Page 105 of Monochrome Without You
I want to tell her that I love her. That I’ve never stopped loving her.
But instead, I kiss her.
I kiss her the way I should have that night at the gala—without hesitation, without fear. And as she melts into me, as she kisses me back with just as much certainty, I know that no matter what happens next, she understands one thing: I chose her.
And I always will.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jules
I grab my purse and hurry toward the door, my pulse a steady thrum of anticipation. Corbin dropped Tate off at Leo’s fifteen minutes ago, which means he should be here any second. I don’t even bother checking the mirror. I already know nothing I see will change how I feel tonight.
Excited. Nervous. Hopeful.
The moment I step outside I see him.
Corbin climbs out of his car just as I close the stairwell door behind me, and for a second, I stop moving.
Dark wash jeans. A charcoal pullover that clings just right. He looks like a dream. Like the kind of man who, once upon a time, changed the way I saw the world. The kind of man who, against all odds, still manages to do that.
This is our first second date. The first time, I never wanted to go home after it.
I think I’m hoping for the same thing tonight.
“You look beautiful,” Corbin says as he moves toward me, his voice warm, his eyes trailing over me like I’m something worth admiring.
I will my feet to work again, closing the space between us. “So do you.” My cheeks immediately heat. “I mean, you lookhandsome.”
He laughs, that deep, easy sound that always makes something flutter in my stomach. When he opens the passenger door, I step closer and reach for him, my fingers curling into the soft material of his pullover as I lift onto my toes to kiss him.
It wastortureon Wednesday night during family dinner, pretending nothing had changed, pretending I wasn’t feeling everything all at once while Tate watched us a little too closely, as if he knew something was going on.
I lasted the entire night. Until after Tate was asleep and Corbin was about to leave. Then, in the dim glow of the stairwell, he tugged me into him and kissed me slow, like he had all the time in the world.
I’ve been craving another kiss since.
When I finally pull back, I exhale softly, my fingers still fisted in his sweater. “You ready?”
His lips tilt into a small, knowing smirk. “Yeah,” he says. “More than ready.”
Corbin closes the door behind me, and as he circles around the front of the car, I take a deep breath, settling what little nerves I still have.
“Where to?” he asks, shifting the car into drive.
“Vine and Copenhagen,” I reply without hesitation.
“The Warehouse District,” he muses, shooting me a side glance. “This should be interesting.”
I laugh. “Oh, it will be.”
He smirks but doesn’t press for details. Instead, he reaches across the center console and finds my hand, threading his fingers through mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world. The warmth of his skin settles me completely. I don’t feel nervous anymore. Just excited.
“How was your day?” Corbin asks, but with him, small talk never feels small. He’s never just filling the silence. He genuinely wants to know.
“Good. Busy. It’s officiallythattime of year when everyone wants coffee all day long.”
“Tis the season,” he agrees, his thumb lazily stroking along the back of my hand. “We haven’t talked about Thanksgiving yet.”
