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Rose
Ilaid in bed, cradled in his arms. We both stared up at the ceiling, neither of us ready to acknowledge that this was the end. I was leaving tomorrow, and I would never see him again. Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes, but I didn’t make a noise. This didn’t have to be any worse than it already was. I would never regret my time with him, even as short as it was. I’d felt more over the last two weeks than I probably would in my entire life.
His hand found mine, squeezing it tight. I rolled into his side and rested my hand across his chest, feeling it thump underneath. I choked back my tears, closing my eyes as the gentle breeze swept over us. I’d gotten so used to sleeping this way, I wasn’t sure I could ever go back. Everything about my time with him had rapidly altered my life. And now I had to leave him.
The hours slowly slipped by, and I could feel myself drifting in and out of sleep. Every once in a while, I could feel his hand brushing over my skin, lulling me back to sleep. It was as if he didn’t want me to have to be awake to feel every last second of this pain.
When I finally woke up, I was no longer in James’s arms. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. Pressing the sheet to my chest, I scooted to the edge of the bed and wrapped my arms around him. Laying my head on his back, I closed my eyes and allowed myself this one last moment with him before I had to start packing.
Then I kissed his back and slid off the bed, pulling my dress over my head. I should probably shower before getting on a plane full of people, but the thought of washing his smell off me was a terrifying feeling. As long as I still smelled like him, I could do this. I could leave him behind and go back to a man I didn’t love.
My movements were jerky at best as I shoved my clothes in my suitcase. I came here with one goal in mind—to escape a man that didn’t love me. But while here, I found happiness and love, something I knew I could never replicate with anyone else. When I finished packing, he stood from where he sat on the bed and walked over to me. With a smile on his face, he looked just as handsome as the day I met him. I pressed my palm to his cheek, taking one last look at him before stepping past him to the door. There was nothing more to be said between us.
At least, that’s what I thought.
“Wait,” his low voice grumbled, an air of possessiveness to it.
I turned, unable to look at him. What more could he possibly have to say?
“Stay.”
That one word sliced me to ribbons. If only he knew how much I really wanted to stay. “I can’t.”
“Give me one good reason why not,” he said, striding toward me with purpose. He grabbed my hand, which only made a sob crawl up my throat. I tried to jerk my hand back, but he wouldn’t allow it. Then he pressed his palm to my cheek as I had just done to him. “Give me a reason. I need to know.”
“You know why,” I murmured.
“Is he calling you? Asking where you are?”
“No, but—”
“Then stay.”
“I don’t have anywhere to stay,” I said, scrambling for an excuse.
“You can stay with me,” he smiled, tears in his eyes. “In our house.”
I sucked in a breath, my eyes dropping to the floor so he wouldn’t see how much saying that meant to me. It was exactly how I felt.
He lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. “You don’t want to go home yet,” he argued quietly. “You don’t want to be with him.”
“Of course I don’t.” I wiped the tears from my face, shaking my head in anger. “How can you do this to me? We said we had ten days together. I prepared myself for that. I knew this was ending in ten days, and now you’re changing that? Now you want me to stay longer?”
“I’ll always want you to stay,” he said through clenched teeth. He was barely hanging on. He cupped both my cheeks in his hands now, his anger over the situation just as bad as mine. “For as long as we can, I want us to be together. I know that’s shifting our timelines. I know this is what we planned, but I can’t let you go yet. I won’t. I need you here with me for as long as you can stay.”
I choked on my tears, trying to tear my gaze from his. He was hurting both of us by asking this of me. “You know my husband could call at any time. We had our goodbye. It was a perfect night, but if I stay, when he calls, I have to go. There’ll be no last night together. This is what’s best for us.”
“What’s best for us is to stay together. Tell me you don’t feel that too. Tell me you’d rather walk out that door and be miserable than stay here and have as much time together as possible.” When I didn’t answer, he snapped, shouting at me. “Tell me right fucking now that you don’t want to stay with me!”
“Of course I want to!”
He slammed his mouth down on mine, holding me tight to him as I cried against his lips. I lost it, wrapping my arms around him to cling to him as best I could. He was right, I never wanted to let go. I never wanted to leave him. I’d rather spend whatever time was left with him instead of at home, awaiting my fate.
He scooped me up in his arms, carrying me into the bedroom, tossing me down on the bed as he climbed over my body. His kisses trailed over my body as he slid my dress up over my head. Then he was between my legs, thrusting inside me, leaving me breathless. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him in closer as he slowly moved in and out of me.
The heat built between us until it was a raging fire. Our bodies slid against each other, the sweat slickening our bodies heightened the feel of our connection. I gripped the pillow, desperation slamming inside me as he groaned and came inside me just as my body clenched around his.
We laid there panting, both of us depleted of the energy and motivation to do anything. I could hear his breathing slowly return to normal as he lifted his head and his eyes locked with mine. A slow smile crept over my face as I pressed my hand to his cheek.
