“Should I… do you want me to come back tomorrow?”Please don’t send me away. Please don’t send me away.
“What? No,” he said adamantly. Abruptly picking up her bag, he unlocked and opened the door. “Please. Go on in.”
She had the ridiculous image of Seth slamming the door once she walked in, and locking her in from the outside. She took a deep breath and forced her feet to move her forward and into the apartment. Her eyes widened at the modern interior, so different from the outside, and how bare the place was. Other than some boxes strewn about, the living room was empty.
She turned around to make sure that Seth had followed her inside, and jumped a little when she discovered him rather close behind her.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, taking a step back. He scratched the back of his head and looked around his apartment rather despondently. Then, as though he had just discovered the fact, he said, “There is nowhere to sit.”
“That’s okay. We could stand.”
“Do you want a drink? I have coffee and wine.”
“I’ll have a glass of wine. Thank you.” She could use a bit of liquid courage before she poured out her soul to the man she loved.
Seth lumbered to the small, bare kitchen and opened and shut every cupboard. But other than a couple of used glasses in the sink, there were no clean wineglasses to be found. He grunted in disgustand poured the wine into two clean-looking mugs on the counter. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting a guest.”
“Why not?” she asked. He lived here now. Why was he living like he was crashing at someone else’s place?
His eyes rose to meet hers and flitted away. Then he shrugged in response.
She accepted the mug o’ wine he offered and leaned against a wall. Seth stood by the sink, starting down at his wine. He was probably becoming irritated with the silence stretching on between them. She was the one who told him that she wanted to talk, but her mouth was glued shut with quaking nerves. She couldn’t blow this.Get it together, Tara.
What he’d really wanted to say to her on the stairway was…Yes, I still love you. More than life.But fear clogged his throat. Why had she asked that? Did she want reassurance that he was over her, so she could go on with her life with a clear conscience?
He didn’t know why she was here. Had her guilt prompted her to fly across the ocean to apologize to him? He didn’t know if he was ready for her. Ready to convince her that they were meant to be together. He knew in his heart that she loved him, too, but what if she didn’t love him enough to risk getting hurt again? If he failed, he didn’t know if he would get another chance to fight for her.
It was agony waiting for her to speak. He wished he could just kiss her until neither of them could breathe. His memories and dreams hadn’t done her justice. She was breathtaking, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from traveling to her lips again and again.
Her lips at the moment were puckered adorably, blowing on the mug. Then she crinkled her nose and shook her head no as if deciding against blowing on the room-temperature wine. With a quiet, frustrated sigh, Tara chugged her wine like it was one of her brews on a hot day.
He could go on staring at her all night. God, he’d missed her so much. A part of him still thought he might be imagining all of this. But her essence, her spirit, filled his apartment with life. Hope, timid and uncertain, fluttered inside him.
“Why are you here, Tara?”
She jumped as though she’d forgotten he was there. She stole a glance at him without answering, and came up to the sink. She rinsed her cup and looked around for a towel to dry her hands. When she found none, she wiped her hands on her jeans. Her form-fitting jeans. They looked fantastic on her, hugging all her curves. He wished he was her jeans.
Without a word, Tara walked out to the living room and Seth followed. Not only because she expected him to, but because he couldn’t help himself. He needed to stay in her orbit. When she reached the middle of the living room, she turned to face him. She didn’t startle as much this time, but by the widening of her eyes, it was obvious he’d been following her too closely again.
But he couldn’t make himself step back. They were so close, he could feel her warmth and smell the alluring scent coming off her body. She smelled fantastic. He’d so desperately missed her at times that he would’ve bought a bottle of her shampoo if they sold it here. He was probably being creepy, staring at her like a man who’d found an oasis after days in the desert. He should step back and give her some room, but his feet had melded to the floor. Not knowing what to do or say, he stuffed his hands into his pockets so he wouldn’t accidentally make a grab for her.
Tara let out a noise that sounded like a small growl then grabbedand kissed him. He stumbled back, and she took advantage of his unsteady balance to slam his back against a wall. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that they needed to talk but…fuck it. Tara was in his apartment in Paris and was devouring his mouth like a starving woman. Talking could wait. Breathing could wait.
He groaned against her mouth and took over the kiss. He couldn’t hold himself back anymore, and he plundered her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers, demanding her response. And she responded with equal desperation. He spun them around and trapped her against the wall and wrapped her leg around his waist.
“Tara,” he moaned, and kissed her with renewed passion. It was good—so good—to have her in his arms again. But why? Why was she here kissing him like she couldn’t live without him? He needed to know. He had a right to know. “Wait.”
Using every ounce of strength he had, he pulled his lips a centimeter away from hers. She growled in protest and pushed her lips against his, holding him captive with tight fists in his hair.Okay. He tried his best to slow things down. Now he couldn’t hold back anymore. He wrapped her other leg around him and held her against him, and took his first steps toward the bedroom. Blood rushed in his ears with need. He’d been without her for too long to be able to fight this any longer.
The only one who could stop this now was Tara, but she didn’t seem like she had any intention of stopping. Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist, and she kissed him until he couldn’t breathe. But when he hefted her up higher in his arms and lengthened his strides, her lips finally stopped their sensual assault.
“Oh,” she said quietly. Then she wiggled against his hold and said in a panicked voice, “No, wait. Stop.”
Seth stopped in his tracks and put her down. His hands wereshaking so he shoved them down into his pockets again. Good. He was glad she’d stopped him. The rock-hard part of him protested loudly, but he knew in his heart that it was better this way. He needed to find out what Tara really wanted before they went any further.
“Sorry,” Tara said, looking down at her toes. “Well, it’s your fault, too, for looking all handsome and sad. How is a woman supposed to resist that?”
“Tara,” he said with quiet warning. “Are you ready to tell me why you’re here?”
