Page 106 of You Make Me Feel
It feels that way for me, at least. I’ve never had anybody stay with me for this long. Not as an adult. And yet I’m already dreading her leaving to go back to her apartment.
She makes me feel like anything is possible. Even a happily ever after.
I reach out, my fingers brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, then pause. I don’t want to wake her. Don’t want to start the clock ticking down to when she leaves. Because she will. And she should.
But not yet.
Climbing out of the bed, I tuck the covers around her and walk over to the bathroom to grab a couple of Advil.
The light from the window slices across the floor, causing me to misjudge the width of the bathroom door. My shoulder smacks into it hard, sending a jolt of pain down my arm.
“Fuck.” I hiss through my teeth and press a hand to the spot, then groan when I see her roll over on the mattress. I don’t want her seeing me like this.
And this is why you can’t have the happily ever after, you douche. You can’t fucking see half the time. Why do you think she’d want you weak like this?
“Is everything okay?” she murmurs, sitting up, her fiery hair tumbling over her creamy shoulders.
“Everything’s fine,” I whisper. “Go back to sleep.”
But of course she doesn’t. Instead she climbs out of bed, wearing one of my t-shirts that skims the middle of her thighs. “What happened?” she asks, seeing my hand curling around my arm.
“Just banged into the doorway.” I press a smile onto my lips, even though my voice sounds forced. “I’m fine.”
She’s close enough for me to smell the warm aroma of her, and see the lines on her pink cheeks where she slept against the pillow. “Are you okay?” she asks, frowning as she squints at me.
I force out a laugh, low and dismissive. “I’m fine.” I turn away, grabbing the Advil bottle from the counter. “I wasn’t paying attention, that’s all.”
I open the bottle and shake two pills into my palm. “You look tired,” I mutter, keeping my back to her so she can’t read the truth on my face. “You should be sleeping.”
She reaches for me, her fingers trailing overmy jaw. “So should you, after last night.” Damn, I can’t get enough of this woman. Not in my bed, in my arms. Sitting opposite me at dinner while making me laugh more than I think I ever have.
The thought of it ending, of not having this, makes me want to throw something. But I promised myself that I’d tell my family tomorrow. And Wyatt is arriving today, and I know for damn sure he’s going to force the issue if I don’t come clean.
The fact is, my time has run out. And so has this… whatever it is, between us.
“What are your plans for today?” I ask her, my voice thick.
“Well I heard there was this art trail thing happening so…” She grins at me. “Seriously, if your sister could hear you right now she’d throw something at you.”
“I meant this morning.” I glance at my watch. It’s almost six.
She trails her finger on the bathroom counter. “I have to open the shop at ten. And before that I need to make sure all the art pieces are in place throughout town.”
We both got our orders by text from Autumn yesterday. I think I got at least thirty messages from her, asking me about the collectors I invited for the event, reminding me I’m hosting a table.
“And I should probably pack,” Sadie adds.
“Pack? Where are you going?”
“Home.” She smiles softly at me. “Asher says there’s been no sign of Darien, remember? And I can’t stay here forever.”
I swallow down the words that I want to say. To tell her to stay. Because I can’t. Tomorrow everything changes.
“Let’s talk about it after the gala,” I tell her.
Sadie looks at me again. Too carefully, like she knows I’m hiding something. “Okay.” She nods.
And I can’t help it, I reach for her. Because touching her is so much better than anything else I’ve felt in my life. She leans her head against my shoulder, her breath warm on my neck and for a second everything is perfect.
