Page 94 of You Didn't Know Me Then

Her chuckle came out choked, rattling the balloons. “And what does that mean?”

“I just told you.”

“Not in English.” Her throat clogged with memories.

“Okay. I’d love to do this in English. Some say I’m very good at it.” He shifted and sat down on the stoop next to her, his denim-covered, strong legs reaching farther out. Their shoulders brushed, and his scent filled her. If there was ever an ad for the scent of a sexy, ruggedly handsome man, he could star in it.

They looked at each other, and her eyes took in every angle and feature of his face before they locked with his amber eyes.

“I’m in love with you, Hope. Hopelessly so.”

She was lost. She knew she was, even before he had come, but she had to make sure one last time before she gave in, so she wouldn’t have to tell herself told you so later. “You wanted to swallow the world, Jordan. There’s no action or glamour here. Do you honestly think you can replace that with this?” She jutted her chin toward the street and rolled her eyes up to hint at the five sheer pink balloons that hovered above, linked with a short string to the rubber bracelets that she had borrowed from Hannah, and the black hairband.

He shifted his eyes between hers before he spoke. “You’re not a replacement, Hope. You’re the real thing. Yours is the only world I want. I want you! Jesus, I want you! All of it! I won’t compromise on a life without you. And if you want me, if you love me, don’t you compromise on us.”

When she reached out, instead of answering, and placed her hand on the stubbled ridge of his jaw, the balloons rattled again. She leaned in and did what she had been craving to do for weeks—press her lips to his.

Jordan pivoted toward her, cupped her face and neck with both hands, and welded her mouth to his.

She clung to his strength and the solid mass of his warm, hard body. It was lucky that he supported her back, or she would have lain back right there on the stoop and pulled him on top of her, although they were outside and people passed by on the sidewalk, just a few feet away.

They broke the kiss, and he looked at her with her face still held in his palms.

“Now, I want to hear you say it,” he rasped, his gaze linked with hers. There was that flame again in the honey eyes.

“What?” That kiss had taken away her capacity to compute thoughts. She was a blaze of a beating heart and skin that burned for his touch.

“What I see in your eyes,” he said in a low timbre, holding her gaze. “Say it.”

God, just that rasp could kill her.

“I love you, Jordan. I tried not to, was afraid to, but you’re so … good, and kind, and your heart … and … and I love you. I love you. I love that you’re … that each time … ”

When Jordan’s mouth landed on hers mid-sentence, she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind at all.

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