Page 88 of Defying Ella
Her sultry smile faded fast. Both bodyguards stepped in, shepherding her and her very quiet and wide-eyed friends out of the venue.
He turned his focus on everyone else left in the room. “I’m taken and that’s never going to change.”
His gaze shifted back to me and concern creased his brow. My heart still pounded but a sense of relief I hadn’t known Ineeded coasted through me. I’d been fairly certain Jared was all in.
All the signs had been there, turning up at the flat with little notice — hell, we practically lived together at this point, he had a drawer — making plans for how we’d deal with the extended time apart, inviting Phoebe over for the sleepover I’d promised her, always checking in at the end of the day.
Somehow seeing him shut down unwelcome attention cemented that even more. Tangible proof that he’d turned over a new leaf and committed to me entirely.
Jared abandoned the guys to see the remaining people off. He approached me with determined strides, but still chewing his lip.
“I’m sorry, Els. I didn’t — I wasn’t —” He shut his mouth and took a deep breath. His hands landed on my shoulders as he pulled me closer. “I didn’t encourage it, you saw that, right?”
I nodded, but chose to hold my tongue. His tense jaw told me he had a lot more to say.
“I love you, Ella. I’d never — I know I don’t have the best track record but everything is different now. I’ll never do something to knowingly hurt you again.” His grip shifted, gliding down my arms until he threaded his fingers through mine. “You have to believe me. Tell me you believe me?” Desperation darkened his green eyes and softened his expression.
My heart simultaneously hurt and soared at the fear in his eyes. For weeks, I’d harboured a tiny grain of dread over what would happen to us while separated for the fast-approaching North American tour.
As unnecessary as it was, the sight of his fear soothed that last concern. His desperation to fix a mistake not of his making convinced me that no matter what, we’d make it through.
“Els?”
I stepped fully into his arms. Leaning back, I smiled up at him, channelling all that trust into my eyes.
“I believe you. You didn’t ask for her to touch you.” My fingers coasted up to his neck and into his hair. “I love you and I trust you, Buttercup.”
I rose up on my toes, intending to kiss him, but he leaned back.
“You’re sure?” he asked, his brows furrowing again. “This isn’t a trick and you’re going to torture me with this incident for weeks?”
I chuckled. “Have I ever held your past against you?”
“Yes,” he said, his tone dead serious. “I can think of at least three instances. Do you need me to list them?”
“Have I held anything against you since we made up?” Amusement lifted my voice.
“No…” He didn’t sound so sure even though the answer was definitely no.
“Honestly, Jared, I trust you, especially after seeing you set her straight.”
“Yeah?” A grin slowly began to overtake his lips while his shoulders sagged and his hands rested on my hips. At my nod, it fully broke free and all of the concern drained from his expression. “I love you too. What did I do to deserve you?”
“I have no idea. Let’s not question it.” I pressed my lips to his, coaxing him to fully relax. “How about we go find a closet?” I whispered against his lips.
He pulled back, shock slackening his jaw while excitement slowly worked into his eyes. “Seriously?” At my nod, he stepped away from me. Catching my hand, he started tugging me across the room. “Don’t wait up, guys. We’ve got some things to attend to… alone,” he called over his shoulder.
Someone swore behind us but Jared kept moving toward the doors to backstage.
“I told you not to put that image in my head, you bastard,” Dan shouted after us.
We chuckled but ultimately kept moving with a single-minded focus. The backstage door slammed shut on Dan’s continued complaints about being scarred by his best friend. Neither of us stopped, both of us too consumed by an unexpected urgency.
I didn’t fully know what to expect from a life with Jared. With how passionate he could be, I knew it would never be dull. Especially if he continued to be unpredictable in the right ways, filling me with more excitement than I could handle.
Seven months ago, I thought I’d met the man of my dreams.
Turns out, I should always trust my instincts.
