Текст книги "Elusive Love"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

Caley hesitated for a moment, but then she finally started moving. I pulled her along, wondering if I was crazy for doing this. It could end badly for both of us.

Was I really willing to take that chance? What if I lost her because I couldn’t wait a few more weeks or maybe a few more months at most?

I pushed that thought aside. No, I wouldn’t lose her. Caley was already mine whether she realized it or not. I loved her, and now, she knew. She didn’t have to be afraid of facing the world on her own or being alone after settling everything with Joey.

She was mine, and I was about to mark her as mine.

We walked into my bedroom, and I closed the door behind us. I could feel her body trembling as I brushed against her.

“Don’t be afraid,” I whispered as I rested my hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently.

“How can I not be?” she whispered back.

“Because you’re with me,” I told her. “You never have to be afraid when I’m near.”

I leaned forward and tenderly kissed the back of her neck. I wanted her to know how much she was loved. I needed her to understand that.

She sighed, and her body slowly started to relax as I kissed a path up her neck to her ear. I turned her so that she was facing me. Her eyes were wide, frightened. I kissed both of her eyelids and then her nose as I moved her backward to my bed.

When the back of her legs hit the bed, I gently pushed her down until she lay flat on top of my sheets. I kissed her, soft at first. Then, finally caving to my need, I kissed her harder. My hands found her hair, and I ran my fingers through the silky strands. She sighed against my lips, her body going slack beneath me. Finally, she was relaxed.

I stood and pulled my shirt over my head, tossing it aside. Her eyes widened as she stared at my naked chest.

“Don’t stare like you’ve never seen it. I saw you watching me earlier when I was mowing,” I teased.

Her face heated, but she didn’t respond. I fought a grin at the sight of her blushing. In some ways, she was still so innocent. Silently, she watched as I pulled her shoes off and dropped them next to the bed.

When I reached for the button on her jeans, she tensed up again.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I assured her as I undid the button and then the zipper.

“Ethan, I’ve never…” She trailed off.

I raised an eyebrow. “You have a child. Don’t tell me you’ve never had sex.”

She shook her head. “Of course I have. It’s just…I’ve never been naked in front of anyone, except for him.”

“I assumed as much,” I said. When she raised an eyebrow, I went on to explain, “Well, you’ve been with him since high school, and you’ve never hit me as the type who sleeps around.”

“I’m not,” she said, as if she felt the need to defend herself.

“Shh, I know.” I slowly pulled her jeans off and let them fall to the floor. I felt my dick harden as I laid my eyes on her black satin panties. They were simple but sexy as fuck.

I reached up and took her hands in mine, pulling her up until she was sitting on the bed. I grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up and over her head, discarding it into the growing pile of clothing at my feet. She instantly tried to cover herself with her hands and arms, blocking as much of her chest and stomach as she could.

“Please don’t be shy,” I told her. “It’s only the two of us here.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m ruining this for you.”

I shook my head. “Not at all. I know we have to take our time. I’m willing to go as slow as you need me to.”

“I’m afraid you’ll look at me and turn away.” A tear slipped down her cheek.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“My stomach. It’s not flat, and I have stretch marks from Amelia.” Another tear slid down her cheek. “My boobs aren’t perky anymore. Pregnancy took that, too.”

I was stunned into silence as I watched her cry. She made sure to shield every inch of herself that she possibly could. For the first time, I realized just how broken the girl in front of me was.

“Hey,” I said as I knelt down in front of her so that I could look her right in the eyes, “you’re beautiful, Caley, inside and out.”

“Right.” She hiccupped.

I reached forward and tugged her arms away from her body. The look of horror on her face broke my heart.

“Lie back,” I instructed.

She shook her head, her arms straining against my grip. “No, don’t make me. Please.”

“Caley, lean back,” I said, using a tone that left no room for argument.

Reluctantly, she obliged. Once she was lying on her back, I drank her in. God, she was beautiful, and she had absolutely no idea. In that moment, I hated Joey more than I ever had. He’d belittled her until she saw absolutely nothing in herself.

My eyes gazed over her body, stopping at her midsection. Small white lines went across her stomach and sides. They were there but barely noticeable.

“Is this what you’ve been worried about?” I ran my finger over one of them.

