Page 89 of Run to Me

“Why…” I can’t finish the question, but he understands what I’m asking. Why did you stop?

He grazes my cheek with his knuckles, a gesture of love and tenderness after wrecking me so thoroughly. “Because you had enough. You reached your limit. If I kept going, you wouldn’t have enjoyed it.”

I struggle to stop the tears brimming in my eyes. “Thank you.”

“Never thank me for knowing where to draw the line.”

Snagging his shirt off the floor, he wipes my chest and lifts me into his lap. I nuzzle his neck, my favorite hiding place when the stirring emotions become too much to bear. Goosebumps surface where his fingertips dance up and down my arm.

“Why are you crying, beautiful?”

A sniffle confirms his suspicion. “You’re being so sweet.”

“And that makes you cry?”

“I’m never sweet to you. It’s so one-sided. I’m not a nice person, and my vagina’s sore.”

His chest quakes with a soft chuckle. “Those are unrelated concerns, so let’s start with the first one. You’re sweet in your own way, and I prefer you just as you are. Don’t change for my benefit. As for being sore, I’ll take good care of you, and you’ll feel better in the morning, okay?”

“Okay.”

He lingers when he kisses the top of my head, breathing in my coconut-scented conditioner. “Let’s shower, then we’ll talk.”

Snuggled against Jensen in his bed, my mouth stretches with a big yawn. “I’m so sleepy. Can we please talk tomorrow?”

Neither of us spoke in the shower. He scrubbed our bodies and washed his hair while gathering his thoughts. He’s upset with me, and I understand his reasons. The line of communication has been practically nonexistent over the past few days, and the faulty wiring sparks on my end alone.

“You’re a flight risk, so we’re doing this now. You can sleep after we talk.” He turns onto his side and faces me, folding an arm under his head. The fingers of his free hand whisper against my jaw, and his unwavering gaze penetrates mine. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

Lacing my fingers through his, I maintain eye contact so he knows I’m being truthful. “I’ve been busy with Vera. She drains me, and I fall asleep before you get off work.”

“You can drop into Bruno’s any time and see me. We’re not too busy during the week, and even if we are, I’ll stop everything for you.”

Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to me to visit Jensen at work. Do most couples drop by each other’s place of employment just to say hello? He might annoy me if he were to show up while I’m working. Gigs pay by either the hour or the face in my profession, so time is money and all that.

“I hadn’t thought of that, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

Curiosity pinches his brows together when he asks, “Have you ever been in a relationship?”

With my eyes pinned on our joined hands, warmth suffuses my cheeks. “No. When you travel all the time, it’s hard to find someone steady—someone confident enough in themselves to stick it out.”

He gives me a tired, but devastating, smile. “It’s a good thing I’m known as a steady, confident guy.”

“Arrogant,” I mutter, rolling my eyes.

“Certain.”

“Delusional.”

Leaning forward, he brushes his lips against mine and whispers, “Faithful.”

I scoff. “Please. I’m sure you’ve had relationships with other women. You dated lots of girls when you were younger.”

“Dated, but I’ve only had one relationship. A very short one because my heart has remained faithful to you.”

I shake my head and chuckle in disbelief, bewildered by how easily he makes such declarations. “You say the wildest things sometimes. I never pegged you as a romantic.”

“Romance is for dreamers. I’m a realist, and nothing feels more real than the way my heart thrashes when I think of you or look at you. Like it wants to burst from my chest and jump straight into yours.”