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"I'm not invincible, Jake. I cry like any other woman. I'd rather go on wanting you because that's easier than hating you."
"So say it. Tell me you don't love me." He pressed her. He had to. This was it. This was the moment. She either told him to take a hike now, when they were emotionally bare, fantastically vulnerable, or she let him in, giving them a chance at something lasting. If she said she didn't love him, he'd respect her decision. Wouldn't like it, but he'd respect her right to step away from him.
"No. I can't," she said, shaking her head as a lone tear escaped her thick lashes.
He kissed her then. His mouth pressed softly to hers, searching for her answer.
Opening her mouth, she gave in with a little sigh. Keeping his hands planted on the rock was sheer hell, but he wanted her to meet him halfway, to know that he wasn't seducing her. He was baring himself to her.
After several seconds, he lifted his head. "Say it now."
She swallowed. "You know I can't."
He tasted her lips again, pressing gently. Tenderly. "I can't leave you alone, Eva. I'm not treating you like a prize. I'm not a little boy determined to get what I want. I'm a man in strange territory. I can't tum around. I have to see if you and me can be what John and Shelby are, what Abi and Leif are. Hell, what my parents are.''
She looked up at him, lifted a hand, and traced his hairline. "You're killing me. You know that, right?"
"I'm just being truthful," he whispered against her lips.
"This could get really messy," she said.
Jake answered with a kiss because the idea of hurt seemed too far away. This time he reached for her, hauling her against him. He ravaged her mouth before dropping small kisses across her jawline, seeking the sweet stickiness of her neck.
Groaning against her skin, he savored the smell and taste of this woman who'd enraptured him these past weeks. This woman who wore her braids tight, fussed if he didn't load the dishwasher right, and had his back when they charged into a burning house. "You're perfect. So soft. So damn beautiful. Please let me love you. Love me, Eva. Okay? Don't be afraid to love me."
She stilled against him, as though his words had sunk inside her. The moment paused, poignant and surreal. And then she released her breath.
"Okay, Jake. We'll try." Eva dropped her head back so he could better access the delicacy of her collarbone. Jake didn't hesitate, trailing his lips across the length, all the while running his hands over her back. Eva lifted her hands to his shoulders, holding him to her.
A sharp rock jabbed his hand and so he lifted his head. "Let's find a soft patch of grass. Then we'll celebrate being brave by having a good old-fashioned make-out session."
Eva laughed and it shot straight to his heart. The happiness that had played hide-and-seek with him for the past few months slammed into him.
"I like the way you celebrate," she said.
He slithered across the rock to find firm footing. Standing, he extended his hand and then hauled her against him. Hip to hip they stood on the rock. Jake lifted a hand and stroked her jaw. "I can't believe it's you."
"Huh?"
"That you're the one I've been waiting for."
"Am I?" she whispered, looking deep into his eyes as if the truth lay there. "How can you be sure?"
He lifted her hand and pressed it against his chest. "I feel it here. I ache here when I look at you. It's like in the movies. It's crazy.”
Eva clasped his shirt and pulled him to her, lifting on her toes. She brushed her lips across his. "Itiscrazy."
Then she kissed him hard, as if sealing a bargain. Reaching behind her, she started tugging. He heard the zip and with a wiggle of her shoulders the material slid down, hanging on her rounded hips. She wore a strapless bra that strained to contain her large breasts.
Oh, how he remembered those sweet breasts. He'd dreamed about them.
Then she twitched her hips and he dress fell to her feet. She wore postage-stamp-sized bikini panties the color of sour apple lollipops.
"Oh, E. You're so beautiful," Jake said, reaching out to stroke the curve of her waist. Her stomach twitched at his touch.
Eva stepped out of the dress. Picking it up, she looked around. "Where's that patch of grass?"
Mouth dry, Jake pointed to a small area beneath a pin oak. It looked like a little piece of Eden... or maybe just a sufficient place to make out with Eva. Either way, he nearly lost it when she turned on her toes and stepped gingerly out of her strappy sandals and onto the still-lush grass.
