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God, I hope not.
Bunny waited for the elevator to finish ascending, and as she stood there, she played the moment of facing him out in her head over and over again. But none of them would be her reality. Nothing she imagined could accurately predict Brice’s reaction.
The door dinged before opening, and she stepped out. He had the entire top floor, no other doors but the one down the long, ornate hallway.
She took the numerous steps on the marbled, polished floor, heard her heart beating in her ears, felt it in the base of her throat. It was only when she stopped in front of his door that she felt herself clamming up. The fear of rejection, not because things didn’t work out, but because of her own doing, was a heavy stone in the pit of her belly.
Everything could very well be ruined.
Everything.
She lifted her hand to knock, but before her knuckles made contact, the door opened. And there stood Brice, his expression hard to read, maybe even harder than hers probably was.
“Brice,” she said on a whisper. Long moments passed before she said anything else.
Fear was a strong bitch.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said, those words just a breath out of her. “I’m afraid. I was afraid.” And that was all she could say. It was up to him now.
17
Brice knew he wasn’t any saint. He’d been with a lot of women. Most of the time from them throwing themselves at him. He never made any promises he didn’t intend to keep and yet the first woman he could see himself settling down with, starting a life, and she just wanted to throw him away because it was too much.
He grabbed a beer from his fridge, pulling off the top and walking across his apartment floor toward the full-length windows, looking out over the city.
Bunny was out there and he felt like a fucking idiot. Instead of standing and fighting for her, he’d gotten angry and hurt. He’d never been hurt by another person in a long time, and then it wasn’t even this kind of hurt.
When she’d thrown those empty accusations at him, he’d been blown away and not in a good way. He got it, he wasn’t going to win best person award but this was all before he’d met her. The moment he realized his feelings for her, everything else had stopped. He hadn’t played around because he did want to give this a real chance, and only now did he see that.
Running a hand down his face, he tried to clear the fog that entered his thoughts.
Looking back at the moment he’d told her to get out of his office, he wished he hadn’t. He wished he could take it all back, and just laugh. Not at her, but at their situation.
They were both afraid. He got it. He’d never given her a reason to believe he’d truly change.
The sex between them was incredible but to have Bunny all to himself, that was what he wanted. Not just stolen moments.
He wanted all of the tomorrows and the forevers.
When a knock sounded at his apartment.
She was here.
He took a gulp of his beer before moving toward the door and opening it.
Bunny stood outside. Her lips were moving but he couldn’t make out a single word, his mind hazy all the things he wanted to say to her, do to her, filling his head.
“Bunny,” he breathed out.
“Brice?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear a word of what you just said.” He was still amazed that she had come to his apartment.
He opened the door further.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For what I said. For what I did. I’m so stupid.”
“Come on,” he said. “Don’t do this out there.” He’d never had a woman come to his apartment to tell him sorry.
This was all new territory for him. Closing the door behind her, he saw she was nervous.
“Let me grab your jacket.”
He didn’t even want to know if it looked bad that he had a beer. Taking her jacket from her, he placed it next to his own on the door.
She turned, rubbing her hands together but she looked so scared and he saw tears in her eyes.
“I’m not used to feeling this way about anyone or anything.”
“Bunny?”
“Let me finish. I know when I came over here I thought I’d just apologize but seeing you and knowing what I did and what I said, I can’t just say I’m sorry and expect all to be forgiven. It doesn’t work that way.” She took a deep breath. “Brice, I’m in love with you. The kind of love that stays with you and you can’t stop thinking about it. That’s how I feel. You’re in my thoughts all day and night. When I wake, you’re the first person I think about. When I fall asleep, again, you’re there. I’ve never been in love. I’ve never been so consumed by another person and it scares me. These feelings I have for you. They’re not normal for me.”