She shivered. “Yes.”

I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her stomach. She jerked, shocked at my action.

“This is beautiful, Caley. These marks…they mean something. You brought a child into this world. To me, that’s far more important than flawless skin or a completely flat stomach. You’re perfect the way you are. I just wish you’d realize that.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I sat up, so I could look at her. “No need to apologize. I’m going to keep telling you how beautiful you are. Every single day, I’m going to say those words to you. One day, you’re going to look at yourself and realize just how perfect you are. And when that day comes, I’m going to be right there with you. You’re mine, Caley, and I’m going to give you the world.”

I lowered my head and deeply kissed her, eliciting a moan from her. I lowered my body until it rested on top of hers. The feel of her naked skin against mine sent my need into overdrive. I had to have this woman, or I might explode.

I kissed a trail from her lips down to her neck and to the top of her bra. Her breathing grew heavier with each kiss. Unable to hold back any longer, I unsnapped her bra, thanking my lucky stars that it clasped in the front, and I tossed it away from us. My mouth was on her nipple before she could even process the fact that her bra was gone.

I cupped both of her breasts in my hands as I sucked on her nipple. Her body bucked underneath me, showing me just how much she was enjoying what I was doing. I released her nipple before kissing a trail down her stomach, making sure to kiss every little mark within my path.

Carefully, I pulled her underwear down. She kicked them aside without a second thought.

I stared down at her, fully naked and wanting, on my bed. So many times, I’d imagined this moment. My imagination hadn’t done her justice, not at all.

I ran my hand down her chest and stomach to the place I desired the most. My fingers found her entrance and slid inside without hesitation. She gasped as my thumb found her nub, and I pressed against it. I withdrew my fingers before plunging them deep inside her again.

She writhed and jerked underneath me. Her eyes were closed as she had a look of pure ecstasy etched into her features. Before long, she was unraveling before me. The sounds she made as she gripped my sheets had me unbuckling my jeans with one hand as I coaxed her through her orgasm with the other.

When her body finally stilled, I stood and pulled my jeans and boxers off. I opened my nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom, ripping the packet open as soon as I had it in my hand. Her eyes scanned up and down my body before stopping on my cock. She watched as I slid the condom on, and she simply stared. She didn’t look afraid any longer. She had a look that told me exactly what she wanted, what she needed. I was more than happy to give her just that.

I covered her body with mine and positioned myself at her entrance. “Are you ready?”

She nodded as she rested her hands on my shoulders. I quickly slid into her, unable to hold back any longer. The moment I completely filled her was a memory I knew I’d never forget. Her warm pussy enveloped me, pulling me deeper within her. She was tight, something that took me a moment to adjust to.

“Are you okay?” I asked through gritted teeth.

When she nodded, I took it as a sign to move forward. Slowly, I pulled back and thrust into her again. Her grip on my shoulders tightened as I pulled back again and thrust into her more forcefully.

I kept my pace slow and steady, letting her build. By the time she lost control, her nails were digging into my flesh. I knew I’d have marks there, maybe even blood, by the time we finished.

I lost control in that moment and roughly slammed into her. I hesitated for a split second, afraid that I’d been too rough, but she didn’t cry out in pain. Instead, she begged me for more. I grabbed her legs and lifted them until she wrapped them around my waist, allowing me to go deeper.

She clung to me as I thrust in and out, over and over again. Our bodies became slick with sweat, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t pause. I knew I was going to explode at any second. I couldn’t hold back any longer.

I reached between us and pressed my thumb against her clit. Instantly, she cried out, a mixture of curses and prayers, as she tightened around me. I exploded into the condom, my entire body shaking with the effort.

I collapsed on top of her, both of us gasping for breath. Already, I could feel the slight pain of whatever marks she’d inflicted on my shoulders. For several moments, our bodies quaked with aftershocks.

I waited until my breathing returned to normal before pulling away. Instantly, I regretted my decision. I missed the feel of her body around mine.

I pulled the condom off and tossed it into the garbage can before returning to the bed and lying next to her. I softly kissed her on her lips before pulling her so that she rested her head against my chest.

“I…” She paused. “I don’t regret that at all.”

