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“No, I wanted to finish our conversation yesterday.”
She froze, unsure what to say, and then shoved the rest of the decadent éclair in her mouth to stall. Leaning back against the plush material, she let the savory, sweet deliciousness take her away for a moment.
“Margo, I have been under the impression for years that you fell out of love with me, and that was why you didn’t try to come to UCLA. And that you later slept with my brother. But I think it’s time to clarify what exactly happened. I know why you were helping him, and I appreciate it. And that means there are no reasons I should stay away from you. There is only one thing standing between us now.”
This time she did start choking, and he was up on his feet, patting her back until it cleared. Then he opened her juice and handed it to her as he sat next to her. She was having a difficult time being annoyed with him when he was being so thoughtful. Their thighs were pressed together, and his body heat warmed her.
“But first, I need to know if there was any other reason you didn’t come with me to UCLA. I understand the student loans weren’t enough, but why didn’t you ask me to help? We were going to get married. Was there some other reason you didn’t confide in me?” he asked, sitting next to her with his large warm hand still on her back, and her traitorous body was humming with excitement at his touch.
Goose bumps spread up her legs, her nipples hardened, and a low, slow warmth spread through her body.
She stood, needing to get space from his body heat and the raging desire he evoked.
“Can I just go pee and put on normal clothes for this interrogation?”
He stood up as if just realizing she was in her PJs, and his eyes settled on her nipples standing at full attention behind the well-worn T-shirt.
“Yes, sorry. I’ll wait.”
Once back in her room behind a closed door, she laughed at the site of the lines from her pillowcase on her face, her wild frizzy hair, and total nips poking through the dark material. She quickly cleaned up, and a few minutes later, she reappeared to find him looking at some pictures on her bookshelf.
“Listen, thank you for the éclairs, and I’m glad you’ve patched things up with Ian. I didn’t fall out of love with you. I just couldn’t afford to go to UCLA and go to medical school. It was give up my education or give you up. When I told you I couldn’t go, I thought you would choose me.” She spoke so fast her chest was rising and falling, like she’d sprinted by the time she was done.
Drake stood, and she was struck with just how much she missed his handsome face, how much she used to enjoy just staring into those onyx eyes and tracing the lines of his angular face.
“Damn it, Margo, that was important information.”
He closed the space between them and cupped her face in his hands, unable to resist his touch as she indulged in the ripples of lust that sprung instantaneously over her body. A warm heat spread between her legs and nervous desire made her fidget with the pillow on her sofa.
“Why? After everything, does it really matter? We’re different people now. We made our choices, and you never came back.”
“Because I still wanted you, even from across the country. But I thought you cared so little about me that you had slept with my brother, who hated me.”
“He never hated you. He was just jealous, and he took his pain and rejection from your dad out on you.”
“What about you? Do you still hate me?” His thumb ran along her bottom lip, teasing her. Daring her to deny how much she still wanted him.
“No, I’ve never hated you.”
She tried to pull from his grasp, but he tilted her head up to look into his eyes before he brushed his lips gently over her temple.
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” she said, her voice strained. Her emotions were teetering on the edge of all tumbling out.
“Why won’t you look at me?”
“You never once considered staying. You just went without me. You left me and our plans behind.”
“I didn’t know you wanted me to stay. You were so cold and indifferent when you said you weren’t going. There was no talking you out of your decision, and it made no sense. I was shocked. After years of us planning and waiting to see if we both got in, you just ditched me. You didn’t tell me you even applied to George Mason as a backup. I didn’t apply to any other programs.”
“Because I knew you were obsessed with UCLA. You made it clear there was no other option for you.”
“I thought you didn’t want to go because of me.”
She shook her head. “No, I never stopped wanting you. I even told my folks I had a plan to take a year or two off to save up and go with you. And they were so disappointed, they knew they couldn’t forbid me, but they begged me to reconsider, and not put my plans on hold for love.”
“I’m sorry you felt like you had to choose,” he said, right before his mouth landed on hers. Flashes of light sparked behind her eyelids, and her hands were on him. They were both starving for each other. He hoisted her up into his arms, and her legs wrapped around him on instinct. His hands gripping her ass made her moan as he stepped back around to sit on the sofa with her now straddling his lap. His arms slid up her back under her shirt to stroke her tender skin before moving around to the front of her body to cup her breasts.
Their tongues collided, and her hips ground over his. In the next minute, he lifted her shirt off, and his warm mouth was licking along her bra line. Cradling his head in her arms, she arched her back to give him better access. He pulled down the thin material of her bra, his mouth closing over her painfully hard nipple just as the sound of her cell phone rang loud. With his face buried in her chest and her arms wrapped around his head, they both froze.
