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You would have thought your perfectly constructed world was falling apart, and I would have
borne the brunt of it. He kissed her hair lightly to take the sting out of the words.
Her belly twisted in concern, thinking about how right he was, how blind she d been, how much it
must have hurt him for her to not consider him as anything but a friend.
That wasn t a complaint. It was just an explanation. Maybe I was just being a coward, but I felt
trapped between my feelings and what I knew would happen if I said something. You mean too much
to me. I couldn t take the risk.
She nodded, understanding completely. No need to explain to me about being afraid to take risks.
I m sorry it took me so long to come to my senses.
It didn t take you that long really.
Fourteen years?
No. It was less than an hour between the time you realized what I wanted and the time you
realized you wanted it too. That s a pretty quick turnaround for someone who prides herself on her
rigorous planning.
She chuckled at the irony in his tone. Then I m sorry it took me so long to even recognize we
could be something more than friends.
Don t be sorry. You ve been a better friend to me than I deserve. And I think the timing was just
about right.
She smiled, warmed from the inside out. Me too.
They kissed for a minute gentle and tender. Then her curiosity got the better of her. She pulled
away enough to ask, So exactly how long have you wanted something more from me?
He glanced away almost diffidently, which just heightened her curiosity.
Aaron, she prompted, turning his head so he looked back at her. How long?
Honestly, he said, his voice almost rough, I ve been crazy about you from the first day we
met.
No!
It s true. I think I ve always wanted more.
That can t be right, she gasped, sitting up straight in the bed. You ve dated a ton of other
women. You were married.
He sat up too. I wouldn t say I ve dated a ton of women, but, yes, I kept trying to talk myself
out of it and fall for someone else.
But your marriage?
He swallowed hard she could see it in his throat. I did love Carole, and I was genuinely
committed to her. I did everything I could to make it work. But I do think part of the problem with the
marriage was that she wasn t and couldn t be you.
You told her?
No. But, no matter how hard both of us tried, I could never get as close to her as I was to you.
Kate stared down at her hands, which were twisting together anxiously.
Please don t tell me I ve creeped you out with this embarrassing confession. I promise I ve
never been obsessive or stalkerish about it. You were always my friend. That much has always been
real. I just always wanted even more.
I wish I d known, she murmured, torn between guilt and an irrational exhilaration.
No, you don t. Can you really tell me, if you d known I had a thing for you, that you ever would
have become my friend back in high school?
No, she admitted. I wouldn t have.
Then there s nothing to regret. Because, without your friendship, my life wouldn t have been
nearly as good. I wouldn t have traded the years we ve had for anything. Not for anything.
Me either. She reached out for him, letting him pull her down so they were lying together again.
She was almost dazed with this new revelation, but her surprise was slowly transforming into joy.
She couldn t think of anything to say that would come close to answering what she d heard from
him. So she just whispered, I love you, Aaron.
It must have been the right thing to say. He looked downward in his characteristic way, and when
he lifted his head, he was smiling pure and absolute. Good. Because I love you too.
They lay in each other s arms for a minute, not needing to say anything. He was warm and strong
and tense with emotion. He was hers.
She felt a brief flicker in her happiness as she started to reflect on how he must have felt all this
time, with her constantly treating him as if he wasn t worthy of being desired this way.
She was about to get upset about it when he said curtly, Stop it.
What? She blinked at him in confusion.
Stop it. Stop brooding. You re not allowed to beat yourself up about it.
But
No buts . Just stop it.
His grumpy objection actually made her feel better, but she frowned at him anyway. Wow. Give
a man a little sex, and he turns immediately from a nice guy into a bossy jackass.
He chuckled warmly. Just think how bossy I ll be after we ve had a couple of decades of sex.
I think I can probably handle it. I m good at managing bossy jackasses.
Good, he murmured against her lips, Because I m afraid you re stuck with me.
They kissed more deeply. Then the embrace became even deeper. A few minutes later, when she
was crying out on a taken breath as he pleasured her with his mouth, her eyes happened to land on the
clock next to her bed.
It wasn t even eight o clock in the morning yet.
It might have been a miracle or just the normal workings of an inexplicable universe, but her
world had completely reshaped itself.
All in one night.
About the Author
Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and
she hasn t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in
Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a
very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in
graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary
romances. For more information, please check out her website: noelle-adams.com
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