Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
It was more than a bit. I could see that clearly. He was downplaying the damage because he didn’t want me upset.
“The thing is, though, they never ask me any questions, except…about you. They ask me a lot of questions about you.”
“What about me?”
“General stuff. Where you live, what you do, if I thought you would come.”
“They asked you if I would come for you?”
He nodded.
“What did you say?”
“I knew you would, of course, but I didn’t want them to know that in case that was the whole point of this. Like, why take me? I’m nobody. The only important thing about me is how much I mean to you.”
“I promise you, you’re—”
“Yes,” he groaned, “I know. I’m not fishing here.”
For the horrible state he was in, and where we were, what was amazing was that he seemed to be in very good spirits.
“What?” he asked. “You look like you have a question.”
“No,” I said, hesitated, then repeated more firmly, “No.”
“I don’t want us to fight anymore.”
“Sorry?”
He exhaled sharply. “It’s not fixing anything, me being mad at you. So I’m going to do something else from now on.”
I crossed my arms and stared at him.
He sputtered out a laugh, and I scowled back.
“What?” I snapped at him.
“I know, I know,” he placated me. “I’ve been an ass, but you’ve been an idiot, so I think we’re even.”
“An idiot?”
“Yes.” He reached out and slid his hand around my forearm, both of which were still crossed over my chest. “But some of that’s on me. You can’t be expected to figure out things for yourself. It’s not like you’ve ever been accused of being terribly observant.”
“Pardon me?”
“I mean, typically I have to tell you what’s going on so you know, but I didn’t with this, so you’ve been stumbling around in the dark.”
“What?”
He laughed at me.
Under normal circumstances, I would give him hell, but seeing him smile and laugh was like a drug. I was crazy addicted to his happiness, especially when directed at me, or even better, because of me, and I’d missed him terribly, even before he left for Thailand. I ached for his company and—
Oh shit.
I got up fast, walked a few feet away, then spun around to stare at him. I had to look ridiculous with my mouth hanging open in utter shock.
He grinned then, and waggled an eyebrow. “Close your mouth, honey. You’re gonna catch flies, and believe me, there are more than a couple in here.”
I snapped my mouth shut but couldn’t stop staring. He knew I was crazy about him. He already knew.
“You missed me,” he said hoarsely.
I nodded.
“Yes, well, I miss you whenever I leave the house, but you make me so insane that it’s hard to be there.”
I had nothing to say. I was just drinking in the sight of him. Because even thinner, bruised, and beaten, he was luminous. His shoulders were broad, his chest wide, his legs long, and his waist narrow. He was built like a swimmer, and the lines of him were beautiful.
“I know you want me, Jared. I’d have to be blind not to see the way you look at me. And I kept thinking, he’ll say something, he’ll tell me,” he murmured, smiling slowly. “He won’t keep it a secret forever.”
I was utterly stunned. I always thought if he knew how I saw him, what I wanted, he’d be horrified. I never thought to check.
“I like it when I catch you staring at me and I can see the interest in your face, the heat in your eyes.”
Anything I said at the moment would be wrong, so I kept my mouth shut.
“I know you want me, but at those times, your go-to response is to run. Why? Wouldn’t it be better, for both of us, if you just walked over and kissed me instead?”
How many times had I thought of doing just that, only to play the scenario out in my head and end up imagining him hating me.
“You can’t possibly think that I would ever do anything but kiss you back.”
I couldn’t tell if I was still breathing or not. Probably, because I was still standing, but it was hard to tell as I stared at him.
“Jared,” he husked. “There’s no one but you. You’re all I want.”
All I could do was stand there and stare at him like the village idiot.
“Why don’t you come over here and sit down.”
That wasn’t going to happen. I was rooted to the spot.
He gave me a wicked, evil grin then. “Please.”
Oh dear God. My mouth went dry, my pulse quickened, my stomach twisted, and a lump formed in my throat I could not speak around.
“You know,” he began, “if it took me getting kidnapped and beaten for you to actually own up to your feelings—and know mine without question—I think I’m okay with that.”