him. Had he really walked around without a shirt all morning? "Thank you," I said quietly.

He was staring at me expectantly.

I pulled on his shirt. It was huge but comfortable. The scent of sweet cologne drifted off of it. It made me feel slightly dizzy. I could feel myself staring at him. "I'm sorry, I should probably go. I'm going to be late…for classes I guess." It came out as more of a question than anything. He was so handsome that I was acting even more awkward than usual.

His lips parted like he was about to say something, but then they closed again.

What was he about to say? I waited for a moment, but all he did was stare at me, setting my skin on fire. I guess that's my cue to leave? I smiled gratefully and walked out of the coffee shop. Bright red rain boots and a men’s dress shirt? Had I really worn that to my first day of class? I’m sure Melissa had loved that story.

I pulled off his shirt as he joined me on the sidewalk, but his the scent of his cologne was still all around me. It lingered on my skin and in my hair. God, just the smell of him made me want to beg for more.

He was staring at me so hopefully.

“That was…nice. I can see why I couldn’t forget about you.” I held the shirt out for him but he didn’t take it.

“Did that bring anything back?”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry.” I pushed the shirt into his hands. “Did you really give me your shirt? What happened to no shirt, no shoes, no service?”

“I gave you my sweater. I was wearing a dress shirt underneath.”

That made more sense. I looked down at the dress shirt in his hand. “You should put that back on before you get arrested.”

“We’re the only ones around.”

“What about the owner of the coffee shop?”

“I’m the owner. It’s closed right now. I just had them leave it open for us.”

“You bought the coffee shop where we met?”

“I didn’t want it to change. I wanted everything to stay exactly the way it was when we ran into each other.” He looked down at the shirt in his hands. “And it wasn’t just where we met. It’s also where I proposed to you. Where you said yes.”

That was so sweet and romantic and wonderful. I bit the inside of my lip. But I still didn’t remember. Coming here hadn’t triggered anything. I could see myself falling for him one day. But I hadn’t already fallen. He was so much further ahead of me, I knew I’d never catch up. None of this was fair to him. I needed to tell him I was staying here. It was so hard to find the words.

“You’ll remember. I know you will. You just need more time.” He pulled his dress shirt back on and slowly buttoned it, hiding his perfect abs beneath the fabric.

Say it, Penny. Tell him you’re not going back to New York. A big fat raindrop landed on the tip of my nose.

“Let’s get back to the apartment,” he said.

At least he hadn’t said it was time to go back to the city. I’d tell him I wanted to stay here. I just needed a little more time to gather up the courage to do it.

James reached out to open the car door for me, but stopped as soon as his fingers touched the handle. He looked up like he had just felt a raindrop too. And in a matter of seconds it started pouring.

Instead of opening the door for me, he just stood there, staring at me as the rain soaked us. It was like he was waiting for something. Waiting for something exciting to happen.

"James…”

“Call me Professor Hunter.”

I swallowed hard. Would that make me remember? It didn’t matter if it did. Just the idea of calling him that when our bodies were so close made me want to rip all his clothes off. Maybe that’s how this whole thing had started. The forbiddenness of it all had made us cross the line. And I was close to crossing it again. So close. “Professor Hunter.”

The look he gave me took my breath away. It was like he was hungry for me. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the car, on either side of me. Our mouths were less than an inch apart. He opened his lips slightly like he was about to say something. I could feel the heat of his breath in the rain. He drew a fraction of an inch closer.

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