Page 75 of Chasing You

“I know you don’t trust me,” he says, leaning the bike up against the wall. “That’s why you disappeared yesterday. But that just means I need to work to gain it back, and I will.” He says it like a fact, like he doesn’t doubt for a second that he’ll be able to earn my trust back.

“If you’d stuck around yesterday, you would’ve heard me telling my mom that it didn’t even cross my mind to go back to the States, and that I want to heal here. The place where I’m surrounded by warmth and the ocean breeze, and my sister. And you.” That one word sets my heart racing. “I don’t plan on going anywhere, not right now.”

“What does that even mean?” My chin wobbles without my consent. I can’t deal with his empty promises, not again. “Right now is right now, and last time “right now” only lasted until a better offer came your way. What makes this any different? You’ll be here while you recover and then what? You’ll just go and leave again?”

He shakes his head, stepping in to me. “No, I won’t. I don’t know how it will work, but I won’t hurt you like that ever again, Ipromise you. This time we will figure it out together. I don’t want to lose you, Marina, not again.”

I close my eyes against the sight of him. Too scared to admit anything, like how all I want in this moment is for him to touch me, as if it will make everything else go away. But he can read me, he always could.

“Please, Marina,” he reaches up, cupping my cheek in his warm palm. “I’ve spent the last four years missing you. Please, give me a chance to prove that to you.”

I can’t help but lean into his touch as I open my eyes. He takes a step closer to me and my breathing hitches. This close, I can feel his body heat radiating off of him, his warmth ever present. Miles rubs a knuckle from his other hand just above my belly button, touching me in any way he can with his arm trapped in the sling.

I can’t do anything against the pull, can’t help but close my eyes as I feel him drawing closer to me. My body almost trembles as the tip of his nose skates across mine.

Miles sighs. “This feeling never went away, you know. I never stopped wanting this, wanting you. I’ve ached for you every single day for the last four years.” My resolve crumbles with every word coming out of his mouth.

He nudges my nose with his, as if in question. The answer is in the way my heart is booming in my chest, in the heat of my skin under his touch, in the way I can’t do anything right now but press my lips to his.

He gasps quietly as my lips brush a whisper of a kiss over his, so light some might not count it as a kiss. But Miles does.

His right hand slowly curves the other around the side of my head, giving me the time to back out, but I can’t, not with the way his green eyes are piercing mine.

I slide my hands up his shirt and grasp the fabric pulling him back to me. Heat floods my system as his soft lips touch mine, the kiss warm and delicate at first, both of us re-exploring the feel of each other.

I move my arms up and wrap them around his neck, leavingjust enough space between us for his arm in the sling. I open my mouth to him, giving in to this moment. Miles groans as I sweep my tongue into his mouth, swiping it against his as I rise up on my tip toes, needing to be as close to him as possible. Heat sparks in my belly as his grip on me tightens, our kiss deepening with every breath.

Miles’s hand slides back up to my face, his thumb stroking the now rosy apple of my cheek before he slowly pulls away. I grieve the loss of his lips against mine as soon as I feel the fresh air hit them. He presses his forehead to mine and I breathe him in. Taking a minute to think about this, about what this means for us, for me. How am I meant to go about this? Where do I draw the line with what I’m willing to let go? Am I even ready to let it go? Am I too in my head about this already?

“Where did you go, princess?”

“I don’t know how to trust you,” I whisper.

“I know,” he whispers. “I want to change that.”

I know he’s telling the truth, I know he won’t ever intend to hurt me, but something in me is still holding back. I can’t go jumping in head first, not with how it ended last time. No matter what promises Miles makes.

“Can we start as friends?”

A small smile forms across his face. It’s not just his mouth, it’s his eyes, the lines in his face. He lights up when he smiles, even when he’s trying not to.

“Sure, Princess, we can start as friends.”

chapter thirty-two

MILES

PRESENT

Friends.I can do friends. At least for now. If that’s what it takes to earn Marina’s trust then that’s what I’ll do, nothing is more important to me than her in this moment.

It’s been over two weeks since her beautiful lips touched mine, since she told me she wants to be friends. In those weeks, I have barely seen her, but I’m trying to be relaxed about this.

She’s probably busy getting back to her work at the bar, and I’ve been busy working out what my day-to-day looks like here. So far it’s worked out to be Scrabble and movie nights with the ladies at the B&B—and getting schooled the entire time. Lots of walks along Main, and spending time with my sister. Then I have physical therapy twice a week to help with the recovery after surgery, which has been going as smoothly as it can so far.

Today, Isla and I are headed to Luna’s gym so I can sign up for a membership. I know—says the guy in the sling. But the lower half of my body works just fine, and I can’t go six weeks without some kind of exercise. I’m going stir crazy already.

Before Isla came to Italy, we barely spent any time together. Iwas busy flying around the world, and she was at home in college. Our paths barely ever connected, most of that is my fault.

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