Everyone will be up and about soon.”
“So?” He propped himself up on his elbow as she picked her clothes off the floor.
“I don’t want to explain why I’m sneaking out of your room in the morning.”
“You won’t have to explain. They’d figure it out. Come back to bed, Haven.”
He looked delicious, naked among the sheets they’d tangled. His bare skin would be warm—she should know, she’d snuggled into it all night. She turned away from the temptation and stumbled, trying to get into her pants, her heart squeezing. After today, she wouldn’t see him again. But she didn’t want him to know how she felt so she lowered her gaze to the floor, turning light now with the dawn. “You don’t understand. You don’t see these people all the time. You’ll be gone and I’ll be answering questions that I don’t know the answer to because that’s not what this is.”
He rolled onto his back and folded his hands on that tight stomach. “Haven, they already know.”
She blinked up at him. “What?”
“They already know. Jared and Christine for sure, anyway. I told them a while ago. That’s why they paired us for the wedding as soon as I was sure I could make it.”
Her body felt like it was squeezing in on itself as she stared at him, and then the pressure bubbled up, ready to erupt. “And you didn’t tell me? When you knew I was trying to keep it a secret?”
“I didn’t know when I told them that you hadn’t told anyone.” He swung his legs over the end of the bed. “So when you said you didn’t want to spoil their weekend, I just went along with it.”
“I’ve been so stressed and this whole time everyone knew?”
“Not sure about everyone. The guys, yeah. Christine and Jared. His parents, her parents.”
“Just mostly everyone.” She pushed her hair back from her face and tried to reason out what to do. Her stomach was in a jumble. “They have to think I’m the biggest fool, sneaking around when they already knew.” She’d recover, maybe even find the humor in it, but now she lamented the wasted energy. She certainly wouldn’t have draped herself over him, of course, but she wouldn’t have been so twisted up about their casual touches and glances.
He rose from the bed in a fluid movement. “Haven, no one cares. They just want to see you happy.”
“How is this supposed to make me happy? I won’t see you again after today.” She took a step back and lifted her gaze to his, horrified. She hadn’t meant to let that slip, hadn’t meant for him to know she wanted more than great sex.
He stroked his hand down her arm. “Hey. I’m not going anywhere.”
That revelation sent her reeling in a new direction. “What?”
“I’m not leaving. I got a job as a professor at the university in town.” He trailed his knuckles down her cheek. “They’ll get used to seeing us together.”
She drew away, unable to comprehend what he was telling her. “You’re staying?” And he wanted a relationship? Shock blocked all other emotion as she stared.
His smile faded as he tried to measure her reaction. “Yeah. I—I got tired of moving around all the time and last summer when I met you, I thought, hey, here’s something special. So instead of applying for funding, I applied for a job. I found out last week that I got it.”
She jammed her hands on her hips. “And you told me none of this.”
“Ah. Yeah.” He moved back as well, looking uncertain for the first time since she’d known him. “I thought you might like it.”
She did, so much it scared her, but she couldn’t do more than stare.
He plunged ahead. “I wanted us to have a chance, you know, to see where this goes.” He reached out as if to touch her, then thought better of it and dragged his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t stop thinking about you the entire time I was gone, Haven. I missed you like hell.”
Her pulse thundered. Everything she wanted, and while her mind was too scared to take it, her
“So?” He propped himself up on his elbow as she picked her clothes off the floor.
“I don’t want to explain why I’m sneaking out of your room in the morning.”
“You won’t have to explain. They’d figure it out. Come back to bed, Haven.”
He looked delicious, naked among the sheets they’d tangled. His bare skin would be warm—she should know, she’d snuggled into it all night. She turned away from the temptation and stumbled, trying to get into her pants, her heart squeezing. After today, she wouldn’t see him again. But she didn’t want him to know how she felt so she lowered her gaze to the floor, turning light now with the dawn. “You don’t understand. You don’t see these people all the time. You’ll be gone and I’ll be answering questions that I don’t know the answer to because that’s not what this is.”
He rolled onto his back and folded his hands on that tight stomach. “Haven, they already know.”
She blinked up at him. “What?”
“They already know. Jared and Christine for sure, anyway. I told them a while ago. That’s why they paired us for the wedding as soon as I was sure I could make it.”
Her body felt like it was squeezing in on itself as she stared at him, and then the pressure bubbled up, ready to erupt. “And you didn’t tell me? When you knew I was trying to keep it a secret?”
“I didn’t know when I told them that you hadn’t told anyone.” He swung his legs over the end of the bed. “So when you said you didn’t want to spoil their weekend, I just went along with it.”
“I’ve been so stressed and this whole time everyone knew?”
“Not sure about everyone. The guys, yeah. Christine and Jared. His parents, her parents.”
“Just mostly everyone.” She pushed her hair back from her face and tried to reason out what to do. Her stomach was in a jumble. “They have to think I’m the biggest fool, sneaking around when they already knew.” She’d recover, maybe even find the humor in it, but now she lamented the wasted energy. She certainly wouldn’t have draped herself over him, of course, but she wouldn’t have been so twisted up about their casual touches and glances.
He rose from the bed in a fluid movement. “Haven, no one cares. They just want to see you happy.”
“How is this supposed to make me happy? I won’t see you again after today.” She took a step back and lifted her gaze to his, horrified. She hadn’t meant to let that slip, hadn’t meant for him to know she wanted more than great sex.
He stroked his hand down her arm. “Hey. I’m not going anywhere.”
That revelation sent her reeling in a new direction. “What?”
“I’m not leaving. I got a job as a professor at the university in town.” He trailed his knuckles down her cheek. “They’ll get used to seeing us together.”
She drew away, unable to comprehend what he was telling her. “You’re staying?” And he wanted a relationship? Shock blocked all other emotion as she stared.
His smile faded as he tried to measure her reaction. “Yeah. I—I got tired of moving around all the time and last summer when I met you, I thought, hey, here’s something special. So instead of applying for funding, I applied for a job. I found out last week that I got it.”
She jammed her hands on her hips. “And you told me none of this.”
“Ah. Yeah.” He moved back as well, looking uncertain for the first time since she’d known him. “I thought you might like it.”
She did, so much it scared her, but she couldn’t do more than stare.
He plunged ahead. “I wanted us to have a chance, you know, to see where this goes.” He reached out as if to touch her, then thought better of it and dragged his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t stop thinking about you the entire time I was gone, Haven. I missed you like hell.”
Her pulse thundered. Everything she wanted, and while her mind was too scared to take it, her
Similar Books
