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“You’re all I think about,” I rasp inches from her lips. “This is how it’s meant to be between us, how it always should’ve been.”
“No, we’re wrong for each other.”
“Maybe that’s what makes us right.”
I lower my mouth to greet hers in a swift reunion. Our first second chance kiss is chaste, a test to seek permission. Harper whimpers, but doesn’t pull away. Her body trembles against mine. That slight reaction has my lips parting over hers to expose what we’ve allowed to hang in the balance. She opens for me with a muffled sigh.
Our tongues move in unison. Memories assault me from days long past as we dive into familiar territory. It’s been years since I’ve kissed Harper, but right now it doesn’t feel like time has passed at all. My knuckles scrape against abrasive brick while I tangle my fingers in her hair. I gently cradle the back of her head to act as a cushion. She sucks my bottom lip while I stake a claim on her mouth. My arm that’s still looped around her waist locks us together. These motions are natural between us, an exchange lost but not forgotten.
Heat floods my veins in a wave that makes me dizzy.Fucking combustible.Each second is a reminder of the chemistry we share. The flames spreading warmth through me only burn for her. As if sensing my urgency to reconnect, her fingers curl into my shirt just above my thumping heart. She uses the grip to pull me closer. I go willingly, seeking more contact from her. Then, just as suddenly, Harper flattens her palm and shoves to break us apart.
“We need to stop.” Her lashes are wet.
“Fuck, Pitch. What’s wrong?” My thumb traces her upturned jaw.
She takes a moment to gather her thoughts, blinking at the unshed tears. “Everything.”
“Can you be more specific?” Pressure lodges in my chest. “Did I push you too fast?”
The edges of her mouth wobble. “No, not really.”
“I didn’t mean to maul you. It just felt nice to hold you close again.”
Harper’s eyes drift from mine. “I can’t let you kiss me and pretend everything is okay. We’re not okay, Jake.”
My stomach knots against her upset. “I didn’t assume we were.”
“No?” Her laugh is hollow. “I might’ve spread my legs for you the other night, but that doesn’t mean I’m easy. It’s just a shitty position I put myself in.”
I flinch, her words striking like a physical blow. “Shit, you think I’m taking advantage of you. Am I that bad?”
“You certainly haven’t been good.” Harper scoffs hard enough to send stray hairs flying off her forehead. “I’ve done my best to move on and forgive, but you’ve hurt me. A lot. Not just when we broke up. You’ve directed hostility at me ever since. It’s one thing to let the painful comments slide for the sake of remaining civil, but this”—she motions between us—“is a different story.”
“It isn’t a secret that I’m an asshole, especially to you.”
“Yes, that’s the common excuse you tend to spew whenever we argue.” And she doesn’t sound the least bit impressed.
Gnarled, finely-tuned defenses rise to take control. “What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry?”
“It would be a decent start.”
My chuckle is dry, the brittle edges flaking off with each humorless note. “You don’t think I know who takes the blame? I fucked us over then, just like I’m doing now.”
“Then own it,” Harper presses.
“I’m trying.” The conviction lashes out from my clamped jaw.
Her chin lifts at a proud angle. She isn’t shying away. A serene whisper parts her lips. “Try harder.”
My destructive temper lurks at the ready. I choke down the bellow trying to rip from my throat. Instead, I surrender to the pull Harper has on me. Lord only knows when I’ll have another opportunity to fuck this up. My arms wrap around her, tugging until she’s tight against me again. She doesn’t struggle, but her body is stiff.
I bury my nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling the calm only she provides. “Every damn day when you’re not beside me, I’m paying for my mistake. You belong with me but you’re not and it’s my fault.”
Her fingers clutch at my shirt, keeping me grounded. “We don’t just… do this.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“If I said yes?”