Unable to help myself, I laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She raised her head enough to look at me. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

I kissed her forehead, and she rested her head back down onto my chest.

“Please, keep the compliments flowing. I’m all ears.”

She laughed as she smacked my stomach. “Ass.”

“I’m just teasing,” I said, laughter filling my voice.

She sighed and snuggled down tighter against me. “I just want to stay right here forever.”

“We can do that. Granted, someone might come and kick us out when I don’t pay the rent, but whatever,” I teased, hoping to keep the mood light. I didn’t want her doubts to ruin this moment.

“You’re a dork,” she mumbled, her voice sleepy.

“I know.” I soothingly rubbed her shoulders. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Moments later, I heard her breathing even out. She was already asleep.

I smiled as I pulled the sheets up around us, making sure to keep her tucked in close to me. I savored the feel of her skin next to mine, wanting this moment to last forever. Before long, I felt my eyelids starting to droop. And like that, I was out, too.

I woke up with my arms still around Caley. When I opened my eyes, I looked down to see her still resting peacefully in the exact same position we’d fallen asleep in. It seemed both of us had been too tired or maybe too comfortable to move throughout the night.

I watched Caley as she slept. Total creeper move maybe, but I couldn’t help myself. When she was awake, she was always on guard, as if she’d expected the world to come crashing down on her at any moment. That was probably because it had, over and over again.

For the first time ever, I was able to see her completely relaxed. Her forehead, which was usually creased with worry, was smooth. She looked so much younger as she slept, her face peaceful, serene even.

I glanced over at the alarm clock on my nightstand. It was almost nine in the morning. I hated to wake her, but I had no idea if she was supposed to be somewhere or if she had plans for the day. I knew the last thing she needed was for someone to realize she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. That would lead to questions of where she had been and whom she had been with. I knew that would end badly for all of us.

People judged, no matter what, and if anyone found out that she’d slept with me while still married to Joey, I knew they’d label her as a slut. Jesus, Joey could even use it against her if the divorce turned nasty, which I was sure it could. I couldn’t risk her losing Amelia because of me.

I had to remain her secret—for now.

“Caley,” I whispered as I nudged her, “wake up.”

She groaned, but her eyes stayed firmly shut. I nudged her again, harder this time, and repeated her name. Her eyelids fluttered open but just barely.

“What?” she mumbled, her voice hoarse from sleep.

“You have to wake up. You stayed the night here,” I answered.

It took a moment for my words to register.

Suddenly, she bolted upright in the bed and looked around. “Shit!”

“What? What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was going to go back to my parents’ place.” She looked down and saw our naked bodies tangled together in the sheets. Her face turned crimson. “Holy hell, that wasn’t a dream either.”

I grinned. “Definitely not.”

She fell back down, her head hitting the pillow. “I’m not even sure what to say.” She glanced over at me, her face still bright red. “I’ve never been involved in a morning-after situation before.”

“This definitely isn’t a normal morning-after moment, Caley. For one, I’m not planning on kicking you out of my bed and never speaking or laying eyes on you again. We’re much more than that. Surely, you’ve figured that out by now.”

She looked away, but I’d seen that her face was troubled.

“What we did last night, it—”

I cut her off, “Don’t even say it. Whatever thoughts are running through that mind of yours, you have to realize it wasn’t a mistake.”

She turned back toward me with an angry look on her face. “I wasn’t going to say it was a mistake, asshat. I was going to say that it was the best night of my life, but then you had to go and ruin my speech.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling like an idiot.

“Yeah, oh.” She sighed. “Why did you wake me up so early?”

“I thought you might need to leave.” I held up my hands in surrender, not wanting her to take that the wrong way. “Not that I want you to leave. I just wasn’t sure if you had somewhere you needed to be.”

She shook her head. “My mom will demand to know where I’ve been when I get home, I’m sure, so I think I’ll avoid going back there until later today when Joey brings Amelia back. My day is completely free.”

I grinned. “So, what would you like to do today then?”

“Honestly? I think I’d like to sleep for a few more hours.” She smiled at me. “Here, in this bed with you. I’m not ready to face the big, bad world again just yet.”

My grin widened. “I think that’s doable.”

I pulled her closer to me and wrapped my arms around her naked waist. We lay there together, tight against each other.

