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My heart aches again. I lift my head and touch my lips to his.
He pulls back after a moment, looking deeply into my eyes as his fingers push my fringe from my face. “Tell me you love me.”
“I love you.”
“I know I haven’t said it yet, but…” He licks his lower lip and presses his forehead against mine. “Thank you for choosing me.”
What? “Choosing you?”
“Thank you for not choosing Eric.”
Oh gosh, he thinks I broke up with Eric already… but he must have seen Eric kiss me. What do I do now?
“I got worried when your mum asked me to pick up Dillan, but when you came back…” He smiles slightly. “I didn’t think you would.”
I groan and place my arm over my eyes.
“What?” He chuckles nervously. “What is it?”
“Nathan,” I begin, not daring to look at him. “I didn’t tell Eric yet.” I think back to all of the times I’ve seen on TV, or read in books, where the woman keeps something small from her partner, and in the end it blows up in her face. The entire time I’ve sat there and screamed at the woman to just tell him, it’s not actually that big of a deal. I won’t be that woman. Now I’m kind of wishing I could be that woman, but the one that gets away with it.
He pulls off me and rolls onto his back without saying a word.
“Nathan, let me explain.” I sigh, holding out my hand so he’ll take it. He doesn’t, so I rest it on his chest. “I was going to tell him after work; we agreed to meet up.” Nathan nods for the rest of the story. “When we got to his house, his mum was there with his nine year old sister. They stayed for about half an hour, if that. When we were seeing them out, his sister fell and hit her face really bad. We had to take her to the hospital. We were there for an hour before his mum kicked us out.”
“But he dropped you off. You had time on the way home.”
“Eric was devastated! I couldn’t do that to him. It was very bad timing. I swear, I’ll tell him soon. Just… let him have tomorrow at least.”
“As you wish.”
“As… as I wish?”
“Yes. We’ll give him tomorrow.”
Blink. “We?”
“If you don’t break up with him by Friday, I will.”
I baulk. “You’ll break up with him?”
“Yes,” he confirms, still staring at the ceiling. “And the way I do it won’t be pleasant.”
I should be annoyed by his possessiveness. Actually I am annoyed, but my lower parts are way more affected. “I’d rather do it myself.”
“Then you have until Friday. After that…”
I hear the threat in his voice and can only nod. “Okay. Deal.”
“Good.” He rolls me back over onto my back and covers my lips with his.
After kissing me for a long moment, he leans back and looks at me curiously.
“What?” I laugh nervously at the way he’s looking at me but not really seeing me.
“You still haven’t had a shower and I find myself not caring in the slightest.”
I snort and slap his arm. “Is that another hint?”
“No, I suppose I’ll get used to it.” He kisses me once more, slow and languid with a small amount of tongue. “Go to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
As my eyes close, he cups my face with one hand and runs his thumb over my lips. “Don’t kiss him again, Gwen. I won’t forgive you next time.”
My breath catches in my lungs as I open my eyes to stare at him and a small wave of fear flashes through me at the thought of losing him. “Why forgive me this time?”
He frowns, thinking on it for a moment. “You’re the first woman, the first person I’ve ever loved. I’ve waited for you for three years. I’ve watched you in the arms of my brother when you should have been in mine. I’ll not lose you to another Caleb over a kiss. You’re mine; I’m yours. I can forgive you once, but not twice.” His body tenses and his head goes to my neck. “I won’t share you and I won’t chase you. You deserve better, but if you choose me, I’ll not allow you to look for better.”
“I’ve already chosen you.” I frown, feeling the need to reassure him.
He shakes his head and leans over the side of the bed. He raises Caleb’s picture and my heart starts thudding in my chest. “No, if given the chance, you’d choose him again in an instant. Eric and I would be forgotten.” He places the frame back on the bedside table and stares at it for a moment. Tears burn the back of my eyes at the reality of this situation and his words. I don’t let them fall. He turns back to me and taps my temple. “You’ve chosen me in here.” His hand moves to my chest and rests over my heart, beating steadily against his palm. “But there’s little space for me in here.”
