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“I’m scared,” I admitted. “Afraid that I can actually fall for you this time and then where will that leave us?”
“Together, hopefully.” He saw things so differently, so optimistically, I wondered if I was broken some how.
I rolled my eyes. “Be serious.” I hopped off the bed and began walking around now, studying the picture frames of photos taken with him and his son, and his friends and him. “Your life is here and my life is not.”
I felt him come up behind me where he stood for a beat before snaking his arms around my waist and kissing my neck. “You’ve always been cautious. You always pick the safe choice. Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t pick door number two.”
“I want to be with you,” I said, turning around in his arms. “I don’t want you to think differently.” I searched his eyes and needed him to know that I really did want this. The truth was, I had always wanted this. I was just afraid. That was why I left three years ago. I let my own fear and insecurities make the decision for me to walk away from one of the best things I had in my life.
“I always thought you were a mistake, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe that was fear talking.”
Taken aback, he regarded me closely, then announced, “Gee, thanks,” as if unsure how he felt about that.
I shook my head. “No, that’s not what I meant. That’s what I’d been telling myself for the past three years. That you were a mistake. A fling that was fun, but reckless and maybe a little stupid.” I brought a hand to his face and touched his cheek. “But now I don’t know what I was thinking.” I ran my fingers over his lips and he let me continue to trace his features as I spoke. It was as though this way even when I left this time, he would forever be engrained in my memory. Especially that cleft chin I loved so much. “I guess I just thought a man like you couldn’t possibly be interested in a woman like me. What was this thing that we had? That was what I kept asking myself.”
When I was done, he commanded, “Turn around.”
I furrowed my brows. “Why?”
His voice was deep with desire when he answered, “Because I’m going to show you just how badly I want you and then you’re never going to question what this is again. Do you understand?”
I nodded, licking my lips. “I’m glad I chose door one,” I said as I turned around.
Chapter Sixteen
Gemma
I double checked my messages to make sure nothing was pressing before opening up my email to do the same thing. Satisfied, I closed my phone and put it down on top of a book he had on the nightstand. I angled my head to get a better look at the book. “You’re reading a book about dragons?” I asked, just catching the last word on the cover.
He nodded. “Sometimes, mostly with Mason.”
“How is Mason?” I asked, as he put his phone down on the top of his dresser. “Good. I don’t have to be at work for another two hours. I propose we use our time wisely,” he said, sidling up close to me on the bed.
I sat up straighter. “Oh, good. So breakfast? I’m starving.”
He laughed and got back up. “Not what I had intended, but sure I’ll go make us breakfast.”
“Don’t forget the coffee. I definitely need coffee,” I explained. “Do you mind if I take a shower?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Come downstairs when you’re ready.”
It all felt very domestic to me, but also so natural, like he and I were meant for this. When he left, I got up, showered, and changed into a new sundress, opting to put my damp hair up in a bun. By the time I was done, the smell of coffee was filling the air.
“Something smells good,” I announced as I walked down the stairs.
“I know you’re not talking about me, but I’m going to pretend you are. So thank you,” Lance told me, his back to me as he continued cooking whatever he had in the pan in front of him.
He was wearing a white shirt and board shorts, ready for another day on the job at the resort. Honestly, he looked so handsome with his arm muscles on full display, I couldn’t help but go over and touch them, wrapping my fingers around his arms as he worked.
“Fried eggs?” I asked, peering around him to the pan.
He looked over at me and smiled before turning around, leaning down and planting a kiss on my lips. “You still like your eggs over easy, right?”
“You remember,” I asked, amazed that after all this time he remembered how I ordered my eggs from room service.
“I remember a lot of things.”
That felt like a loaded comment, so I looked over at the pot of coffee and pointed, hoping to change the subject. “May I?”
