Page 105 of Along Came Amor
“Ava,” he whispered huskily.
For once, her mind, body, and heart were in agreement, all three screaming,Yes, yes, take me now.
His lips parted.
She leaned in, eager for his kiss...
“I love you.”
Every single one of her cellsfroze.
Seconds ticked by as she stared at his face, uncomprehending. Finally, her tongue thawed enough to utter, “You—what?”
Roman took her hand and bent toward her, his gaze intense. “I know this is against your rules...”
Rules? What rules? She couldn’t think straight. What the fuck was happening?
“...but it’s not in me to hide something like this.”
Her heart pounded in her throat, making speech difficult. “What?” she choked out.
The center of his dark brows creased. “I love you.”
So thatwaswhat he’d said.
“I wanted to give you time to process...” he went on, while Ava struggled to remember how to breathe.
Process. Yes, she needed to process this. But he was holding her hand, and he was right next to her, warm and good-smelling, and all she could see was the open and earnest expression on his face, and those dreamy eyes...
“Roman.” Oh good, she could still say something other than “what.”
He stopped talking. She hadn’t the faintest idea what he’d been saying. She cleared her throat.
“I don’t... I don’t know what to say.” The words came more easily now that the initial shock had worn off.
“You don’t have to say or do anything,” he said calmly. “I just want you to know where I stand.”
“Oh.” That sounded reasonable. “Thanks?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, like he was trying not to smile. “You’re welcome.”
And then her skin tingled and her heart started pounding like a snare drum as her brain reminded herwhat the fuck he’d just said.
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
And then she bolted.
Chapter 32
Ava leapt to her feet and ran out into the pouring rain. She was drenched in seconds. This was no romantic drizzle; this was a torrential downpour, falling in sheets, soak-you-to-the-bone kind of rain.
It did nothing to clear her head.
She came to a halt at the edge of the pool, staring down at the violent patter of bullet-size raindrops on the surface of the water, illuminated from below by underwater lights.
Roman came up behind her, but didn’t touch her. He waited a long moment before asking, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking of jumping in.”
