“You’ve done it forhours.”
“Mmm…” he nuzzled the back of herearlobe.
She rolled slowly toward him. As she gazed into his hazel eyes, they shimmered in the late afternoonlight.
“We’ve been in bed for hours. Your brothers are going to wonder what we’re up to,”shesaid.
“I’m sure they know what we’re doing,” heteased.
She laced her fingers in his and brought them up to her lips. As she kissed each knuckle, she struggled with how to ask him what was really onhermind.
“I’m not ready,”hesaid.
She stilled, knowing exactly what hemeant.
“What will it take?” she askedsoftly.
“I don’t know. Usually I’m so sure of everything. But this… I wasn’t even looking foramate.”
“I know,” she said. “I wish we’d met some other way. I think it would have made things a loteasier.”
He stroked the edge of her arm before raising up to kiss her shoulder. As he slowly turned her toward him, she pressed her face against his chest. She fought to keep tears from spilling down hercheeks.
“Hold me,” shemurmured.
He pulled her against him and dragged a blanket over both of them. She hated crying, but couldn’t help it. The stress of the last year had been too much. She couldn’t take it anymore and so she cried until she fell asleep inhisarms.
Hours later, she woke to an empty bed. She stared out the window at the cold moon. Fresh tears clung to her lashes. Her heart ached for him. After the hell she’d been through with her ex, she vowed never to fall in love again. And what had she done?Exactlythat.
She was completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with him and was powerless to make him love her back. But a small piece of her heart held out hope that he loved her too. Maybe he really was just afraid of letting anyone get close to him. He’d never talked about his past relationships, so she didn’t know if another woman had broken hisheart.
Regardless, if she lost him now, she’d never recover. Of course her traitorous heart had chosen an emotionally unavailable man. She’d never been lucky in love, so whystartnow?
As a fresh wave of self-pity consumed her, she shook it off. She’d been perfectly capable of taking care of herself the last year. She didn’t need him. If he didn’t want her, then her heart would heal and she’dmoveon.
She rolled away from the window. Sure, maybe she would heal, but if she lost Drew, she’d never attempt to love another man again. The heartache wasn’t worth it. Maybe fate was telling her that she would end up an old maid, alone with fifty cats and an endless pile of sewingprojects.
The image of her with gray hair surrounded by an army of cats was too much. She didn’t want to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. The first peal of laughter led to another and another until she’d curled up into a ball, hysterically laughing. She rolled onto her back and clutched her belly. Oh, God. Toofunny.
But the laughter was short lived. She didn’t want to end up old and alone. Especially when she had a chance with someone like Drew. She could lie to everyone in the world about who she was and where she’d come from, but she couldn’t lie to herself. She’d fallen completely in love with him. If she lost him now, she’d be devastated. She’d never recover. She had to find a way to make him see that they belonged together.Buthow?
The door cracked open. She tangled herself up in the sheets as she tried to sit up. Drew strolled into the room. He carried a tray with two platesonit.
“You’re awake,” he said. “Can I turn on thelight?”
“Sure.”
After he flicked it on, she blinked a few times. Clad only in a pair of jeans, his bare chest clenched as he set the tray onthebed.
“I brought you dinner in bed,” he said. “Spaghetti and meatballs with chocolate cake fordessert.”
“I thought you left me,” shewhispered.
“No.” He dropped his pants before sliding into bed beside her. “I don’t want to leave you. Not right now. I don’t know how I’ll feel about all of this tomorrow, but I think we’ve had enough excitement for today without making any major lifechanges.”
“I can accept that,” she said. He hadn’t said yes, but he hadn’t said no either. So there was still a chance he wanted her tostay. “Drew?”
“Hum?” he asked as he handed herafork.
