Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
She looked at me directly. “Is that the only reason you’ve been keeping a distance?”
“No,” I said. “The other reason is that I didn’t want to start something when you were at the bottom of the worst thing that ever happened to you.” I paused. “Giving you what you want now might not be what’s best for you. Because, Jade, if you let me into your life when you’re desperately reaching for something better, it would be the same as manipulating you into choosing something you might not need. And that’s the same as choosing for you. You deserve better than that. And we both deserve to be happy without hurting each other.”
She held my gaze for a long moment. Then she stood from the chair and crossed the small distance between us and stopped beside me so closely I could feel the warmth from her body. After a while, she laid her hand on my shoulder and urged me to turn and look at her. Then she put her hand on the side of my face, her palm against my jaw, and leaned in slowly.
This was nothing like the overlook. That had been desperate and grief-soaked. This was deliberate. She took her time getting there, giving both of us the chance to know exactly what was happening and why. When her mouth touched mine, there was no urgency in it. She was testing the waters, needing to decide for herself why she had a desire to kiss me. Or even if she should encourage me to give her the time she needed to make a good decision. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if she swore off men for the rest of her life.
I gave her several seconds to commit to her actions. As much as I knew I could take her where I knew we both wanted to go, Jade needed to be ready for the journey. When she continued the tentative kiss, I brought one hand up lightly against her face, my thumb caressing her cheek, and I kissed her back just as carefully as she’d kissed me.
She rested her forehead against mine as she ended the kiss, and I felt her exhale, slow and even. “Kissing you feels different,” she said quietly.
“From earlier?”
“From anything.”
I held her snugly against me. Jade had one hand fisted in my shirt, clinging sweetly. I held her for a long time. Her breathing felt warm through my T-shirt and, for the first time since I’d met Jade, she didn’t tremble. Instead, she seemed to fully relax and I hoped and prayed to whatever god looked down on us mere mortals that she’d relaxed because of her belief in me.
When she moved back, I reluctantly let her go. She went back to her chair and pulled it closer to the desk before she settled into it again. We sat in comfortable silence. I noticed she’d rested her hand on the arm of the chair and moved my hand to cover hers. She turned her hand over, and we held hands loosely. My heart leapt. I wanted to turn my head and smile at her but thought it best to enjoy the moment rather than call attention to it.
Ten minutes later, Jade’s eyes had drifted almost all the way closed. She looked more relaxed than ever and there was a small, peaceful smile on her face. She wasn’t fully asleep, I didn’t think, but her breathing had gone deep and even. I liked being the one to help her come down from the day at whatever pace she needed.
Her phone chimed softly from where it rested on the corner of the desk where she’d set it when she came in. We both looked at it at the same instant. Jade reached for her phone and turned it over. The number calling showed as unlisted.
She answered on speaker. “Hello?”
Eric’s voice came through the small speaker and filled the room. “Enjoying your fifteen minutes of fame, Jade? Everyone’s seen what a whore you --”
I had the phone in my hand before he finished the sentence. I hit “end.” Placed the phone face down on the desk in front of me. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to pull her into my arms and hold her tight, but I didn’t know if that was the right move or not.
The moment I stood, Jade launched herself at me. Her arms went around my waist, and she pressed her face against my chest as her whole body started shaking with her sobs. All I could do now was hold her through it. I needed to prove I could be her rock and would always be the person she could rely on most.
I put one hand to the back of her head, cradling it gently. The other arm I kept around her body to hold her steady, and I just let her cry it all out until she got rid of the worst of her grief and frustration.