Page 74 of Memories By the Shore
“I couldn’t find you,” I shout, a tear rolling down my cheek. “I didn’t know what to do.”
“And you think I did?” He takes another step.
There are two more stairs until his body is flush with mine on the tiny square porch. “I don’t know.”
Jasper’s nostrils flare. “I didn’t either. I was just a kid.”
“So was I!” I yell, pointing at my chest. “Why did you let me go, Jasper? Answer the fucking question!”
His expression surprisingly softens. “I knew you wanted more.”
Gutted once again, I let the tears overflow and slide down my cheeks. “I wantedyou.”
“I wanted you too,” he replies, climbing the remaining steps. “You were my everything.”
My stomach spasms as I try to catch my breath. His words unearth years of heartache and regret. “It ripped me apart,” I admit.
Jasper’s hand reaches the side of my face. “Do you think it was easy for me? It fucking killed me when you left.”
The warmth of his skin on mine makes my eyelids fall closed. “But you let me go.”
He lowers himself, and suddenly, I feel his nose nuzzling mine. My eyes remain shut.
“I’ve waited eight years for you to come back to me. No one has even come close to you. You know how hard that was?” His breath dances across my lips. I fight my urge not to dip my headand kiss him.
“How hard it was for you? I haven’t been able to love anyone else like I’ve loved you. You stole my fucking heart, stomped on it, and refused to give it back.”
Jasper’s lips gently caress mine. Without applying pressure for a kiss, he just lets them glide across the seam. “And I’m not going to.”
My fingers hook into the front pocket of his shorts. “You have to. I’m marrying someone else.”
“Not yet.” The ignition in his voice jerks me back to reality.
My eyes bounce between his briefly before Jasper’s mouth crashes into mine. His kiss is powerful. Years of pent-up frustration and hurt all manifested into the behavior we’re both experiencing now.
Pushed up against the side of the house, I submit to him like I’ve always done. Jasper’s hand feverishly slides along the outside of my leg and underneath my dress.
“Oh god,” I groan, savoring every second of his hands on me.
Desperately trying to get inside of me, Jasper’s tongue darts in and out of my mouth, going deeper each time. His palm cups my ass, gripping it tightly and urging me against him.
His hard length prods at my core, and another short groan escapes.
“You like that, don’t you, Arizona?” he growls. “You fucking missed me.”
I hook my arms around his neck to brace myself from weak knees. “Take me inside.”
“You got it,” he replies with a hurried response.
Suddenly, the hard surface behind me is gone, and I’mpushed through the door.
In one swift move, I’m hoisted up as Jasper grips my ass. My legs wrap around his waist.
“Where’s the bedroom?” he whispers into my lips without breaking contact.
My fingers comb through his longer on top, dark hair. It’s exactly how I remember it. “Down the hall. The first door on the left.”
When we get to my bedroom, he slows and lowers me onto the thick comforter. Crawling over me, he follows the movements of my body as I hurry to the top of the bed. My heart is racing. My mind is blank. I can’t think outside of this moment.
