The Lover’s Promise (No Exceptions #3)(37)
Author: J.C. Reed

“I’m yours,” I moaned. Pleased with my answer, he started to move. Slow, deliberate, painful moves.

“You forgot to call my name.” He laughed hoarsely.

It was in that moment that our eyes connected with a depth that made me tremble like music did to my soul. As he kept moving inside me, dissolving my sensitive flesh, his breath on my face, there was nothing but him and the hardness of his spear penetrating me. He kissed me with a passion as if his lips had always belonged on mine. Or maybe it was I who had always belonged to him.

“Mine,” he whispered. “You’ll always be mine, Brooke. As I will be yours. And that’s my promise.”

His tongue sucked mine deep into his mouth and he slammed harder into me until our bodies began to tremble, ripe with orgasm. I closed my eyes and let myself melt into him, savoring the sensation in the knowledge that everything was right.

Everything was okay. I was safe.

I could feel it.

With my heart pounding against my chest I could feel myself falling into one special place—where passion and tension collided to create a color so beautiful it took my breath away. Jett shuddered, his hot moisture spilling deep inside me as an orgasm rippled through him, pouring his essence into me, and then I came.

We were lying on the floor, side by side—on our backs, staring up at the ceiling. The passion was gone, leaving us in the darkness of something ominous that threatened to destroy the sanctuary we had built through lovemaking. Seconds passed, which turned into minutes with us both afraid to speak first. It was then that I realized if I wanted answers, I had to be careful with Jett. If neither of us took the plunge, then there would always be a misunderstanding and poison would eventually seep into our relationship, staining it, damaging it beyond repair. I didn’t want to go back to that cold, dark place of insecurities, a world filled with secrets and words unspoken. Conversely, if we began to communicate there was always the small possibility of another fight, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.

So what will it be, Stewart? Fight or silence? Anger or resentment?

One wrong word, one wrong action, and it all might just go down the drain. Sex brought us together, but any sort of tension could easily tear us apart. From what I understood, Jett’s issue was his fear that I might be dating other men, which were fears very similar to mine, except my problem with him was a lot bigger. A lot more dangerous. Deciding to speak out, I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Back at the hotel, I felt like you went behind my back when you visited Nate. And then, at the bar, seeing you with another woman, broke me,” I started, not daring to look at him. “I wanted to get back at you. Hurt you as much as you hurt me in the hope that another guy would help me make this even. That’s why I went out that night.” My gaze scanned his face for clues to what he was thinking. He continued to look at the ceiling, his arms crossed under his head, but his breathing had become quiet. “But even with Check, I still kept seeing you. When I closed my eyes that night, I still wished it was you who was making love to me. And it was still you, who turned me on in my thoughts.”

Silence ensued for a moment and then Jett turned to face me. He glanced at me with a depth that made my skin tremble. “So does it mean you’re not over me?” he asked quietly. A soft smile lit up his gorgeous lips and I almost choked on my emotions.

“I’m not over you,” I whispered. “And I’d be lying if I said that I wanted things to be over. But—” I paused, struggling for words, as the images of Gina’s face popped into my mind. “I just feel that your secrets are destroying our relationship. I can’t deal with them anymore. I’m so sick of us not knowing what’s going on in the other’s life.”

He propped up on one elbow and inched closer until I could almost feel his breath on my skin. And suddenly his lips curled upward in a sexy smile. After all the drama and the fighting, being in his arms again seemed unreal and unrealistic, and his smile wasn’t the reaction I expected.

I frowned at him, unsure if he was making fun of me.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, confused.

“What you just said. Sounds like Check wasn’t successful in making you forget me. Yesterday you claimed we were over. Today you want to make this relationship work. That tells me you want to be with me. Truly be with me.”

“Well, I never wanted it to end,” I admitted, regarding him. When he continued smiling at me, I brushed my hair out of my eyes, considering my words. “Jett, our relationship’s not what bothers me. It’s all the secrets you’re keeping that destroy us. I feel like I can never trust you fully if you keep things hidden from me.”

He looked at me blankly. His smile disappeared, and I felt a hint of disappointment at the fact that he was bottling up again.

I wanted for him to open up to me, not to ignore me, to spill whatever he was hiding in his mind. Good or bad. It didn’t even matter. Bad wasn’t even that bad. I could get accustomed to it. I would have tried to understand what I otherwise couldn’t.

“Don’t you have anything to tell me?” I prompted when he didn’t reply.

“I told you already. I have my reasons, Brooke.” His voice was still quiet, but there was a hint of authority behind it that didn’t allow room for questioning.

I wet my lips nervously, considering my words carefully. When they came out, they sounded vulnerable and shaky. “Why is it so hard for you to tell me? You can trust me. You know that, don’t you?”

“I do, but I can’t tell you. It’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not that simple.” He let out a deep breath. “I know you have questions.” He paused and took a deep breath. “But like I said, it’s complicated. I’m not sure you’d understand and I’m not willing to risk it.”

My shoulders dropped. After everything, we were back to square one. He still wouldn’t confide in me. Or wanted to. I was far from getting the answers I needed. The knowledge that he was leaving me in the dark again was tearing me apart.

“It’s more complicated than being a primary murder suspect, you mean?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

He grimaced. “A murder…what?” Every muscle in his face tensed, but his lips belied his shock.

“I was there,” I said matter-of-factly.

“Where?”

“In your apartment.”