many
reasons he shouldn't be here. He wasn't thinking about the promises
he'd made to his bandmates just an hour ago. All he was thinking
was that he wanted to be here, with her, always.
He brought his mouth down to hers to
kiss her again, deeper this time. Trying to convey to her how much
he'd missed her in that single movement. It had been so long, so
very long. Her body responded, her hands fisting in his shirt at
his sides and pulling him closer. He let his lips leave her mouth,
his tongue darting into the indent of her collarbone, then trail
over the soft skin of her neck and up her jaw line, one hand moving
down her side to grip her hip.
“ My Lucky,” he breathed
against the shell of her ear, then returned to her mouth to reclaim
it with his own. He felt her body tense underneath him but he tried
to ignore it. She turned her head to the side, and pushed against
him.
“ No, Blake.” Her voice was
firm, bringing him crashing back to reality. He sighed, rolling off
of her.
“ I'm sorry,” he said, and
hated how he always ended up apologizing to her. His heart was
pumping the blood through his veins forcefully and he shuddered as
he tried to calm down.
Lucy sat up slowly, her long hair
blocking the expression on her face. But he didn't need to see it
to know that it would have been too painful for him to witness
anyway. He ground his teeth together, angry at his own
selfishness.
“ I don't want to be the
reason that you don't join the tour.” He sat up and rested his arms
on his knees.
“ How is that even
possible?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You're not even in
town for twenty-four hours and we've already swept through our
catalog of greatest hits of intense emotional
overreaction.”
“ I know.” He hung his head
between his knees and raked his hair back with his
fingers.
“ We're no good for each
other, Blake.” Her voice soft. Gentle. All the things he loved
about her, saying the thing he hated to hear.
“ I'll stay away.” He
stared out across the water, his jaw clenching sporadically. “You
won't have to see me. I promise.”
Her short, sardonic laugh burned his
ears. “Like you did tonight? When have you ever kept a promise,
Blake? Especially to me?”
I never stopped loving
you. “I'll do my best,” he said instead.
“I'm trying to be a better person. I'm just... not very good at it
yet.”
She sighed but didn't respond. Blake
wished for the millionth time that he could walk away from her with
no regrets. But all he had were regrets where she was concerned. He
just couldn't seem to get anything right. He screwed up being with
her and he screwed up leaving her. He couldn't win.
“ Please don't let me ruin
one more thing for you. I'll keep my distance. This is an amazing
opportunity and I think you know you should take it.” He swallowed
hard, hoping against hope that he could convince her to at least
give it a shot.
After several minutes, Lucy cleared
her throat. “I, uh, I really have to think about it.” She faced
him, and he saw the conflict clearly displayed in her expression.
It was one of the things he always adored about her; she wore her
feelings out in the open. The most honest person he'd ever
known.
“ We leave right after
tomorrow night's show,” was all he said. He wanted to say more, ask
all the questions that he had been dying to know the answers to
since he'd seen her in the diner. But, for some reason he couldn't
identify, he chose to wait.
She nodded and bit her lower lip, the
silence returning between them. Blake watched a fish jump and he
was reminded of all the nights they had spent in this very spot,
talking, laughing and kissing until dawn. He closed his eyes and
hung his head again. There was no going back to that.
Ever.
“ How long are you
staying?” Lucy asked, probably replaying the same
memories.
“ As long as you let me,”
he answered huskily, his throat suddenly raw with the hurt of
having to say goodbye again.
Lucy shifted
reasons he shouldn't be here. He wasn't thinking about the promises
he'd made to his bandmates just an hour ago. All he was thinking
was that he wanted to be here, with her, always.
He brought his mouth down to hers to
kiss her again, deeper this time. Trying to convey to her how much
he'd missed her in that single movement. It had been so long, so
very long. Her body responded, her hands fisting in his shirt at
his sides and pulling him closer. He let his lips leave her mouth,
his tongue darting into the indent of her collarbone, then trail
over the soft skin of her neck and up her jaw line, one hand moving
down her side to grip her hip.
“ My Lucky,” he breathed
against the shell of her ear, then returned to her mouth to reclaim
it with his own. He felt her body tense underneath him but he tried
to ignore it. She turned her head to the side, and pushed against
him.
“ No, Blake.” Her voice was
firm, bringing him crashing back to reality. He sighed, rolling off
of her.
“ I'm sorry,” he said, and
hated how he always ended up apologizing to her. His heart was
pumping the blood through his veins forcefully and he shuddered as
he tried to calm down.
Lucy sat up slowly, her long hair
blocking the expression on her face. But he didn't need to see it
to know that it would have been too painful for him to witness
anyway. He ground his teeth together, angry at his own
selfishness.
“ I don't want to be the
reason that you don't join the tour.” He sat up and rested his arms
on his knees.
“ How is that even
possible?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You're not even in
town for twenty-four hours and we've already swept through our
catalog of greatest hits of intense emotional
overreaction.”
“ I know.” He hung his head
between his knees and raked his hair back with his
fingers.
“ We're no good for each
other, Blake.” Her voice soft. Gentle. All the things he loved
about her, saying the thing he hated to hear.
“ I'll stay away.” He
stared out across the water, his jaw clenching sporadically. “You
won't have to see me. I promise.”
Her short, sardonic laugh burned his
ears. “Like you did tonight? When have you ever kept a promise,
Blake? Especially to me?”
I never stopped loving
you. “I'll do my best,” he said instead.
“I'm trying to be a better person. I'm just... not very good at it
yet.”
She sighed but didn't respond. Blake
wished for the millionth time that he could walk away from her with
no regrets. But all he had were regrets where she was concerned. He
just couldn't seem to get anything right. He screwed up being with
her and he screwed up leaving her. He couldn't win.
“ Please don't let me ruin
one more thing for you. I'll keep my distance. This is an amazing
opportunity and I think you know you should take it.” He swallowed
hard, hoping against hope that he could convince her to at least
give it a shot.
After several minutes, Lucy cleared
her throat. “I, uh, I really have to think about it.” She faced
him, and he saw the conflict clearly displayed in her expression.
It was one of the things he always adored about her; she wore her
feelings out in the open. The most honest person he'd ever
known.
“ We leave right after
tomorrow night's show,” was all he said. He wanted to say more, ask
all the questions that he had been dying to know the answers to
since he'd seen her in the diner. But, for some reason he couldn't
identify, he chose to wait.
She nodded and bit her lower lip, the
silence returning between them. Blake watched a fish jump and he
was reminded of all the nights they had spent in this very spot,
talking, laughing and kissing until dawn. He closed his eyes and
hung his head again. There was no going back to that.
Ever.
“ How long are you
staying?” Lucy asked, probably replaying the same
memories.
“ As long as you let me,”
he answered huskily, his throat suddenly raw with the hurt of
having to say goodbye again.
Lucy shifted
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