Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 318(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
A few minutes later, I saw his silhouette through the curtains and heard his heavy footsteps against the concrete. He approached the door, slipped a key into the lock, got it open, and then stepped inside.
He locked the door behind him, dressed in a gray hoodie with black jeans. His black ink peeked out from underneath his sleeves. He stopped in the living room and stared at me, his bright eyes full of intensity. He stared at me just the way he always did, like nothing had changed between us despite his absence.
After a few seconds of holding his gaze, I rose to my feet and walked toward him. I was in black leggings and a baggy long-sleeved t-shirt, ready to go to bed when I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. I didn’t have any makeup on, and the curls in my hair had fallen out since this morning.
He glanced at my lips but didn’t kiss me.
I didn’t touch him either, unsure what he was thinking or feeling.
Finally, his hand slid around my waist while his other palm cupped my cheek. His fingers gently pushed my hair back, and his callused thumb rubbed against my soft skin. His face moved closer to me, his eyes focusing on mine.
The second he touched me, I turned soft. I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of his palm. I turned my cheek into it, loving the way his hand felt against my skin. I loved the way his fingertips gripped the back of my shirt as he held me. I closed my eyes and treasured all of it, missing this touch deeply.
He pressed his face to mine and kissed the corner of my mouth. His lips were soft and gentle, and when they took mine, they were full of possession and longing. He gently pulled my bottom lip into his mouth, released it, and then kissed me again. He gave me this tongue, but it was in an affectionate way instead of lustful. He kissed me harder then pulled away unexpectedly to place his mouth against my ear. “I missed you…”
“I missed you.” My hands slid up his chest and around his neck. “So damn much.”
His hand moved to the back of my head, and he cradled my face as he kissed me again, continuing to give me embraces that were soft but packed with passion. His fingertips gently dug into my hair before he moved his hand under the fall of my strands.
I got lost in him immediately, my fingers gliding through his hair. I felt complete the second he returned to me. His affection was exactly what I’d been craving since the moment he walked out the door.
Now that he was back, I felt whole again.
He ended the embrace again and stared at my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. His eyes shifted back and forth slightly as he looked at me. He did something he’d never done before and leaned in to kiss me on the forehead. He left his kiss there, soft and warm. The heat radiated all the way down my spine and to my ass because the touch was so powerful. A man had never kissed me that way. He pulled his lips away and looked me in the eyes again. “I love you, Vanessa.”
I heard every word that came out of his mouth, but it took an entire span of ten seconds to understand those words were real. They were really spoken aloud, coming from his mouth and landing on my ears. After I confirmed it was real and not a lie from my imagination, I took a deep breath because my lungs ached for oxygen. “What…?”
His thumb continued to glide across my cheek. “You heard me.”
My eyes watered, the flood of tears beginning to emerge.
“I went Lake Garda and stood on the bank where you painted me. I stared at the trees, the water, the snow…and I knew.”
The tears piled up at the corners of my eyes until they spilled over and streaked down my cheeks.
His thumb caught one and wiped it away. “And I know you love me too.”
Shock, terror, and pain seared my entire body. I’d struggled with this relationship for the last three months because I hated my feelings for him, but this crossed a line. I didn’t even know how bad things had gotten between us. “I don’t love you…”
He cocked his head slightly, but his expression didn’t change.
I pulled away from his grasp, getting his hands off me. “This is over.” I didn’t want his hands on me ever again. I never wanted the touch of my enemy, of this man who brainwashed me into thinking this relationship was okay. I’d fallen so far, but I wasn’t going to fall anymore. This was a deal-breaker.
Because it was so fucked up.