Getting over him
the first time had been hard enough; she didn’t know if she had the strength to
do it a second time.
He framed her face
with both hands. “I know I hurt you. I was a fool for not seein’ what we had
until I’d lost you. But I get it now. I’ll never make that mistake again. I
swear to you.”
She would give
anything to believe him, but she’d heard dozens of empty promises from him over
the last year of their relationship. He kept promising he would work less, he’d
hire someone to share the burden, he’d make more time for her, but their time
ran out long before she walked out on him.
“I can’t do this
again,” she said, grabbing his wrists as she tried to pry his hands off of her.
“I refuse to do this again. What happened last night never should have
happened. I had too much to drink and-”
“Don’t say that,”
he said, rage infusing his voice. “Don’t pretend I was some drunken mistake. We
both know you made love to me last night because you needed me as much as I
needed you.”
He was right, the
alcohol had nothing to do with her decision to go home with him. “Fine, I
wanted you. Are you satisfied?”
“No,” he said,
letting his hands fall to his sides. “But I will be when you admit you’ve never
stopped wantin’ me.”
There was no way
she intended to feed his ego with the words he wanted to hear. She still had
her pride, and the past year had helped her to become a stronger, more
independent woman than she ever was when they were together. She cringed when
she thought about the girl who cried herself to sleep because she thought
losing him would kill her. It didn’t kill her. She’d survived and she would
again. They’d only shared one night, and she would force herself to forget it
just like she’d forced herself to forget every other time they’d made love.
“You need to leave
now. I have a waiting room filled with people waiting to see me.”
“Let me pick you
up after work. I’ll take you out for dinner. We can talk about what happened
last night, about where we go from here.”
She thrust her
hands into her hair in frustration. “You’re not listening to me. We don’t go
anywhere from here. You go back to your life and I go back to mine.”
“My life is empty
without you,” he said quietly, looking her in the eye. “What do I have to do to
make you see that?”
His words hit her
like a sucker punch, rendering her speechless. The Evan she knew was rarely
weak or vulnerable. He was like a force of nature, brutal in his intensity,
terrifying and unstoppable once he’d set his course.
“I’m sorry.” She
truly was sorry. She loved him more than she’d ever loved anyone and his pain
still felt like her own. “I never wanted to hurt you. Last night should never
have happened.”
He touched a
finger to her mouth, tracing a line over her full bottom lip. “I’m glad it did
happen, ‘cause you almost had me convinced.”
She frowned.
“Convinced of what?”
“That you’d
stopped lovin’ me.”
She sucked in a
breath. She’d said that to him shortly after their break-up to force him to
back off, but as soon as the words left her lips, she wished she could take
them back. The pain she saw in his eyes had haunted her for months afterward.
“Evan, please…”
“It’s okay,” he
said, smiling. “You don’t have to say anything. After last night, I know how
you feel about me.”
The truth had been
in the way she’d kissed him, the way she responded when he made love to her.
“You may think-”
“We didn’t use
protection.”
She closed her
eyes when she realized she hadn’t taken her pill last night. She’d been in such
a hurry when she went home to shower and change that she’d forgotten all about
it. “Damn it,” she whispered.
His face lit up as
he pulled her close. “You have nothin’ to worry about,” he whispered in her
ear. “I’ll always take care of you… and our baby.”
“Stop!” she said,
trying to
the first time had been hard enough; she didn’t know if she had the strength to
do it a second time.
He framed her face
with both hands. “I know I hurt you. I was a fool for not seein’ what we had
until I’d lost you. But I get it now. I’ll never make that mistake again. I
swear to you.”
She would give
anything to believe him, but she’d heard dozens of empty promises from him over
the last year of their relationship. He kept promising he would work less, he’d
hire someone to share the burden, he’d make more time for her, but their time
ran out long before she walked out on him.
“I can’t do this
again,” she said, grabbing his wrists as she tried to pry his hands off of her.
“I refuse to do this again. What happened last night never should have
happened. I had too much to drink and-”
“Don’t say that,”
he said, rage infusing his voice. “Don’t pretend I was some drunken mistake. We
both know you made love to me last night because you needed me as much as I
needed you.”
He was right, the
alcohol had nothing to do with her decision to go home with him. “Fine, I
wanted you. Are you satisfied?”
“No,” he said,
letting his hands fall to his sides. “But I will be when you admit you’ve never
stopped wantin’ me.”
There was no way
she intended to feed his ego with the words he wanted to hear. She still had
her pride, and the past year had helped her to become a stronger, more
independent woman than she ever was when they were together. She cringed when
she thought about the girl who cried herself to sleep because she thought
losing him would kill her. It didn’t kill her. She’d survived and she would
again. They’d only shared one night, and she would force herself to forget it
just like she’d forced herself to forget every other time they’d made love.
“You need to leave
now. I have a waiting room filled with people waiting to see me.”
“Let me pick you
up after work. I’ll take you out for dinner. We can talk about what happened
last night, about where we go from here.”
She thrust her
hands into her hair in frustration. “You’re not listening to me. We don’t go
anywhere from here. You go back to your life and I go back to mine.”
“My life is empty
without you,” he said quietly, looking her in the eye. “What do I have to do to
make you see that?”
His words hit her
like a sucker punch, rendering her speechless. The Evan she knew was rarely
weak or vulnerable. He was like a force of nature, brutal in his intensity,
terrifying and unstoppable once he’d set his course.
“I’m sorry.” She
truly was sorry. She loved him more than she’d ever loved anyone and his pain
still felt like her own. “I never wanted to hurt you. Last night should never
have happened.”
He touched a
finger to her mouth, tracing a line over her full bottom lip. “I’m glad it did
happen, ‘cause you almost had me convinced.”
She frowned.
“Convinced of what?”
“That you’d
stopped lovin’ me.”
She sucked in a
breath. She’d said that to him shortly after their break-up to force him to
back off, but as soon as the words left her lips, she wished she could take
them back. The pain she saw in his eyes had haunted her for months afterward.
“Evan, please…”
“It’s okay,” he
said, smiling. “You don’t have to say anything. After last night, I know how
you feel about me.”
The truth had been
in the way she’d kissed him, the way she responded when he made love to her.
“You may think-”
“We didn’t use
protection.”
She closed her
eyes when she realized she hadn’t taken her pill last night. She’d been in such
a hurry when she went home to shower and change that she’d forgotten all about
it. “Damn it,” she whispered.
His face lit up as
he pulled her close. “You have nothin’ to worry about,” he whispered in her
ear. “I’ll always take care of you… and our baby.”
“Stop!” she said,
trying to
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