Page 151 of Jaked
Against him, I nodded.
His answer was a long time in coming. But when it did, it took my breath away. "One."
I pulled away to meet his gaze.
The script called for me to say I loved him too. Did I? I had idolized him forever. I had spent countless nights lusting after him. And now, I wanted to wash away his torments and somehow make him whole and happy.
Was that love? It sure as hell felt like it. But I refused to say it – not for fear of embarrassment, and not because he didn't want me to love him. It was because if I admitted to such a thing, even to myself, I'd never be able to leave, whether he wanted me to or not.
It was because regardless of those pretty words, I still couldn't believe him. If he truly loved me, he'dneverask me to leave. And if I truly lovedhim, I wouldn’t beableto leave, whether it was supposedly for my own good or not.
Still unsure of what I might say, I opened my mouth, but before any words came out, Jake lowered his head to seal my lips with a kiss so desperate that it made me forget almost everything else.
I shouldn't have done it. But when he carried me away to his bedroom, I didn't utter a single word of protest. I couldn't have, even if I tried.
Tenderly, we made love that whole afternoon. I knew I shouldn't have. But I couldn't help that either. And I didn'twantto help it.
As we lay naked together, I kept expecting him to take everything back, to tell me he never wanted me to leave – or as much as I would have hated to hear it – to tell me he didn't love me at all.
None of that happened.
So I knew what I had to do. The only question was, did I have the will to do it?
