“I do.” She forced herself to look up. His eyes were a deep, unfathomable brown, drilling directly to the core of her. “Thank you. But—”
“Why?” he finished, one side of his mouth tugging up in a smirk so familiar it had her heart thumping double-time. She’d missed it, missed him, but she’d thought he was done with her. He’d made his feelings painfully clear. “Be patient, I’m getting there.”
“Okay, okay.” Patience wasn’t her strong suit, but she pressed her lips together and chewed on her tongue, determined to let him say his piece even if he intended to berate her again. Although given the circumstances, she was beginning to doubt that.
“I read your blog,” he told her. “All of it.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. Back to that old chestnut. “Can I say again how sorry I am for sharing too many details about our private life online? Would you like me to go back and remove every post that mentions you? Because I can. But if you want to tell me I’m like your awful ex again, forget about it. You can just leave.”
“No, I don’t want that, and that’s not why I’m here. I’m a private guy but I’ve accepted that the blog is part of who you are. I can see now how important it is to you, and a lot of other people too.” He smiled at her. “They really love you.”
Just like I love you. She wouldn’t say it. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
“Plus, taking out those posts would disrupt the narrative. You’ve created something powerful, and I don’t want you to diminish it for my sake. That’s also not why I came.”
She swallowed, and wiped her moist palms on her leggings. “Are you getting to that part yet?”
He nodded, his grin widening. “Don’t hurry a good thing.”
A good thing?
She didn’t move a muscle. Her breath bottled up in her chest, and a jolt passed through her, adrenaline flooding her veins, making her aware of every beat of her heart and every dizzying moment that passed. She’d been afraid to hope, but with one phrase he’d decimated her defenses. Clenching handfuls of her leggings, she waited for him to go on. After a millennium passed, he reached for her hand. She released her death grip on her leggings and took it, loving the roughness of his palm on hers as he pulled her, and the chair, closer.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait to talk to you after the mud run, Brooke. I’m especially sorry that I accused you of using me for revenge, and I’m sorry for misjudging you because of my ex. That was a really crappy thing to do.”
Were her ears deceiving her? Was he actually apologizing? Jack Farrelly—apologizing?
She squeezed his hand to check she wasn’t dreaming. It was warm and solid in her grip. She opened her mouth and no sound came out. She closed it. Swallowed. Used her free hand to grab her water bottle and choked back a mouthful of lukewarm water.
“I understand why you felt the way you did,” she said, in hardly more than a whisper. “I can see how it would have looked from your point of view. You were trying to keep your heart safe. That’s the most understandable thing ever.”
He leaned toward her until less than a foot of air separated them and a furrow formed between his brows. “How did you know that? I didn’t even realize myself until yesterday.”
“I guess it’s easier to see from the outside.”
“Even so, it wasn’t fair of me. I was a dick to you, and I’m sorry. I ran into someone yesterday who made me look at things from a different perspective.”
She nodded encouragingly, wanting him to get to the part where they talked about their future and more specifically, whether or not they had one. The way his thumb stroked the back of her hand suggested they did, but she couldn’t allow herself to relax or get too comfortable until everything was out in the open. Their feelings, insecurities, and fears—warts and all.
“I realized I was focusing on the differences between us. The things I thought would ruin whatever we had. But those differences are only superficial, and I got so caught up in them that I couldn’t see how similar we are on a deeper level.” Raising a hand, he skimmed his fingers along the line of her jaw. Her eyelids fluttered, wanting to droop closed, but she held them open and nuzzled his palm. “You and me. Inside, we’re the same.”
Her gaze dropped. His lips were still moving, but she heard no sound from them. She scooted forward, obliterating the last of the space between them, and kissed him. Her lips clung to his. She yearned to drink in the taste of him, re-familiarize herself with the way he parted his lips and let her in, but she drew back before it went that far. Everything inside of her hummed with pleasure. Whether he knew it or not, Jack had just validated everything she’d long believed. Whatever external struggles she faced, at her heart, she was an adventurer. Like him. His equal.
“I’m really pleased you said that,” she murmured, and kissed him again.
His mocha eyes gleamed, alight with desire and another undefinable emotion. He looked at her like the wolf had looked at Little Red Riding Hood. As if he wanted to eat her up. She wouldn’t mind one bit if he did. But first, they had more to discuss. He must have read her thoughts because he hauled in a deep breath, preparing to say something. She tried to beat him to the punch, but he put a finger to her lips.
“I love you, Brooke. I want another chance with you. Please tell me it’s not too late.”
She did a double take, her hand flying to her throat. “You what? I mean, you do?” She forced herself to breathe, and the pressure in her chest ebbed. “That’s not what I was expecting you to say.”
Though God only knew what she had expected. Her mind was still trying to catch up with the fact that he was in her bedroom, holding one of her hands. She studied his rugged face, so dear to her, and the hope in his eyes broke her heart. He really did love her, and he feared she didn’t feel the same way.
She wet her lips. “Next time I do something that upsets you, will you talk to me before leaping to conclusions?”
He nodded firmly. “Yes.”
She raised a brow. “I expect there to be open and honest communication between us at all times. If I do anything you don’t like, you should tell me right then and there.” She paused, then amended, “Or as soon as reasonably possible.”
“Done.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Good. And if you ever compare me to your ex again, or talk to me the way you did that day, don’t expect to get a third chance.”
He nodded. “I won’t.”
She eyed him. “You’d better not. From now on, I’ll run each of my blog posts past you before I publish them. Sound fair?”
“That’s not necessary.” He raised her chin with his fingers and searched her eyes. “I trust you. I’m sorry I didn’t before. Does all of this mean you forgive me?”
Standing, she released his hand, then kicked the chair out of the way and straddled his lap. His pupils dilated, and they both sighed with pleasure at the sudden closeness. She settled onto him, one knee on either side of his thighs.
“I do.” She framed his face with her hands and wriggled impossibly closer. “I’m glad you love me, Jack, because I love you, too.” He tried to kiss her but she shifted a hand to his mouth. “Nuh-uh. It’s my turn to talk.” She grinned, heat flickering through her when he parted his lips and licked the tips of her fingers. “I’ve had a crush on you for ages, from a distance. I admired your attitude, and how you made the world your backyard. But I didn’t know you.”