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Chapter Twenty
Shelby stared at the man who was looking at her like she’d ripped his heart out, and she had no idea how to fix it, or what to say. Last night, she’d gone to bed angry, but now she saw what he saw, through his eyes, and it wasn’t pretty. Did he actually think she would leave without saying good-bye? That he meant so little to her?
Inconceivable.
Clearly, though, he didn’t know that.
Glancing around, she saw an elderly neighbor open her door and peer out. She must have heard voices and decided to investigate. A conversation like this needed to be done in private, so she caught Eric’s hand and dragged him into her place. He went along silently, his calloused hand stiff inside hers, but after a moment he closed his fingers around her securely.
After she shut the door behind them, she grabbed his other hand, too, and locked eyes with him. “I would have never left without telling you I was going. Never.”
He flexed his jaw. “You were going to tell me?”
“Of course I was going to tell you.” She licked her lips. “What we have between us, it’s not something I would walk away from without a word. You…I…we mean something, Eric.”
After closing his eyes for a second, he nodded. “Do you forg
ive me for getting drunk last night, and acting like an asshole? I swear it wasn’t because you were leaving. I’m happy for you.”
For some reason that hurt her heart, him saying that, which made no sense.
What did she want him to do? Yell at her? Scream at her for following her dreams? Beg her to stay? “Thank you,” she managed to say. “It’s pretty exciting.”
He cupped her cheek, stepping close enough that she could smell his cologne. She never wanted to forget the scent, or the way it made her feel. Just having him close enough to touch made her skin tingle, and her heart speed up, and her mouth water. It made her come alive. “Do you forgive me, Shel?”
No one had ever called her Shel before, and if she had it her way, no one else ever would. “There’s nothing to forgive,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “If you say you’re happy for me, I believe you. I have no reason not to believe you.”
He leaned down, brushing his mouth across hers. “I can make it up to you. I know the perfect way. Mind-blowing orgasms.”
“Well, I mean, if you insist…” She rose on tiptoe, latching on, refusing to let go because, God, she needed him right now. Needed this. An orgasm or two wouldn’t hurt, either.
Last night had been the first night she spent without him since they’d started sleeping together, and to be honest, it hadn’t been a good one. She’d barely slept, and when she had, she kept waking up and reaching for him, feeling his absence when she found the other side of the bed cold. They might have only been together for a short time, but that time had been pretty frigging amazing, and not having him there beside her left her feeling empty.
Alone.
Unhappy.
His hand slid down her back, cupped her butt, and he lifted her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and held on for dear life. She didn’t want to spend another night feeling that way. She didn’t want to let go. She didn’t want to…
She didn’t want to move.
Didn’t want to leave him.
It had never been more clear to her than it was now, with him supporting her and his mouth on hers stealing her breath away, that she didn’t want to go away and leave this behind. That she didn’t want to leave him behind. Eric was everything she didn’t even know she wanted. Against all rhyme or reason, against all logic, she’d gone and fallen in love with him, and there were only two obvious responses to that: ignore it and go, or accept it and stay.
She wanted to stay.
She wanted to love him.
If she stayed, she was giving up a job that she might love, but if she left, she was giving up a once in a lifetime chance at love. The kind of love that most people only dreamed of. If she stayed, she was gaining so much more than a job, or a new hometown.
She was getting Eric.
He lifted her onto the kitchen counter, resting her on the edge as he pressed his hardness against her. His hands moved over her body, leaving fire in their wake, and she arched her back to get closer to him. It wasn’t close enough. Threading her fingers through his blond hair, she moaned, sliding her tongue inside his mouth. He rocked his hips against her and slid his fingers between them, teasing her with hard, quick strokes. Digging her nails into his scalp, she cried out as he kept touching her, pushing her over the edge slowly until everything exploded, and she came.
His grip on her hardened possessively, and he ended the kiss, dropping his forehead onto hers, his fingers still pressed against her core. She rocked her hips forward, riding the orgasm out until the end. “Eric.”
He kissed her nose, smiling. “Orgasm number one, complete.”
