Page 50 of Judge Me Not

I release a big breath. "Good. I really like your mom."

"She feels the same about you."

We stare in uncomfortable silence. He steps closer. "I wish I had known about Abby and what you were going through."

"Not something you tell someone when you're signing a contract to be a 'beck-and-call stripper,'" I sarcastically say.

His face hardens and turns red. "I can't tell you how much I hate myself for what I did."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. I went to the club. I had a notion about what happened there. I agreed to your terms. I'm not innocent in all this, and honestly, if I had to do it again, I would. I didn't have any other options."

"I'm not judging you, Jasmine. I'm disappointed in myself. There's a reason I don't engage in the club activities. I saw you and lost my head. I'm sorry."

I try to calm my flutters down. No matter our history, I can't deny I like the fact he wanted me.

"We both made choices," I claim, giving him a pass.

We stare at each other.

I take a nervous breath. "Cee Cee told me what you did. I need to thank you. How do you want me to repay you?"

Shock registers on his face. His voice sounds insulted. "There's no repayment."

"It's a lot of money."

"Don't worry about it."

"I am. It's more than anything we discussed, and—"

"Jesus, Jasmine," he growls.

I jerk my head back.

He steps forward and firmly holds my cheeks. His blue eyes blaze into mine. His delicious scent overpowers me. "Do you not understand I don't care about the money?"

My insides quiver.

I force myself to ask, "Then what do you care about?"

"You. I care about you and making sure Abby gets whatever she needs. And I care about figuring out a way for you to forgive me and learn to trust me, since I didn't treat you how I should have."

"There isn't anything to forgive. I already told you there were two of us who made choices."

"Yes, there is. And this is all on me, Jasmine. Not you," he firmly states.

I glance at his lips. It's not intentional, but they're so close. I don't want to hate him or hold a grudge. He's already done more for me than I could ever imagine, and he's telling me he wants nothing in return.

He leans closer. Our lips are only an inch apart. "Give me a real chance."

"What does that mean?" I whisper.

"It means I'm going to be the man I should have been when I first laid eyes on you."

"I'm kind of a mess if you haven't noticed."

His lips twitch. He brushes them against mine. "I can handle messy."

I only nod a few times. His lips touch mine, and his tongue parts my mouth. His hand slides to the back of my head, fisting my hair. His other hand slides around me and palms my ass, tugging me closer to him until our bodies press together in perfection.

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