Page 105 of Playing A Risk
“I’ve already put a call into him. The agency said they’ll get him the message and he’ll call when he can.” Jami shrugs and gives me a look like he’s one step ahead of me.
I sit straighter. “You did, what? Without talking to me? Good God, Jami. What are you trying to do?”
“I’m trying to get you to see we belong together.” He brushes his knuckles along my jaw, keeping my head in place to meet his gaze.
“Jami…”
“It’s always been us and you know it. Don’t worry about Aiden. I’m only planning on telling him how I feel about you—just like we talked about the night everything between us fell apart. I’m going to fight for you and do whatever it takes. You can count on that.”
“Jami, don’t. I’m with Hunter.”
“For now. But how long do you think it will take for you to realize it’s me you really want?”
CHAPTER 27
JAMISON
I’ve literally backedDori into a corner. She thinks I’ll never fight for her and she’s going to find out just how wrong she is.
I keep pressing her. “I’ll even help you out with answering my question. We always find our way back to each other. It’s inevitable. Give me two weeks with you. Give me the same courtesy Hunter got and then you won’t be able to deny the truth.”
“This is so unfair, Jami.”
“Fair? Yeah, I’m done fighting fair.” I run my thumb over her bottom lip, reminding her of my kiss. “I’ve got nothing left to lose. You want me to show you that you’re number one in my life and I’m going to do it. Just give me the chance because it’s only ever been you. You’re the only one for me.”
I hold her gaze, not wanting to give her any room to escape how she feels. She blinks as her chest rises and falls at a rapid pace. My heart aches as I take her in, feeling the weight of her absence and a longing for the love we share.
The server comes back and delivers our lunch. Cursing the timing, I ball my hands into fists. Nothing is easy when it comes to loving Dori.
Knowing I can’t keep her trapped in a corner, I return to the other side of the booth. She stares at the food for a minute before she excuses herself to the restroom with glossy eyes.
Fuck.
Maybe I went too far. Once again, I have the uncanny ability to fuck things up with her. I’m about to rethink my plan when she comes back to the table. Her shoulders are relaxed and her demeanor is softer.
She slides into the booth. “Let’s enjoy lunch and get back to the office. We have a lot to do for this launch.”
Her changing the subject is enough to tell me that I’ve crossed a line. I coil into myself.
“Dori, I’m sorry. Fuck. I’m not trying to make this hard for you. I just can’t sit back and watch you walk away from us again. It’s killing me.”
She tilts her head and grips me with her stare. “This is our pattern, isn’t it?”
Confusion sputters in my mind. “What pattern is that?”
“The one where I run off with the other guy because of something you didn’t communicate and you hold it against me.” She shakes her head with her eyes full of sadness.
“I’m not holding anything against you. This is about the deep connection we share. This is about how we feel about each other.”
“You’re right. I can’t help the way I feel. Hunter’s trying hard for me and I love him for it. And now you want to do the same thing.
“What am I left with, Jami? Loving two men for two very different reasons and hurting everyone involved. If you don’t want to make this hard for me, then don’t.” Tears swell in her eyes and my heart cracks in half.
“What do you want me to do, Dori? Walk away and watch the love of my life move on with someone else?” My emotions strangle me, so I swallow. “I want to fight and prove I’mserious about this. I love you, so tell me what to do because I’m lost and have no fucking clue.”
“And thanks to this conversation, now I don’t either.”
The following two weeks are a bit of the same. Dori tries to avoid me, but I keep going to her and telling her how much I love her and how sorry I am for hurting her.