For a moment, I let myself imagine that this was our life instead of something we had to hide from everyone. I imagined waking up every goddamn morning with my arm wrapped around Caley. She would be the first person I saw every single day for the rest of my life. To me, that sounded like pure fucking heaven.

Neither of us was rich. In fact, we were pretty much both borderline dirt poor. Most people would have looked at the life I imagined and scoffed. I knew we’d never have an amazing life filled with the finer things. We’d never have brand-new cars or a huge house.

And I was okay with that because I would have Caley…and Amelia. That would be far better than anything else I could imagine. Time would give me exactly what I wanted. All I needed to do was be patient.

We didn’t crawl out of bed until well into the afternoon after I’d finally convinced myself that I couldn’t sleep any longer. Feeling positively disgusting, I asked Ethan if I could take a shower. He let me borrow a shirt of his along with a pair of boxers, and then he sent me into the bathroom while he threw my clothes in the washer for me.

I took my time in his shower, trying to come to terms with what had happened last night. I’d had sex with Ethan. It had been mind-blowing sex, the best I’d ever had. He’d made me feel like the most beautiful woman on this planet. I was ashamed of what pregnancy had done to my body, but he’d pushed my worries aside, like they were nothing.

He’d taken the time to show me that I was sexy in his eyes. Plain old Caley was sexy and cherished.

The warm feeling from last night hadn’t left me. I felt as if I was practically glowing with happiness. For the first time that I could remember, I didn’t despise my body. My stretch marks no longer felt like they had neon signs and flashing lights around them, making them stand out even more than they already did.

In one night, Ethan had helped me learn to love myself just a little bit.

Once I finished with my shower, I climbed out and dried off. I dressed in my borrowed clothes and ran one of Ethan’s combs through my hair to get the tangles out. Once I felt human again, I left the bathroom and headed back into the bedroom.

Ethan was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his phone with a frown. I stepped closer, curious to see what was wrong.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

He turned to look at me as he slid his phone into his pocket. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“What was up with your phone?” When he gave me a questioning look, I explained, “I saw you frowning when you were reading something.”

He shrugged. “Danielle texted me.”

My mouth popped open in shock. With everything going on, I’d completely forgotten about the girl who had set all of this in motion.

“I forgot about her,” I admitted. “Bad time to ask, but have you ended things with her?”

He rolled his eyes. “No, I’m still taking her on dates while sleeping with you.”

“I had to ask,” I said, ignoring his sarcastic tone.

“I wouldn’t do that to you,” he said simply.

“What did you tell her?” I asked. “When you ended things, I mean.”

“There really wasn’t much to end. I just told her that I wasn’t feeling it, so I thought it would be best if we went our separate ways.”

“I’m sure that went over really well,” I muttered, feeling slightly guilty over the fact that Danielle had gotten the short end of the stick because of me.

“She was…upset,” he said, his tone making it clear that upset was an understatement.

“Will she be a problem for you?”

He shook his head. “Nah. She texted me to see if we could hang out as friends, but I told her no. She didn’t have a meltdown.”

“Good,” I said, relieved. “We don’t need to add more tension to our already precarious situation.”

“It’ll be fine,” he assured me.

“I keep telling myself that. Maybe if I say it enough times, it’ll come true,” I joked.

He stood. “I’m starving, and I’m sure you are, too. Food is pretty much nonexistent in this house, but we could go grab something in town, if that’s okay with you.”

Go out—as in, be around other people who might recognize us. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I said.

“We’ll be fine, Caley. We’ll go to the diner down on the end of town. It’s usually not busy,” he said, trying to persuade me. “If you see anyone you know, we can leave.”

“Uh…” I said, still not sure if it was a good idea.

“Look, friends have lunch together all the time. No one will think anything of seeing us together.”

My stomach growled right at that moment, and I sighed in defeat. “Fine, but I don’t want to stay long.”

“We won’t. I promise.” He smiled reassuringly at me. “Once your clothes are done, we’ll go. I’m about to die of starvation though, so I’m not sure I’ll make it that long. I can hear the burgers already calling my name.”

“Somehow, I think you’ll make it,” I joked.

