His hand tightens on me, and a part of me can tell that he doesn’t completely trust me. “That’s a nice thought, Vi. But I know you’re not going to disappear again. At the end of the three days you’re going to be convinced that I’m the only man you want.”
My brows furrow. “You have it all wrong, Josh. I know you’re the man I want. I knew it two months ago. But it’s not meant to be with us... I’m too...”
He rolls his eyes and pulls me toward the house. “You’re not too old. What is your hang-up with the age thing? It’s six years... it’s nothing.”
I could argue with him, but he just unlocked the door and led me into the house. “Oh my God!”
As soon as you walk in, you’re in the living room where a wall of windows shows the most beautiful image of the lake. It’s breathtaking. Josh is standing behind me with his arms around my shoulders. We stand just like that for I don’t know how long until he leans down and gives me the biggest surprise of my life. “I love you, Violet Chambers.”
My gasp of surprise is loud, and I turn in his arms as I back away. “What? You can’t love me...”
He doesn’t let me get far. He follows me. No matter which direction I step, he follows me, always keeping me within arm’s length. “Stop,” he commands and puts his hand around the base of my neck.
I finally stop moving and stare up at him. I never dreamed he would say the “L” word.
“I love you, Violet. I’ve loved you since I ran into you outside the gas station and you didn’t have a clue who I was. I loved you when you agreed to cook dinner for a little boy you didn’t even know and still haven’t taken payment for it. I love the way you feel underneath me, on top of me, fuck, I love the way you look at me. Since you walked out of my life, nothing has mattered to me except getting you back. I don’t care about football, I don’t care about anything except proving to you that we belong together. I’ll wait as long as I need to for you to feel the same way. I can’t lose you. Not again.”
He’s holding me so tight I can barely breathe. Speechless, I stare back at him. I could tell him the same thing. I fell in love with him that night in Jasper. The way he talked to Trevor and the way he made that little boy’s dreams come true. The way he held me in his arms and brought me to orgasm over and over again. And even in the drive-thru wedding chapel when he put the big, beautiful ring on my finger, promising to love me forever.... I felt it then. But I couldn’t believe it was real. I just couldn’t.
I still don’t.
But I do know that I need him more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.
“Fuck me, Josh,” I mutter to him.
His eyes darken, and he shakes his head. “I can’t. I won’t fuck you, baby. But I’ll make love to you.”
He pulls me up into his arms and carries me through the house. He never lets me go. Even when he lays me back on the bed, he follows me down and lies on top of me. I undress quickly, and he kisses every inch of me. His lips burn a path across my flesh, and when I can’t take it anymore, I pull and yank at his clothes until we’re finally lying next to each other, skin to skin.
“What is it?” he asks.
I’ve been quiet as he’s explored my body, and now we’re so close to him taking me, but all I can do is look into his eyes with a question burning inside me.
“Tell me,” he says as his finger draws a circle around my nipple. It’s almost impossible to think straight.
“I want to believe...”
But before I get it all out, his face comes within inches of mine. “Believe it, baby. Believe that together we can do anything... we can be anything.”
He’s moved over top of me. His large body brings a comfort I’ve never felt before. His cock is hard and thick between us, and he’s sliding between my thighs. I put my hands on his back and bring him to me, forcing his weight to lie on me heavily. “Make love to me, Josh. Please?”
He moans as he lowers his lips to mine. His kiss is demanding, and he slides his hand between us, down my belly and parts my wet, swollen lips. His thumb strokes across my clit and I flex my hips, riding his hand. Already, I’m so close. I’ve craved his touch for months, and to actually experience it now is just too much.