Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
I suck back the tears. I can’t cry now. I’ll wait until I get home and he’s gone and then I’ll let my emotions go.
I pull down my road, and he follows me. I pull into my driveway, and he surprises me by pulling his bike in beside me instead of parking at the street.
I get out of my car as he turns his bike off. “Thanks for making sure I get home,” I tell him.
I walk up the steps and when I get to the door, he’s behind me.
I let out a breath. “Jack… I can’t do this.”
He takes the keys from my hand and unlocks my door. “Come on, we need to talk.”
He opens my door, but my feet stay planted where they’re at. “Jack, you don’t get it. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear you say we can’t be together and—”
He points his thumb over his shoulder. “Emily, get in the house.”
I put my hands on my hips. “No. I already have to think about last night and what happened between us every time I walk into my bedroom. I don’t need you filling my house with more memories that I’m not going to be able to forget.”
He grunts, picks me up over his shoulder, and carries me inside. He kicks the door closed, flips the lock, and then strides down the hallway to my bedroom. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I’m on him. “Are you kidding me right now? You think I’m going to sleep with you again?”
I pace across the room to put some distance between us. “I would be a fool to let you fuck me again. I’ll give it to you, you never lied to me. You said it would be one time, and I should have believed you instead of getting my hopes up.”
“Emily—”
But I don’t let him say anything else. Maybe it’s because I really don’t want to hear the rejection yet again. “No, Jack, it’s my turn to talk. You’re a fool, do you know that? I lo—like you… a lot. It’s obvious we could be good together, but you’re so damn stubborn that you can’t see what’s right in front of you—”
He stalks toward me, and I hold my hand up to stop him, but there’s no slowing him down. He puts his hands on each side of my face and forces me to look at him. The intensity in his gaze devours me. “I love you, Emily.”
My mouth falls open. Did he just say what I thought he said. “What?” I croak.
His hands circle around my neck. “I shouldn’t be here with you… I shouldn’t—”
I smack his chest. “Don’t you dare ruin this moment, Jack Felon. You just told me you loved me, and now you’re going to push me away and—”
He leans down, pressing his lips to mine. His mouth covers mine, and I get lost in the kiss. When he pulls away, I’m breathless, searching his eyes for an explanation. His thumb brushes across my lower lip. “You going to listen to me, Em?”
I blink. “If I don’t, are you going to kiss me again?”
He chuckles. “I love you, Emily Riles, and even though I know you can do better, that you deserve more than me, I can’t walk away from you.”
I put my arms around his waist and smash my body against his. “I don’t want you to, Jack. I wish… I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You’re a good man, the best man, and I don’t want you to walk away from me.”
He puts his hands on my cheek and pulls my face up to look at him. “I want us to be together.”
I’m smiling like a fool. “Me too.”
He strokes my cheek with his finger. “I don’t think you understand.”
I laugh. “You love me, that’s all I need to know.”
“I want you to have my babies.”
My mouth drops open, and he smiles. “I want you to marry me.”
I snap my mouth closed, and all I can do is stare at him, speechless.
He leans down. “Say something. Anything.”
I point at my chest. “You want to marry me?”
He nods. “More than anything.”
I put my hand around his neck and pull him down toward me. “You can’t change your mind, Jack. You can’t tell me all this and then change your mind. If you love me, you love me.”
He reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it up my body. I let him because right now, I want to feel him against me more than anything.
His hand strokes under my rib cage. “Did you look at your tattoo?”
I shake my head, and he smiles at me. “It says always, Em. Always. Because no matter what, I will always love you. You will always be mine, and I will always be yours.”