While we waited for my clothes to finish washing and then drying, we cuddled together on his bed, watching television. I enjoyed it. The thought of leaving this house and facing the rest of the world didn’t appeal to me at all.

Eventually, my clothes finished drying, and I was forced to get dressed. When I walked out of the bathroom, Ethan was waiting for me.

“Finally. I thought you’d taken up permanent residence in my bathroom,” he muttered.

I stuck my tongue out at him, not wanting to admit that I’d purposely taken my time in getting ready to delay the inevitable. I couldn’t put it off any longer. Hungry and terrified, I followed him through his house and out the front door.

“We can take separate cars,” I said as he locked the door behind us. “It will look better that way.”

God, everything about Ethan made me feel like he was my dirty little secret, which I guessed he was. I hated that it was this way between us. I feared he would think I didn’t want people to see us together because I was ashamed of him, but that wasn’t the case. I just wanted things to move forward in my life.

If Joey somehow found out about Ethan, it would all be over. Joey would explode. After our talk yesterday, I wanted to keep things civil. It seemed possible with the way he had acted, but if I threw Ethan into the mix, I wasn’t so sure.

“Fine by me,” Ethan said, completely unbothered by the idea.

I sighed in relief, feeling silly that I had worried that he’d be offended by my suggestion.

We climbed into our cars. Ethan pulled out first, and I followed behind him. As we drove through town, I couldn’t help but look at the people walking the streets. I wondered what they’d think of me if they knew I’d spent the night with a man who was not my husband. I was sure they’d call me a whore. People were awful that way. They judged carelessly, ripping someone apart without remorse. They didn’t care if they had the whole story or not.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the diner, I looked around to see if I recognized anyone. Stuffy’s, a hole in the wall that made some seriously awesome burgers, was on the opposite side of town from where I normally traveled. I’d stopped here with Joey a few times, but because of the distance, we didn’t eat here a lot. The parking lot was barely half full, something I was very much thankful for. I glanced at the cars parked around me, looking for any that were familiar. I relaxed when I saw none.

I parked a few spaces down from Ethan’s car and climbed out. He was waiting in front of his car as I made my way over to him. When I reached him, we walked side by side across the lot. He opened the door for me, and I was instantly assaulted by the smells coming from within. This place was fat-girl heaven. The smell of burgers cooking on the grill and fries meeting their delicious end in the grease of the deep fryer was like a welcome mat, begging me to come in.

My stomach rumbled loudly, earning a smirk from Ethan.

“I told you this would be a good place to eat.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, too focused on the smell to pay him any attention.

I reached the counter first and ordered a cheeseburger with fries. Before I could pay, Ethan pushed me aside and added a burger of his own to the order. He paid for our food, completely ignoring my protests.

The cashier smiled at him in a way that made me want to scratch her eyeballs out as she handed him our cups and his change. He thanked her, clearly not catching on to the way she was looking at him, and headed over to the fountain drink station. He handed me a cup as he started filling the other. I glanced back at the cashier to see her still watching Ethan, a disappointed look on her face.

“You didn’t have to pay,” I pointed out as I filled up my own cup.

“Yes, I did,” he said as he handed me a lid.

I put my lid on and grabbed two straws. “Why?”

He smirked at me before turning away and walking to a nearby table. I followed and sat down across from him. I took time to look around the restaurant to see if there were any familiar faces. I relaxed even more when I saw none.

“Because this is technically our first date. I’m not about to ruin it by letting you pay for your own food.”

I snickered. “You’re such a gentleman.”

He opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he saw the cashier carrying our food over to our table. After quickly thanking her, he turned his attention back to me.

“Seriously, I wanted to pay. Things between us are moving in completely ass-backward order, obviously, but I still want to make all your firsts something to remember. After all the fuss you put up over the fact that I paid, I doubt if you’ll forget this date anytime soon.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the fact that he was right, and I dug into my burger. When the first bite hit my taste buds, I moaned. “This place really does have the best burgers.”

I looked up to see him watching me, a smirk on his face. “I figured that out by the sound you just made. As a matter of fact, I remember you making a similar sound just last night in my bed.”

My face heated. I pretended not to hear him as I took another bite of my burger. He chuckled at my discomfort but didn’t comment. We sat together in companionable silence as we both inhaled our food. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who was starving.

