The Exception(19)

He leaned back in his chair as his eyes burned into mine.

“I told you that, eh?”

“Yeah. You did.” I nodded. “I just wondered why. I mean, you can tell me that it’s none of my business, but remember, I spilled my guts to you.”

“True.” He took in a deep breath. “I did leave my fiancée on our wedding day. I had just sold Cloud and made millions, graduated from MIT, and I guess I figured why the hell not? I met Marley at MIT and we had been together for a little over a year. It just seemed to make sense for some reason. She did all the planning and I just agreed to everything, but I was having doubts during the process. When our wedding day came, I just couldn’t see myself or a future with her. Or anyone, for that matter. It just doesn’t seem natural to spend the rest of your life with someone.”

“But your parents.”

“I know. They have a great relationship, and as much as I admire them, I just couldn’t see myself like that. So, before the ceremony, I mustered up the courage to go into the room she was waiting in and I told her that I couldn’t do it.”

“She must have been heartbroken.”

“She was. She cried like I never saw her cry before, called me all kinds of names, and told me to get the hell out. So I did and I never looked back. It was probably the hardest thing I ever did, but it was for the best. She’s married now with two kids and she’s happy.”

“Weird how life works out sometimes. So you never see yourself getting married and having a family?”

“Nah. Not really. I guess it’s who I am.”

“Well, at least you know who you are.” I smiled.

After finishing dinner, we took a walk along the shoreline. Taking off my shoes and throwing them into the sand, I lifted up my dress so the bottom didn’t get all wet. Drew took off his shoes and socks and rolled up the bottom of his pants. Darkness had settled in and the moon shined above us, lighting our path as the gentle tide swept across our feet.

“Thank you for dinner,” I spoke as I nudged his shoulder with mine.

“You’re welcome. It was my pleasure.” He looked over at me.

Something stirred inside me. My belly flipped and my heart started to pick up its pace. I stopped and he stopped alongside me and placed his hand on my cheek.

“You are so beautiful, Jillian. Both inside and out,” he spoke as his head dipped closer to mine.

I gulped.

“Thank you, Drew.” I stared into his dark eyes.

He swallowed hard and removed his hand from my cheek.

“We better head back. It’s getting late.”





Chapter Twelve


Drew



The connection I felt with her was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I wanted to kiss her, but I had to refrain because if I did, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say goodbye. I knew that once my lips touched hers, it would be something that would haunt me for the rest of my life. As we approached her suite, she asked me to come inside for one last drink before I left. Was that a good idea? Probably not, especially with the way I felt about her, but any last moment I could spend with her was gold and I wasn’t about to turn it down.

“Let me pour.” I smiled as I took the bottle of wine from her.

Handing her a glass, we took a seat in the chairs out on the balcony and listened to the subtle waves hit the shore.

“I’m sure going to miss it here,” she spoke.

“Me too.”

It was killing me not to know where she was headed to next. But for both our sakes, it was best that I didn’t. Looking over at her, I noticed she had something in her hair. As I reached over to get it, she reached up and placed her hand on mine.

“Sorry, but you had something in your hair.”

“Thanks.” Her eyes gazed into mine.

“I should get going,” I spoke as I got up from my chair.

“Okay.” She followed me to the door.

Turning around, my heart felt heavy as I struggled to say goodbye.

“Thank you again for making my time here a little less shitty.” I smiled as I took hold of her hand and brought it up to my lips.

“You’re welcome. It was fun.” She grinned.

Fuck. The desire to kiss her was burning inside me. Before I left, I had to know what her lips felt like. If I didn’t, I’d spend my whole life regretting it. Just a small kiss wouldn’t hurt. A friendly kiss would be all. Nothing deep, nothing heavy. As our eyes stayed fixated on each other, I brought my hand up to her face and slowly lowered my head as my lips softly brushed against hers. I waited for her to pull away, but she didn’t. She welcomed it and kissed me back. I needed to go, but I couldn’t tear myself away from her. One kiss turned into two and then three. I looked at her as I pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, waiting, making sure that it was okay. She reached up and her lips once again collided with mine. This time, our tongues met and greeted each other with warmth. My cock was on the rise as the heat was on my skin. My hands roamed up and down the sides of her hourglass figure and a soft moan escaped her. Her hands left my face and started unbuttoning my shirt. She wanted me just as bad as I wanted her. As she slid my shirt off my shoulders, I untied the ties of her dress and let it fall to the ground, and she stood there almost naked with only her panties covering her. Picking her up, I carried her to the bedroom and softly laid her on the bed, hovering over her while my mouth explored her beautiful round breasts and my fingers traveled down the edge of her panties. Her moans were music to my ears as I dipped my finger inside her, taking in the wetness that surrounded her.