Page 63 of The Run Option

“I don’t know!” he shouts. The brokenness in his expression is heart wrenching. He throws a hand toward the door. “Ask that producer, or any of the media, maybe they’ll tell you. I can’t escape the past. I keep hoping that if I pay my dues and keep my head down, I’ll one day be able to go to a party without feeling like one wrong move will ruin everything. But no matter what I do, I’m still that guy.”

I shake my head. “No, you’re not. That’s not how I see you.”

“How can you say that?” His voice cracks. He presses a fist to his mouth. The green eyes I’ve come to know and love shine with tears. Wait–love?Do I love him?I watch his chest rise and fall and take in the tortured lines of his expression. My gaze roves over his tensed arms. The same arms that carried me out of a party when I was hurt, and held me close on our wedding day. He’s done so much for me, given so much. There’s no denying it. I’m in love with my husband.

“Because I love you,” I say quietly.

He blinks in disbelief. “You love me?”

My own eyes begin filling with tears as I cross the remainder of space between us. I look up at him.

“I love you, Jason Kingsley. I love how thoughtful you are, how much you care for others, and how hardworking you are. I even love your ridiculous teasing and overly flirtatious remarks,” I say with a wet laugh. “I tried so hard not to love you, but you made it impossible.”

I place my hands on his chest. He looks down at them, then meets my gaze again. His heart is pounding.

“Are you sure?”

The cocky quarterback has disappeared and in his place is a man unsure of his worth. Well, I’ll just have to show him.

Chapter twenty-nine

Jason Kingsley

Willow grips my shirt and pulls me down to her. My mind hasn’t had time to process her words, but my body catches up quickly. I thread one hand into her hair and settle the other on the perfect curve of her waist as our lips meet.

This kiss is much different than our first. That was a faint brush of the lips, a fleeting moment like a shooting star burning a trail of hope across my heart. But this kiss? It feels like a promise of a future. As constant as gravity or the sun rising over my pasture. I don’t have to worry about it slipping through my fingertips.

The knowledge doesn’t quench my desire though. It prods the flames into a blazing hot inferno of pure want. I walk Willow backward until her back hits a wall, and I cage her in. She pulls me closer by my shirt, as if she can’t get close enough. Her mouth is sweet and warm and addicting. I deepen the kiss, relishing the taste of her. A soft sound emanates from the back of her throat when my thumb slips under the hem of her sweater. My new goal is to hear that sound again and again.

Pulling back from the kiss, I trail my lips up her jaw to her neck before tasting the spot behind her ear.

“Jase.” She gasps, and I can’t help the satisfied smirk that stretches across my lips.

“I love that nickname,” I murmur against her skin. “I love it even more when you say it like that.”

I drag my teeth gently over her earlobe, heat pooling deep in my abdomen when she makes another one of those little moans. She’s so perfect. I pull back slightly so I can really look at her. Her beautiful gray eyes are closed and her petal pink lips are parted in anticipation. I trace her bottom lip with my thumb. My desire gives way to reverence. How could I possibly be worthy of her? I press a kiss to each of her cheekbones, her forehead, her eyelids. She stays as still as a statue, letting me shower her with the adoration she deserves.

I brush my lips against hers ever so softly. “I love you, too, Lo,” I rasp.

Her eyes flutter open, revealing the powder gray irises I could stare into forever.

“That’s why I was so upset when I found out about our first meeting. I love you so much that the idea of hurting you broke me. I hadn’t even admitted to myself that I loved you, but I know I’ve been falling for some time now.” The corner of my mouth tugs up into a wry grin. “Probably before I was supposed to be falling.”

Willow lets out a breathy laugh. “I wasn’t as immune to your charms as I thought either.” Her fingertips toy with the collar of my shirt as she looks up at me through dark lashes. “You’re easy to love, Jason. It was more work tryingnotto fall for you. Once I finally let myself, I was hopeless to do anything but love you.”

My throat grows tight with emotion. I press my forehead to hers and close my eyes.

“I know our wedding was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life, but this might beat it,” I whisper.

She gives me a gentle kiss and I can feel her smiling. “I think we have a lot more happiest days on the horizon.”

“I think so too.”

“Can I ask what might be a strange question?” Willow breaks the silence we’ve been sitting in.

I brought her out to the cliff on the four-wheeler again. We ordered Chinese food takeout, and now she’s sitting between my legs, leaning against my chest as we watch the sun set. It’s the most peaceful I’ve felt in a long time, maybe ever.

“Ask away,” I say as I brush her silky hair away and press a kiss where her neck and shoulder meet.

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