I squeeze my eyes, as if that will eliminate the presence of that deep, rumbly voice behind me.
“I can go, Kate. If that’s what you want.”
I crack my eyelids open.
He’s giving me an out, and itiswhat I want.
But ignoring tough subjects is something I’m trying to overcome. Communication is difficult, but stewing in regret for six years is harder.
I sigh, turning in the water to face the looming man above me. Despite the late hour, Brandon seems fully awake. He’s wearing the same maroon swimming trunks he wore to the beach today. Ones that end well above his knees, tempting way too many innocent beach-goers to admire the cut muscles in his thighs. But his black eyebrows crinkle in concern, and it eases my chest a bit.
“You can stay,” I murmur, trailing my fingertips across the water.
Brandon doesn’t speak, only removes his sandals, eases himself into the steaming water, and sits across from me. His eyes flick to the water where my left hip is deeply submerged.
I suck in a slow breath. Fighting to stay vulnerable, I remind myself that if I want something I’ve never had, I’ve got to do something I’ve never done.
So, I steady my legs beneath me and stand. The water laps across the band of my bikini bottoms, but I know the crest of the rose petals is visible.
Brandon’s gaze fixates on my hip. His fingers move toward it, seeming of their own volition. But he stops halfway, seeking permission with his eyes.
I nod.
The heated water is nothing compared to the searing touch of his fingertips. Brandon traces the petals across my hip bone, then his eyes search mine again.
“When?”
I roll my lips, trying to tamp down the urge to flee. Have I really been such a coward all this time?
“The night you graduated.”
He’s quiet for a long time, only the stroke of his fingers through the water disrupting the silence.
“Why?” he finally asks.
His vulnerable expression strikes a chord deep within my soul. Yearning forsomethinglines his features, so much that I’m unable to speak for a moment.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” I whisper. “You were graduating. You’d be leaving to who-knows-where. And I…” I bite my lip, falling silent.
He places a hand on my arm. “Kate. Please.”
“I wanted a piece of you,” I mumble, humiliated. “I was scared I’d forget.”
“Why didn’t you reach out then? Kate, you’ve had my number for six years.”
“I–I couldn’t. I wasn’t… I’m still not?—”
“I swear, Kate, if you’re about to say the word ‘enough,’ I’m going to lose it.”
“Enough.” My lips twitch the tiniest bit.
“You’re a pain in the butt,” he mutters, though a hollow smile curves his mouth.
Brandon stands, trailing one wet hand up my arm until he cups my face. The other stays firmly planted on my hip. His shadowed gaze dances between my eyes, his expression falling serious as he draws closer.
“When are you gonna get it through that pretty little head of yours that you were always enough for me?” He pauses, eyes glittering in the moonlight. “That youareenough for me?”
My heart is a fluttering broken bird, half dragging, half hoping.
