“All I wanted was you, Sabrina. You’ve invaded my thoughts from the moment I met you.” I took another step toward her. “I’ve wanted to tell you that I loved you so many times, but I couldn’t…”
“Because you love other women, too?” She quirked an eyebrow.
Her question startled me. “What? No.” Was she serious? Where on earth would she have gotten that idea?
She let out a laugh as she glanced to the side. “That’s what Katie told me. That she divorced you because you cheated.” She glanced back at me. “But if what you’re saying is true, maybe Katie isn’t the most reliable source.”
I’d failed her. If she thought there was even a chance of me thinking about another woman when I was around her, then she had no idea how I felt for her. How I was always going to feel about her.
“There is no other woman for me than you.” I took another step closer. “You have fundamentally changed me. You are the woman I think about as soon as I wake up in the morning and the woman I want to hold as I fall asleep at night.” I took another step. “Even if you told me to leave right now and never come back, I will love you until my last breath.” Another step. “And through the eternities.” I was only inches away from her now.
I waited, letting my words sink in. I waited, wanting her to have the chance to reject me. But if she even hinted that she loved me like I loved her, then I was going to take her in my arms like I’d fantasized about.
Her gaze was concentrated on my chest. I could feel her hesitation, but she wasn’t pulling away. I allowed myself to hope that, someday, she would forgive me. Someday, she would let me love her like I’d been created to do.
“You left me,” she whispered.
I stared down at her, but she didn’t look up. God, I wanted her to. “I know,” I whispered. “If you let me, I will spend my life showing you how much I regret that choice.” I reached out and brushed her chin with my fingers. I half expected her to pull away, but when she didn’t, I allowed myself to believe that, maybe, there was hope.
She finally lifted her gaze to meet mine. Anger rose up in my chest at the pain I saw. The pain I’d caused her. The pain she felt because I couldn’t get my own life in order.
A tear slipped down her cheek, and out of instinct, I reached up and caught it with my fingertips.
“If I had the power, I would go back and do it differently.” I studied her. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, woman. I will live the rest of my life to make you happy. If you let me in, if you let me love you…”
Her gaze deepened as she studied me.
“I love you,” I whispered. “You have to know that. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you.”
She bit her bottom lip, drawing my attention to her mouth. When I brought my gaze back up to meet hers, I could see desire there. It matched my own.
I slid my fingers across her jawbone, gently brushing her bottom lip with my thumb and threaded my fingers through her hair. I’d wanted this woman for so long. Now that she was letting me touch her, I was going to take my time. I was going to savor every second.
I glanced back up and caught her gaze. “Do you think you’ll ever forgive me?” I didn’t hide my desperation as I studied her.
“Maybe,” she said, a soft smile emerging on her lips. My body warmed as her hands found my t-shirt. She fisted it as she pulled me closer to her.
My smile turned wicked. My other hand found her waist, and I wrapped my arm around her to close the gap. “Are you flirting with me?” I asked, dropping my gaze to her lips once more.
Her gaze turned hazy as she tipped her face up to mine, exposing the delicate skin on her neck. “Maybe.”
I growled as I leaned in, pressing my nose against her heartbeat, and inhaled. Her scent was intoxicating. Mix it with the warmth of her skin, and I was a goner.
Her hands found my shoulders, and I shivered as she slid them to my neck and threaded her fingers into my hair as she tipped her head back further.
That was all the invitation I needed. I didn’t hold back as I nuzzled her and pressed kisses into the hollows of her neck. She let out a moan that ignited a burning inferno in my body. I held onto her as I pushed her back until she was pressed against the wall. With the extra support, I lifted her up until she was level with my lips. She wrapped her legs around me.
I found her mouth with mine. A rush of adrenaline coursed through me as instinct took over. At first, I was cautious. I didn’t want to push her further than she wanted to go. When she parted her lips and her tongue brushed over my mouth, all bets were off.
She was mine.
I gripped her hair so I could position her head and deepen the kiss.
There was so much I wanted her to know in this kiss. There was so much I needed her to understand about how I felt. She was the only woman for me. I was never going to love another like I loved her. She was my soulmate, and I was never going to be the same.
When we finally broke the kiss, I lowered her back to the ground but stayed close. Her cheeks were pink and she was panting as she stared up at me.
“I love you,” she whispered.
