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Her heart fluttered as she stared up at his face—his beautiful face and bright eyes and gorgeous, kissable lips. How had she not fallen in love with that face sooner? Maybe she had only been fooling herself. But now she felt it so deep inside her, so deep in her bones, that she felt like swinging from the rafters and screaming it. It was impossible to ignore.
Instead, she sighed.
Not the time. Let him heal.
“I was expecting you to be long gone by now,” he said, resting his head on his arm.
“Hmm?”
“It seems to be your go-to move. When things get intense, you run.”
Guilt swept through her. How terrible it must have been for him. She’d had trouble thinking past her own panic before. Now she just wanted to stay there forever, in his bed, in his arms.
Her gaze dropped from his face. She feared she’d see pain in his eyes and blurt something stupid. “I’m sorry about that.”
It was silent a moment, and she pretended there was something interesting on her fingernail.
“Why did you stay?” he whispered, as if he were afraid of the answer.
Moving to sit up against the headboard, she tiptoed around the truth. “I was worried about you.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I care about you, obviously.”
“Care?”
She jerked her gaze up to look into his eyes. Was he pushing her on purpose? When she thought she’d find teasing, there was worry there instead. His jaw clenched tight as he studied her. Anxiety and pain were written on his face, as well as maybe a bit of hope. Did he want her to say it?
Swallowing hard, she dove in. “Yes. I care about you immensely.” Tears welled, but she blinked them back, staring at her hands.
Silence stretched.
She dared a glance at him. He frowned, then nodded slowly. It felt as if her heart were being sliced in two. She couldn’t bear to see him this way. Was he hoping she’d say more and she’d just let him down?
Fuck. Why wasn’t there an instruction book on this?
She sighed, frustrated. “Fine.”
He cocked his head. “Fine, what?”
“The timing is wrong, and I’m probably doing this wrong, but if you’re gonna force me, then . . . fine!” She glared. “I love you, Banner. And I’m sorry about what happened last night. I wish I could take that pain for you so you didn’t have to feel it. And I’m sorry for the last month with Ambrose. But I wouldn’t take that away, even if I could, because it made me realize how perfect you are for me. And I’m sorry the timing sucks for me to say I love you, but it’s true. Feel free to kick me out the door, but you brought me to this and . . .”
“Shhh.” He put a finger over her lips.
She froze, her eyes brimming with tears. He was going to reject her. Any second, he was going to tell her to leave. Her throat closed up, and she struggled to breathe.
“The timing doesn’t suck. The timing could never suck to tell someone you love them.”
Her tears spilled over, and Banner wiped them from her cheeks. Her lip trembled, but she tried to make her voice steady. “You . . . you love me, too, right?”
If he said no, she’d just die. Her heart seemed to stop beating as she waited for his answer. Maybe she’d misread him yesterday. Maybe she’d just made a complete fool of herself. Maybe—
“I adore you.” He smiled.
“Adore me? Like . . . like a sister or—”
“Absolutely not.” He pulled her tighter. “I hate to have to tell you this, but I have an awkward and intense affection for you.”
