Page 38 of Never Less
“I thought you…” She shakes her head, and her face scrunches up again. When she tries to hide it, I let her, pulling her into my chest. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ve wanted you to be mine for far longer than I should’ve, but I refuse to hurt you more, Liliana. Let’s give you some time to process everything. You can’t apologize for taking advantage of me—which, for the record, you didn’t—and then be okay with me doing it to you. Have some standards for yourself.”
“I think you’re far above my current standards.”
“That may be, but I still need us to wait. I couldn’t bear if I hurt you, little star.”
Slowly, she nods. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that.”
“You’re allowed to be a little selfish right now.” I thread my fingers through her hair, tugging on the ends until she looks up at me. “But I don’t want to be something you regret.”
Liliana shakes her head. “I could never regret you.”
“And I want to have absolute certainty of that,” I tell her. “For you and for me.”
She looks like she wants to protest, but for once, she doesn’t. Instead, she slips her arms around me and nuzzles her face again my neck. As I lock my arms around her, I realize it’s stopped raining, and that the sun is peeking through the clouds. The wind has died down, too.
That’s Florida weather for you—as temperamental as a sleep-deprived toddler.
“What happens now?” Liliana whispers.
“I take you inside, get us both cleaned up, and then we do whatever you need to make you forget about Nate.”
“But… what about after that, Marcus? What… what’re we doing?”
“That depends.” My chest tightens.
“On what?”
“On if you’ve made a decision. And if you haven’t yet—if you need more time, or if I’ve misread things—then that’s oka—”
This time, she kisses me, and it’s like diving into a pool on a hot day. Refreshing, relaxing, and everything I fucking need.
“You, Marcus,” she says. “I choose you.”
Chapter thirteen
Liliana
“You’re sure this is okay?”
Marcus smiles as he hands me a chocolate-filled croissant. Apparently, when he left earlier, it was to go get us breakfast. “I said whatever you need, Liliana.”
My stomach does a little backflip. I never noticed until the past couple of days how his voice softens whenever he says my name. “Thank you.”
Settling onto the couch, Marcus pulls me into him and hits play on the remote. The opening scene of The Princess Bride starts playing, and I rest my head on his shoulder. We bonded over our love of this movie one of the first times we ever met each other, so I knew it’d be a safe one to pick that wouldn’t bore him to death or something.
I nibble on my croissant while Marcus bites into his. After showering and getting comfy, I already feel a little better. Not a lot, mind you. I’m still wondering if I am who I thought I was, and I still feel horrible for the way I’ve treated Marcus, but at least Nate isn’t on my mind.
“You didn’t use me, little star,” he whispers in my ear. “Now stop worrying about it and enjoy the movie.”
I turn so I can see his face. “How’d you know?”
He pokes my arm. “Do you not feel how tense you are? Relax, Liliana. If you used me, then I used you, didn’t I? Do I need to remind you that I came all over your face last night, got you all hot and bothered, and then did nothing to get you off?”
That’s a decent point.
“In your defense, I basically ran away.”
