Page 79 of Love or Leave

Also, the whole “cheating on Sara” thing was burning a hole in her brain.

"Cara," he said, waiting for her to look up, "do you want to be with Jalen?"

Her eyebrows shot up. She'd forgotten all about him. "No."

He gave a nod. "Do you think we can start over? The right way this time," he said. "Without the lies and sneaking around."

She stared at him for a moment before she stood from the bed and crossed her arms protectively across her chest. That’s what she wanted more than anything. Being with Antonio felt exactly right.

But her head wasn't convinced.

Antonio drew near and placed his hands on her shoulders. She deflated in relief at his touch. Her head might have reservations, but her heart and body were all in.

She brought up an image in her mind of them together, holding hands, kissing, and touching whenever they wanted. Would it be so bad to see where things could lead?

"So you want to… date?"

Antonio nodded. "Yes."

She stared at him for a moment, wondering whether he wanted this because he genuinely liked her, or because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with her brother. "Not just because of Max?" she asked.

He pulled back slightly, shocked. "Of course not."

She narrowed her eyes, wondering if she could trust his words. He didn’t have a great track record for trustworthiness.

His shoulders dropped. "You don't believe me, do you?"

She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she believed him or not, so she gave a little shrug.

He lifted a hand and squeezed the back of his neck. "I think we have something really great together," he said.

"If…?" Cara prompted.If Max approves?If Fran doesn't change her mind?

"There is no if," he said.

She wanted to believe him so badly. Theywouldbe great together. But she wasn't sure if it was foolish to trust him.

She went back and forth, and back and forth in her mind before she finally held her breath, listened to her heart, and dove in headfirst. "Okay."

Antonio wasted no time. He pulled her in close, put a hand on the back of her head, and cradled her against him, kissing her temple.

She loved his touch—probably a little too much. But that wasn’t enough to date someone, was it?She just hoped she hadn't made the worst mistake of her life.

"So we're going to tell Max?" she asked, her voice muffled in his shirt.

Antonio placed a sweet kiss on her lips and nodded. "Yes."

"Whatare we going to tell him?"

Antonio smiled. "That we're together. That you're my…" he hesitated. "Girlfriend."

Cara's heart filled with so much love and hope it overflowed. Maybe if she loved him enough with her heart and body, her brain would get on board, too.

"Girlfriend?"

Antonio smiled and nodded. "Is that too soon? Should we—"

"No," she said, her face betraying her true feelings. Her entire body was lighter. "I want to be your girlfriend."

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