Page 62 of Love and Loathing
“I’m sorry.”
She brushed it off. She believed him, trusted him. And that was that.
“My mom told me what you said.” He smirked. “You stood up to her.”
She nodded. “I didn’t like what she said about you. I had to.” She stepped forward. “You’ve done so much for me, and for my family, and the town … I don’t … I can’t even begin to fathom how I’ll ever pay you back. Whatever I said to her, it was the least I could do.”
He closed the distance between them and took her shoulders in his firm grip, the play of light and dark shadows from the candles on his handsome face making her weak in the knees and grateful for his support. “It was all for you, Jessie. It was always for you.”
She choked back tears.
“I promised I’d never—” He gulped, sending his Adam’s apple bobbing. She wanted to kiss it. “I promised I wouldn’t … but I have to tell you something. I—”
“I love you,” she blurted.
He pulled back a little and stared at her, like she’d just shocked every thought out of his brain.
She chuckled. “Looks like turnabout is fair play.” And she had the feeling she’d never get tired of getting him back. Not for the rest of her life.
* * *
Alex narrowed his eyes at Jessie. Was she messing with him? He made himself look at her—at the curves of her face, at the open display of what she’d just said in her eyes, and at her slightly parted lips—and he was sure his heart had stopped dead in his chest for a second … or two.
“What did you say?” he managed.
She swallowed. “I love you.”
Okay, he wasn’t losing his mind. It was real. But just to be sure …. He grinned. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I love you!” She giggled and shoved his chest.
But no, he wasn’t putting up with that. Not now. Not when she’d just said the words he’d been dying to hear from her for what felt like forever. He pulled her into his arms and held on tight, and she felt so good there. So right. Every part of her fit perfectly to him in mind and body, like she’d been made for his arms, and he’d never let her go again.
“Alex,” she whispered.
“Hmm,” he hummed against her hair, breathing in the sweet vanilla scent of her that he so loved.
“Alex,” she repeated.
He tightened his grip.
“Alex.” His name came out muffled, and a moment later, she tickled his side.
He squirmed away from her, barely managing to keep a hold of her arms. “Hey, watch it. Don’t … don’t do that.”
Her eyes lit with mirth. “Are you ticklish?”
“No,” he said firmly, but he could tell she wasn’t buying it. Darn, she knew his Achilles’ heel.
She let it go, thankfully. “There’s more I need to tell you,” she said. “Please.”
A pit slowly began to open in his stomach. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes, it’s just …” She squared her shoulders, poked him in the chest, and got feisty. “You drive me crazy, and I swear you could start an argument in an empty house and know just what buttons to push to send me off the rails.”
All true …
“But it hit me the last time we were here that I love doing those things to you too. You and I, we’re so alike. We’re both so stubborn and often proud, and we hate to lose, and that’s what made us clash, I think …”
