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“Go talk to him, Lexi.”
* * *
Nervous anticipation makes my mouth dry as I hurry down the hallway. I changed my clothing, put on lip gloss and blush, and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. I showered early this morning but didn’t feel like washing my hair, so this was the best I could do.
I stop, sucking in a breath. Evan is walking down the hall, a coffee cup in his hand. He hasn’t seen me since his eyes are downcast, staring at the floor. His posture and demeanor is a far cry from the arrogant Evan I know.
Sophia’s right. He is hurting. Badly.
I stop breathing, my heart pounding inside my chest. Even with a baseball hat, wrinkled clothing, and stubble on his face, he’s the best thing I’ve seen in days.
A small squeak escapes my lips, causing his head to jerk up. He stills, smokey eyes locking with mine, bloodshot and rimmed by purplish black circles. I swallow hard, hating that I did that to him.
Even though he hurt me, too.
“Lexi.” My name is a reverent whisper on his lips, as though he’s imagining me. He takes a couple of steps forward, hope flaring in his eyes.
And I run, hating the distance between us. He catches me in his arms, dropping the coffee cup on the floor.
“I lied to you. When you texted saying you missed me, it lit up my insides. For the first time in days, I felt alive. I told you I didn’t want to hear it, but I did.”
His hand wraps around my ponytail. “Your words hurt, but I knew you were lying.”
My lips press against his, my hands cupping his face. I shouldn’t be kissing him in public like this, but I can’t resist him any longer.
His arms tighten around me as he inhales, breathing me in, his lips showing me how much he missed me.
“I missed you,” I whisper against his lips. “I shouldn’t have run. I just…”
Evan pulls back slightly, letting me speak.
“I was hurt. And I took some of the trust issues I have from my past out on you.”
“I know, bellissima. That’s why I gave you space. It fucking sucked, and I hated every second away from you, but if I pushed, you would’ve closed yourself off more.”
My heart melts. The Evan Whitmore I first met wouldn’t have given me space. He’s changed, growing because of his feelings for me.
They’rereal.
He’s genuine.
The anguish on his face guts me. I capture his lips with mine again, desperate to take it away. He moans against my lips, deepening the kiss, inhaling all of me.
Footsteps in the distance cause us to end our kiss, our breathing heavy. Evan spins, his stride rapid despite me being around his waist. “What are you doing?” I whisper.
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he carries me to a door, punches a code in, and carries me inside. The second the door closes, he spins me around, pinning me against it. “I need you, Lexi.”
My fingers tangled in his hair. “I need you, Evan.”
25
SOMETHING DEEPER
Evan
Holding Lexi in my arms is the best feeling I’ve experienced in my twenty-five years on this earth. The pain and heartache I’ve felt since she ran out the door has left me a shell of a man, fearing she’d never come back to me.
But now, she’s in my arms, and I’m never letting her go, ever again.
