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“If I’ve seen you. She knows the truth. I told her everything when I was in Italy.” She nibbled daintily on the tip of a fry, a little murmur of satisfaction escaping her as she licked her lips. “You were right. These homemade fries are amazing.”
His cock jerked at the sight of her lips wrapped around the fry, her quiet sounds of pleasure. Hot images of her naked in his bed flashed through his memory. She hummed just like that when aroused. How could he forget that sound when he first slid his tongue through her drenched folds, when he thrust deep inside her welcoming body…
“Wait a minute.” Damn, he needed to focus on what she said, not how much he still wanted her. “You told your mother everything? As in, we weren’t really together?”
Stasia shrugged, sipped nonchalantly from her glass. “I told her initially we were faking it. But that eventually, we ended up together—somewhat.” When he stared at her, not saying a word, she scowled. “Did you want me to hide everything from her? I’m trying to keep the peace between us, not create more secrets.”
“I don’t want you to create more secrets. I’m glad you were honest with her,” he said, sawing into his steak as if he wanted to kill it.
“So why are you attacking your meal like it’s wronged you?” Stasia asked, her voice so low he had to lean across the table to hear her. “You’re upset with me, aren’t you?”
“Not any longer,” he muttered, which was a lie.
He was upset with her, with himself, with the entire situation.
“I never meant to hurt you,” she confessed softly, her gaze downcast. “I was hurting too much to see what I did to you. To others.”
He didn’t know what to say. A part of him wanted to hold on to his anger toward her. Yet he also wanted to let it go and grab her, take her back to his place and keep her in his bed all night long…
“I know.” How else could he answer her?
She met his gaze, her eyes full of shock. “I’m trying to make everything right. It’s been tough, trying to get through to my new brothers. It still is. But they’ll come around. And I really like their wives. Well, Ella is Rhett’s girlfriend, but I’m sure he’ll change her Facebook status from in a relationship to engaged here soon.” She tittered. “That sounds completely silly, but Gracie and Tessa were teasing Ella about it a few nights ago. They’re all so wonderful.” She beamed, her eyes glowing with what could only be happiness.
“That’s great, Stasia. I’m really happy for you.” And he was. She was getting everything she wanted and relatively fast too. Acceptance. That was all she sought.
If he was going to be honest, that was all he’d wanted as well. Especially from her.
“Thank you. I owe you a lot for all your help.”
He waved a hand, tried not to react to the seductive tone of her voice, how her choice of words conjured all sorts of ways she could owe him. Every single one of them dirty. “You were billed and you paid. That’s good enough for me.” God, he was such a liar.
She laughed, a sweet, tinkling sound that sent heat curling through his veins, settled low in his gut. “It’s not about the money and you know it. You helped me realize I shouldn’t give up. You wouldn’t let me, even when I was ready, begging for it. That speech you gave me really hurt, but it also helped.”
He’d tried his best to burn that night from his memory but clearly she didn’t feel the same. Hadn’t it affected her? That was the night they ended everything. He hated to think about it.
And here she was shoving it into his face.
“I’m—glad my encouragement helped you find what you were looking for.”
She glanced down, kept her gaze trained on her lap. “There are some things I’m still missing, though.”
“Like what?”
“Like you.” She lifted her head, her sparkling gaze meeting his. “I made a mistake.”
His heart tightened and he absently rubbed at his chest. This was going to go down now? In the middle of a restaurant? He wasn’t sure if he could take it. “Made a mistake about what?”
“About us. I was so stupid. I should’ve never let you go. Tessa, Gracie and Ella, they all helped me see that.” She paused, let her words sink in, which they were having a hard time doing, her admission was so shocking. “I miss you, Gavin. So much.”
He wasn’t about to lay his feelings out for her to pick over, only to decide she wasn’t interested after all. Not yet, at least.
“I know you won’t give me an answer yet,” she forged on, as if she could read his mind. “I can’t blame you. I know I hurt you. But just know this—I want to try again with you. And I’m hoping you’ll give me another chance.”
Instinct screamed at him to tell her fuck off. She’d had her chance once and blew it. Why should he give her another one? He rarely gave anyone a single chance, let alone a second one.
But
his body—and damn it, his heart—told him to listen to what she had to say.
