Page 161 of Wrecked
His mouth went dry. He hated talking about this. Fucking hated it.
“This is different,” he said. “I’m falling in love with you.”
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
Strangely, that made him chuckle. “Definitely not the reaction I’d hoped for.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because… because… just…” She swallowed, her face flushed. “Because it’s not allowed.”
He cracked a smile. “It’s not my fault. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours for being so fucking irresistible.”
“Until I’m not enough,” she whispered. “Until someone better comes along.”
His heart broke for her. She was more than enough. So much more.
He pushed out of bed, retrieved the photo he’d stored away, and sat back down. He stared at the picture of him and Josie. Felt like a lifetime ago.
“Who is she?” Addison murmured. “Someone special?”
He set the photo on the bed, captured her hands in his. When his gaze met hers, the words got lodged in his throat, along with more emotion than he could handle. He hadn’t talked about her in years. His chest ached, his head hurt.
But Addison needed to know his love for her was sincere. She needed to know what drove him every single day.
“Josie was my wife.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You were married?”
“Yeah.”
The silence hung while she picked up the photo and studied the picture. Then, she set it face up on the black comforter and sat close, draping her legs across his lap. “What happened?”
“She was killed.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “You don’t have to talk about this.”
He stared into her eyes, the compassion spurring him on. “After tonight, we’ll know.”
Her brows pinched together. “Know? Know what?”
“If we’ve got what it takes to last a lifetime.”
“You’re totally freaking me out.” She sucked in a deep breath, scooted out of bed and returned in a bathrobe. “I can’t do this. Seriously, this is too much.”
He pushed out of bed, tugged on shorts, and pulled her into his arms. She was shaking so damn hard. He held her close, rubbed her back until the trembling subsided.
“It’s late,” he said. “We’ve had a rough few days. Let’s sleep—”
“I just bared my soul to you. You told me you’re falling in love with me. Sleep? I don’t think so.”
“Let’s go downstairs.”
Hand in hand, they returned to his living room. “You want coffee?” he asked.
“I need something stronger.”
