“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“It flew out of my head when I heard you say ‘you cried, you screamed, and doubted every minute with me’. The scorching in my chest exploded in rage that she’d had that kind of influence.”
“Do you love her?”
“Yes, but you already know that. What you need to understand is the way I love her.”
“I don’t think I need to know. It stings.”
“You’ve got an idea in your head, and it’s the wrong idea.”
“You had a life before me. I get that, but I’m not strong enough to be second choice around her and your friends. You loved her, she chose Declan, you moved on. But I’ll always know I was second choice.”
His eyes narrow, and his mouth forms a thin line. He searches my face with a guilty expression. “Raven and I have been friends forever, and we’ve always been close. A few years ago, after she had gotten together with Declan, she was kidnapped. It scared the shit out of me, and something changed. I felt the need to protect her from anything and anyone that could hurt her. Declan made some ill-informed decisions while trying to launch Sayge into the national music scene. Those decisions drove Raven away to Paris. I got on that plane fully convinced I was in love with her and I had eight weeks to show her.”
I flinch as my gut twists. His free hand moves to mine, lacing our fingers together. He lifts them to his mouth, kissing each knuckle. The tender touch and the look of regret brings tears to my eyes.
“I’m not going to lie. We had a wonderful trip, but she was hopelessly in love with Declan. I knew where she belonged, so I put her on a plane and stayed behind to work. Hell, I even called him to tell him she was coming back and not to fuck up again. Within a few days, they were back together. Not long after, they were re-engaged, then a few weeks later, I was asked to be in the wedding.”
“That’s ballsy,” I mutter.
“No, it wasn’t, because we realized I loved her, but in a different way. Not once after she boarded the plane back to Nashville did I regret my decision. I never thought about it again until a few days ago when you drove away. I had a nagging feeling all day that something wasn’t right. Then when your parting words replayed in my head, I felt like the ground had been snatched out from under me. Once I knew what happened, anger and disappointment blinded me.
“Never in my life have I experienced the range of emotions I’ve felt the last few days without you. Not even when Robbie was hurt and we lost our friends. The thought of losing you had me in knots. When I heard you today, playing that song, it crushed me. It was then I knew what it felt like to be completely and utterly in love.”
The air swoops out of my lungs, and I tremble in his lap. Did I hear him correctly? Does he love me? There’s scorching in my chest as my vision starts to blur.
“Presley, take a breath,” he says softly, leaning in to rub his lips across mine.
I inhale sharply, still stunned.
“Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
I can’t move.
“Baby, I love you. I’m in love with you. I understand if it’s too soon for you.”
I shake my head, trying to clear the fuzziness and formulate words. My hands fly to his face, and I press my mouth against his, kissing everywhere.
“I lost my mom when I was fifteen years old. One of the last things she told me was to never settle for anything but true, heart-pounding, earth-shaking, devotional love. She used to say my dad was her soul mate. He never recovered from her death. Even through the years when dating, he’s never gotten serious. She told Simon and Johnny the same thing, and they thought she was crazy, but not me. I knew it was out there, and I felt it the night you kissed me at the symphony event. I told Reese the next day you had the ability to destroy me.
“That’s why I reacted like I did to Raven’s declaration. I couldn’t take falling madly in love with you to be second choice. It crushed me.”
“Presley, you’ll never be my second choice. I promise you that.”
My heart leaps for joy, and my stomach starts flipping. I launch myself toward him, taking us both back on the sofa, my body covering his. He grunts in surprise as I slam my mouth to his, kissing him hard and deep. His fingers thread through my hair, gripping tightly as I grind against him. Our tongues dance together, and I moan in appreciation when he moves his hands to cup my ass.
“Your choice, bed or couch, but in about five seconds, I’m going to be inside you. I’m going to fuck the memory of the last few days out of your head,” he rumbles against my mouth, bucking into me.
“Here, now.” I force myself back and yank my shirt over my head. His eyes land on my hot pink demi-cup bra, and there’s a growl from his throat.
He jackknifes up and switches our position, his body now over mine. We move frantically against each other. Our hands, arms, and legs tangle as the remaining clothes and shoes end up thrown in every direction of my living room. My fingers loop at the edge of my panties to slide them down when he stops me.
“Don’t move.”
I freeze as he rakes his eyes up and down, licking his lips in appreciation. A full body shiver rocks through me. The air thickens with sexual tension as I remain still, my own eyes appreciating his hard, sculpted body. It seems like Thursday night, on his bike, was a lifetime ago. His dick rubs lightly against the lace of my panties, teasing me as my stomach clenches with need.