Page 36 of Always My Love

Instead of saying no, she walked right inside like a sheep to the slaughter.

When he shut the door behind him, she hugged herself and lifted her chin.

“I think it’s best if we don’t continue seeing one another,” she said, trying to sound firm.

“Why?” Nick asked, using a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

God, he looked so sexy all sweaty. Why? Why did he look so sexy this way?

“Because. Listen, I know we had fun, but…”

“Fun?” Nick took a step towards her, his tone a low warning.

“Sure,” she continued on, not seeing the threat right in front of her. “I mean, it was fun. We’re just too different. I can’t afford to be distracted from my goals. It’s best to call it quits before things between us get complicated. Besides, my sister needs me and I’m all she has.”

There. She’d said her peace. This was simple. Now all she had to do was leave before the tears started.

“No,” Nick responded, throwing her off balance.

“No?” she asked, slowly.

“No. You’re not going to get off this easy.” He motioned towards the sofa. “Sit. Tell me what this is all about.”

“No,” she threw back at him. “You don’t get that. What you get is what I gave you. I want this to end.” She nodded once.

“No,” he said softly.

She growled and threw her hands up. “Why not?”

She thought she saw his lips twitch. “Because you owe me a better explanation. Because whether or not you want to believe it, things between us are already complicated.”

He took two quick steps towards her and took her shoulders in his hands. He pulled her to his chest and covered her mouth with his.

The kiss started out rough, demanding. From the first moment of contact, her entire body melted.

He was right. Things were already complicated between them.

Somewhere in the past few days, she’d lost control of herself and had given everything she had to him.

“Nick?” she sighed when he softened the kiss.

“I can’t afford for you to leave now,” Nick said softly into her ear. “You’d take part of me with you.”

She closed her eyes as tears slid down her cheeks. “I need to protect Hailey,” she said, almost begging for him to understand.

She felt him tense slightly. “Does this have something to do with the news report going national?”

Swallowing, she nodded.

She felt Nick take a deep breath.

“Are you safe?” he asked.

“We are, just as long as I don’t spend any more nights away from home.”

Nick was quiet for a moment.

“Go home, Harper. But this isn’t over,” he warned as he took a step back. “When you’re ready to open up to me, completely, let me know and I’ll be here. ”

She felt her knees go weak, and for a moment she wanted to blurt out everything to him if it meant that he would kiss her again the way he had moments before.

Then, reality caused her feet to move quickly out the door.

She was halfway home when the numbness wore off. She made it into the house before her knees gave out and she cried tears like she had never experienced before.

Hailey found her there when she got home. Without asking, her sister pulled her into her arms and held onto her for as long as they both needed one another.