Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
I saw the second she realized that this changes nothing, and damn it, I wish it could. I watched her break right in front of me, desperately wishing I could take her pain away. If I could be the man she deserves, I’d hold her until our dying days, but that’s not possible.
That kiss though.
Fuck, I’ve kissed plenty of girls over the past three years, each one of them for the sole purpose of trying to dull the ache in my chest, but not one of them made me feel as though I could breathe again. Not one of them was Zoey. It was everything I knew it would be, and damn it, I’ve never wanted to do something so badly again. If I could be back up there kissing her right now, I would.
I don’t know what I expected to come out of tonight, but that sure as hell wasn’t it. When I followed her into her closet, I expected her to scream at me. I wanted to give her the chance to get it all out, to say everything she needed to say, but she didn’t stop me or push me away, and the second my lips came down on hers, I felt the darkness lift. Don’t get me wrong, it was still hovering close by, ready to infect me all over again, but for those few minutes with my lips against hers, I felt like I was finally the man she always needed me to be.
When you finally realize that you deserve to be happy, come back to me.
Those words haunt me as I make my way downstairs and meet my mom by the front door. Come back to me. Shit. I wish it could be that easy. But there’s no denying it, the three years of distance have done nothing but make my need and attraction for her all that much stronger.
In that closet, all that existed was her. Her touch on my body, her lips on mine, her soft, breathy moan as my arm wrapped right around her back and pulled her against my chest. It only proves how much she belongs with me. We’ve always been two halves of the same whole, and when we came together, it was like our souls coming home. It was nothing but a stark reminder of everything I’d given up and the pain I’d caused her.
It was never my intention to hurt her, but she has to understand that it’s best this way. If I were to finally give in to those urges, to be her whole world like she is mine, I would eventually drag her down. Zoey James was born to fly, and I . . . I was born with nothing but poison in my veins.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I give Zoey’s parents a forced smile and thank them for dinner, grateful neither of them bothered to ask where I’ve been. They know without being told, so what’s the point of coming up with a lie?
Glancing at Mom, I find her with one hand braced against the wall to keep her upright. “Shit, Mom. Just how many glasses of wine have you had?”
“Is that really any of your business?” she questions, trying to fish her car keys out of her purse, and after trying for far too long, I take the purse and grab the keys myself.
“Fuck me,” I mutter under my breath. “Can you even walk?”
Mom bursts into laughter, and it’s only seconds before Zoey’s mom is snickering right along with her, needing to grip her husband’s arm to keep from toppling over. “I guess we’re about to find out,” she tells me, bouncing her brows and grinning like a child.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I reach around her and open the door before pressing a hand to her lower back and leading her out. I rarely see her like this, and that’s mostly because she’s always had to be her own designated driver. I haven’t exactly been here to ensure she gets home safely. But clearly, she took advantage of her opportunity tonight.
After leading her out and getting her settled in the passenger’s seat, I drop down into the driver’s seat and recline it all the way back, not knowing how the hell she could stand sitting so close to the steering wheel.
Backing out of Zoey’s driveway, I head home, and the drive is silent for a few minutes before Mom lets out a sigh and gives me a sad smile. “You broke her heart again, didn’t you?” she questions.
I keep my stare focused on the road, knowing if I were to meet her saddened eyes, I’d surely break. “She deserves better, Mom,” I murmur, my voice barely audible in the silent car. “The sooner she’s able to figure that out and move on, the better. I’m only going to hurt her.”