Come to Me Softly (Closer to You #2)(9)
Author: A.L. Jackson

I laughed, because that was always Clara’s way, a pendulum that rocked from one extreme to the other, from teaching to an outright tease.

I tossed a glance back at her as I pushed the door open wide. “Not on your life,” I called.

Laughter broke through her wide smile.

“I’m all finished, Karina,” I called to my boss as I passed. “I’ll see you this weekend.”

She glanced up from the register and smiled softly. “Have a great Thanksgiving, Aly.”

“You, too.” The door swung shut behind me.

A cool breeze rushed over me when I stepped outside into the crisp fall air. Nerves buzzed in a quiet hum under the surface of my skin. The sun blazed a path westward, casting rays of late-afternoon sun across the canopy of blue, shedding its warmth and promise of a mild winter across the city sky. I lifted my face to it, breathed it in as I started down the sidewalk and around to the employee parking lot.

That breath left me when I saw him leaning up against the back of my car. His bike was angled sideways behind it. Short wisps of blond hair whipped in the breeze, the man absorbed in the hole he dug into the broken pavement with the tip of his boot. Completely lost in thought, he remained unaware that I approached.

I took the moment to appreciate him. My gaze made a slow pass across his jaw and full lips, down his neck to the strength bristling beneath his tight black tee. He lifted a cigarette to his mouth, and his wide chest expanded when he inhaled. My stare got stuck on his hands, the blocked-out numbers bold where they were stamped on his strong, long fingers.

Slowly he lifted his face. Those blue eyes locked on mine. I froze, stuck in them.

Something trembled within me.

Something powerful.

This was my man.

My future.

He dropped the cigarette to the ground and toed it out with his boot. Lifting his face, he pursed his lips and exhaled toward the sky. Smoke curled around his head, climbing toward the heavens before it bled into nothing.

Part of me wanted to deflect it—how beautiful he was, the intense feelings he stirred, the churn of need created with just a trace of his presence.

He looked back at me. One side of his mouth lifted, all sexy and indecent.

Could he know what that one look did to me? Not a chance, because this feeling was impossible.

Crossing his arms over his strong chest, he rested further back on my car, and his mouth spread into a full smirk.

I shook my head at myself. Maybe he actually did know.

“What are you doing over there when you’re supposed to be here with me?” His voice slipped along the ground, his intent reverberating against me.

With his words, I all out shook. A rush of red flamed against the cool breeze that caressed my cheeks. I dropped my head, trying to contain my grin as I shuffled toward him. It broke free when I stopped a half a foot in front of him and lifted up on my toes. I pressed my mouth to his.

Damn, it felt amazing to openly proclaim us.

“Hi,” I whispered. “What are you doing out here?”

“Couldn’t wait to see you any longer.” He brought his hand to my cheek and his flirty tone shifted. Everything about him sobered. “I’ve been missing you for too long, Aly Moore. I’m done with all that shit . . . missing you. No more, baby. I don’t want that for us anymore.”

He looked away, to the ground, before he brought his attention back to me. “If I’m being honest, maybe I couldn’t stay away because I needed to make sure all of this is real. It still feels like a dream to me.”

I wrapped my hand around his wrist, and he ran a thumb under my eye.

“It’s real, Jared. Us. All of it.”

“Yeah?” he asked. The fact he needed reassurance, that he felt compelled to come here to gain it, hurt my heart.

The sad thing was that I needed it, too.

“Yeah,” I promised.

He shook his head in disbelief. “Can’t believe I’m here, Aly. Can’t believe you want me after all the shit I’ve dragged you through.”

I leaned forward, tipped up my chin to capture his gaze, and brought us close. “You think I didn’t understand why you left? Do you really think that all those times we hid away in my room together that I didn’t understand you? That I didn’t understand why? That I didn’t know you?” I squeezed his wrist. His pulse thrummed wildly at my palm. “Because I did. I know you. I was there, too, Jared. I saw what you went through. And I’ll never pretend I understand everything you’ve gone through, but I promise I do understand you and I will always be here for you.”

Relief left him in a stuttered breath. “God, Aly, what did I ever do to deserve you?”

I pressed myself to him, to his gorgeous body and the power that radiated from his spirit. That warmth covered me whole. “It doesn’t work like that. We don’t earn love . . . it’s a gift we’re given.”

He pulled back. Brushing his fingers through my hair, he twisted a single lock in his finger. “And what if I want to return that gift?” he asked through a whisper at my ear. “Give it?”

I fisted my hand in his shirt. “You already have.”

His head shook. A hint of laughter floated out with his breath. “See, I was right to begin with . . . I’ll never deserve you.” He tugged at my hair. “You . . . perfect girl . . . will never see yourself the way I see you.”

I slowed. The hold I had on his shirt increased as my unease flared. Because I did want something from him. Or maybe I just wanted it for him . . . for us.

“Do you know what tomorrow is?” I hazarded, taking a chance as I pushed a little. Was I aware I was treading on dangerous ground? Yeah. But I knew we couldn’t go on as we had before, dodging what was important.

Jared stiffened. Nerves rocked through him and a rush of air left him on a heavy exhale. Shakily, he raked his hand over the top of his head. “Yeah, I know what day tomorrow is.”

Thanksgiving.

These last months had blurred, the holidays approaching with little anticipation. Or maybe I’d approached the thought of them with trepidation. I knew it was coming, and I knew the holiday would be the time I would have to tell my parents everything. Before Jared had returned, I’d planned to finally speak his name tomorrow and admit it all, telling them I was pregnant and I had no idea where Jared had gone.

And I would have done it without shame.

Even though Jared’s guilt had been enough to drive him away, I knew it didn’t have the power to diminish what we had shared.