As we ate, I people-watched. A few others were eating around us, ranging from an old couple across the room to a mother and her two kids sitting only a table away from us.

None of them paid us any attention at all. They had no idea I was out with a man I had slept with last night that most definitely wasn’t my husband. To them, Ethan and I were just a normal couple eating lunch together. I almost laughed out loud. God, I would do anything to be in a normal relationship with him.

We finished our food in record time.

Ethan sat back and patted his stomach. “I think I ate too much.”

I snorted, and surprisingly enough, I wasn’t embarrassed over making a very unladylike sound around him. It hit me then that I was truly comfortable around the man sitting across the table from me.

“You ate a burger that was three times the size of mine. Of course you ate too much,” I told him.

He pouted. “I’m a growing boy. I need sustenance.”

“Sure you do.” I laughed.

He grinned at me. “I love that.”

“Love what?”

“You laughing. You don’t do it nearly enough.” He paused. “Although, I’ve heard more laughs come out of you in the past two days than I have in months. I hope they don’t end anytime soon.”

“I’m happier when I’m around you,” I told him honestly. “Even when we are at work and can’t talk much, I’m happier just because I know you’re near. That sounds stupid, doesn’t it?”

He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. The fact that I can make you happy…well, that’s probably the best thing you’ve ever told me. I want you to be happy, no matter what. It’s just ten times better that I’m the one making you feel that way.”

I grinned and looked down as I started gathering up my garbage. “Now, you’re going to get all big-headed. I shouldn’t have paid you that compliment.”

“My head’s already big,” he said.

I looked up to see him waggling his eyebrows at me. My face flushed again as I remembered just how big he was.

“I think it’s time to go,” I told him, trying to change the subject. “I need to go back to my parents’ house so that I’m there when Joey drops off Amelia.”

His teasing manner disappeared at once, and he simply nodded as he tossed his trash onto the tray. “All good things must come to an end, I suppose.”

“Hopefully, the bad things will come to an end, too,” I muttered as we stood.

Ethan took the tray from my hands and carried it over to the trash can. He tossed our garbage inside and placed the tray on top.

Our mood was much more subdued as we walked back out to the parking lot. I followed Ethan to his car, unsure of how to say good-bye. Things were so different now. I was out of my comfort zone.

How do you say good-bye to the man you slept with last night? I feared I would make things awkward between us, and I didn’t want that.

When we reached his car, he leaned against the hood and watched me as I shifted nervously in front of him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I hesitated before finally deciding to tell him the truth. “I don’t know what happens now—between us, I mean.”

“What do you want to happen?”

“I don’t want us to be awkward with each other—that, I know for sure. As for everything else, it’s still kind of up in the air, isn’t it? I’m still married. I will be for a while until I can get Joey to agree to the divorce. You and I can’t exactly parade around work and town together.”

He pushed away from the car and took a step toward me. He was directly in front of me, looking down. “Things will never be awkward between us, Caley. I wouldn’t let it be that way. And as for the rest? I know nothing can change. We have to wait for the dust to settle before we can move forward. I told you I was okay with that, and I still am.”

He reached up and cupped my jaw. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. I hated the fact that I was disappointed when he hadn’t.

“I have all the time in the world, Caley. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay right here and wait for you to be mine. And make no mistake, when you’re mine, I’m never letting you go again.”

“I think I might love you,” I blurted out.

He grinned. “I know. One day, there will be no doubt. I’ll make sure you never question how much I love you or how much you love me.”

A car door slammed somewhere in the parking lot, and I instantly jerked away, realizing how obvious we had been, standing out in the middle of a parking lot while confessing our…whatever it was that we were in front of anyone who might happen to look our way.

Stupid.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Ethan asked.

“Okay,” I whispered as I backed away from him.

I turned and headed for my car, not daring to look back at him. If I did, I feared I would run right back into his arms and beg him to take me back home with him.

Instead, I looked straight ahead as I walked to my car. As I reached it, I pulled out my keys and unlocked my door. I glanced over the top of my car and noticed a man and a woman standing on the other side of the parking lot, kissing passionately. The woman was holding a baby in her arms.

I frowned. It must be nice to show someone how you feel instead of hiding it all the time.