Page 81 of Love You From Afar

“Can we book another night?” I ask, genuinely curious.

“I wish,” he sighs. “But this was the last night available to book. Someone else must be checking in tomorrow.”

“I hate whoever that is,” I whine, pushing out my bottom lip.

He chuckles, wrapping his arms around my chest before placing a kiss to the back of my head. I close my eyes, my lips tilting up in a smile at his soothing touch. I exhale a deep breath, resting my head against his chest as I brush the pads of my fingers along his forearms.

“So…” I draw out. “We’re driving back to Dallas tomorrow?”

His body seems to stiffen behind me at the same time his heart begins beating like a drum against my spine. His chest rises and falls as he contemplates my question.

“Everett?” I ask, tilting my head back to look at him.

“Yeah,” he breathes out, his eyes flickering down to meet mine. “I guess we are headed home tomorrow.” The corner of his lips turn up in a sad, unconvincing smile.

His brows pinch together in thought before he asks, “What about your flight home? Didn’t you have one booked?”

I sigh, shifting to rest my head back on Everett’s chest as I lift my gaze to stare out of the twinkling window.

“Elliot booked our flight, so that’s his problem to worry about,” I scoff. “He can get on the plane without me or try to get his money back, but either way, I couldn’t care less what he does as long as I’m not with him.”

Everett clears his throat before bringing his hands to my hair, gently running his fingers through the damp strands.

“Has… has he tried to reach out to you?” He asks, almost nervously.

“Yes,” I nod. “He’s called and texted me over twenty times. And I’ve ignored every single one of his attempts.”

“Of course,” Everett snickers behind me. “The bastard is trying to save his ass now that he’s lost you.”

“There’s nothing to save,” I breathe out. “There’s nothing he could do or say to change anything. Deep down, I think I knew we were past the point of no return months ago. Unfortunately, it took him cheating on me for me to really accept it.”

A beat of silence passes before Everett pulls my hair to the side, placing a featherlight kiss to the nape of my neck.

“Sky,” he raps, his hot breath caressing my skin. “As much as I would love it if you never spoke a word to him again, I know that you have to. I’m not blind to the fact that you were with him for a long time. You live together… You were building a life together. There are conversations you're going to have to have with him when you’re ready.” He exhales a deep breath before continuing.

“I just want you to know that I understand. The two of you have a history that doesn't include me, and I have to accept that. I just never want you to feel guilty or bad about that. I never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. I want you to be able to talk to him or give yourself closure if that’s what you need.” His tone lightens, almost as if I can hear the playful smile tilting his lips. “But you have to promise to come back to me.”

“Always,” I smile, turning to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. “And… Thank you. That means a lot. But I’m not ready to talk to him. I’m not ready to go back to our apartment… not yet at least.”

“What are you going to do?” He asks, dipping his hand beneath the warm water to brush his fingers across my belly.

“I texted my sister and asked if she could get some of my things. Thankfully, I had a spare key made for her when I moved in.” I dip my hand beneath the bubbly water, lacing my fingers through his. “I’m going to stay with her for a while, at least until I find a place of my own.”

“That’s good,” he rasps, a hint of disappointment lacing his tone. I hear him open and close his mouth, as if he’s debating his next words. “You uh… you could always stay with me if you needed to. I’m glad you’ll be with your sister, but I just want you to know that you have another option if you need it.”

God, he’s so cute.And if I didn't want to take things slow with him, I would take him up on that offer. But I want to do this right. I want to enjoy the little things first, like flirty late-night texts. I want to feel butterflies swarming in my stomach as I wait for his reply. I want to feel the burn of kissing him after we’ve spent days apart. I’m determined to take back every moment that was stolen from us.I want everything with him.

“Thank you,” I whisper, “I really appreciate that.”

I bring our linked hands to my lips, pressing gentle kisses to each of his knuckles. I feel his length harden against my lower back, sending electric shocks straight to my core. I swallow, closing my eyes as I try to focus on our conversation and not on the feeling of his cock like steel against my skin.

“So uh,” I cough, clearing my throat. “What’s our plan when we get home?”

He sighs, bracing his arms on the edge of the tub as he situates himself. He sits up straighter to where his dick is a healthy distance away from my back. I chuckle softly, knowing he’s just as distracted as me.

“It depends,” he breathes out. “What do you want?”

“That’s easy,” I respond without hesitation, tilting my head back to stare into his sapphire eyes. “You.I just want you.” His eyes glitter with happiness as his lips turn up in a sexy smile. He leans down, brushing his lips against mine in a promising kiss.

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