Be with Me (Wait for You #2)(60)

He pressed up against me. The pleasant numbness had sunk deep into my bones, but I could feel his hardness. I wanted to see him. It had been dark Saturday night, but what I could see and feel had been rather impressive. I also wanted to give him what he’d given me. I started to reach for him, but he caught my hand and brought it to his lips. He dropped a kiss to each of my knuckles. “I told you. This was for you.”

I didn’t know what to say to that as my eyes fluttered shut. A thank--you was definitely in order, but that seemed widely inappropriate. Not that I was turned off by doing inappropriate things obviously. Hell, my jeans were still unbuttoned, and I knew if I looked down, my polka--dotted undies would be peeking through, and I didn’t care enough to zip up my pants.

He kissed my temple then, and my heart did another crazy jump. And then it did a series of leaps that spelled L. O. V. E. The rush that came after that was so intense it was almost as frightening as it was consuming.

God, I wasn’t falling in love with Jase.

I was in love with him.

Probably had been since that night he showed up at my parents’ house, nearly three years ago, and that hadn’t lessened learning that he had a son, and one day that could turn into a very tricky situation, especially if momma ever reappeared, but we were here, -together . . . but not.

“Hey,” Jase murmured, placing two fingers under my chin. He turned my head to his. “Where’d you go?”

Straight into crazy land. That’s where I went. Suddenly, I had to go there—-go there with him, because my heart was already there, making itself comfy and happy, and I needed to be careful. I needed . . .

I needed that label.

Or I needed the truth of what we were to each other, and I needed that now.





UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

AVON BOOKS

An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

....................................





Sixteen


“What are we doing?” I asked, and I thought I’d be afraid of that question once asked. Because if I didn’t ask, this relationship—-whatever it was—-could keep going, but it wasn’t enough.

“Relaxing.”

Tipping my head back, I bit back a sigh as his lips brushed mine, threatening to tug me back into the sensual haze. I so needed to focus. “You know what I mean. Us. What are we doing?”

He trailed his fingers down my throat, causing me to shiver as if a chill had danced over my bones. “Are you sure you want to talk about that right now?”

Unease exploded in my belly, chasing away the pleasant hum. “I think we need to, especially after that. And this weekend. And hell, the hay—-”

“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that.” He rose up again, onto his elbow. “It’s just a lot has happened in the last -couple of days. With your knee and—-”

“What happened with my knee hasn’t anything to do with this.” Feeling like I needed to be sitting for this conversation, I rose and gathered up my courage. This conversation could end badly and it would hurt—-oh God, it would hurt—-but I needed to know. “Jase, I’ve had feelings for you since you came to my parents’ house—-that very first night. And I know that sounds stupid and childish, but you . . . well, you were like a hero to me.”

He blinked and opened his mouth.

“Wait.” I placed a finger on his lips, silencing him. “Like I said, I know that sounds stupid, but it was how I felt. That night you kissed me, well, all it did was cement the way I felt. And when I didn’t hear from you or see you until I showed up here, I did see other -people.”

His brows lowered as he tugged my hand away from his lips. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

“But none of them compared to you. And I did compare everyone to you. I couldn’t help it. They . . . they just weren’t you.” My cheeks burned. “They were never you.”

“That sounds better.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Anywho, what I want has nothing to do with my knee or dancing. I’ve always wanted you, regardless of the time we didn’t see each other or because you have a son. That hasn’t changed how I feel.”

Jase stared at me a moment and then gave a little shake of his head. My heart stopped and then skipped a beat. He sat up and said, “When I saw you for the first time, I thought you were absolutely beautiful.”

Not expecting that as a response, but sure as hell not unhappy with it, I sucked in a shallow breath.

Two spots on his cheeks flushed. “Man, I felt like a dirtbag. You were my best friend’s little sister. You were only sixteen and you had just gotten of a terrible situation.”

“Not exactly relationship material, huh?” I teased.

He chuckled. “And I . . . well, I always knew you deserved someone better than me.” When I opened my mouth, he went on. “It’s the truth, Tess. And I haven’t met a single guy who deserves you.” He thrust his hand through the messy, russet--colored waves and looked up, his gaze meeting mine. “You know, I’ve tried staying away from you. I’ve tried ignoring how I feel about you, which isn’t how I should feel. But it’s like fighting a losing battle. And I don’t want to fight it anymore. I don’t want to ignore this.