His hand comes up to brush my cheek. “What’s that look, Lillyy?”I love you. I can’t bear to be the one who begs, but for Michael, I’ll do anything. If both of us are stuck, we’ll never move forward. Maybe he needs the encouragement. Maybe he needs to hear it first. I take a deep breath, needing the
“Ten years?” I whisper.He nods shortly. He hates this. His eyes are shadowed, and his face is tense. “Do you want to know why I stopped having sex?” His voice is low and rough. I nod, even though I sense something terrible is about to happen. “Because the first time I slept with my then-girlfriend,
“Lilly, wait. Don’t leave.”I whirl. “What am I supposed to do? Keep waiting for you?” I can feel my eyes heating with tears. Don’t cry. Just wait until you’re alone. “Should I stop dating just in case you decide to love me? Should I come to holidays and pine over you?”“Just give me time. Maybe I c
LillyI pack woodenly, carefully wrapping any delicate items in the bags they came in. I run my hands over the thick silk crepe of the red dress. It’s been dry-cleaned by the hotel and is ready to wear again. I make a choked sound as I remember Michaelzipping it up my back. His touch was reverent th
“Do you want to talk about it?”“I’m not sure.” If I tell Levi, is he going to go crazy? He’s never been that kind of brother. Protective, but not overly so. “I think that pretending to date Michaelwas a bad idea,” I say carefully.He nods and sips his beer. “I might not be experienced in love, but
MichaelThe pilot calls me the next evening to let me know the jet is back at the jetport. It took him a little longer than normal with all the private jet traffic coming in for the wedding. She’s gone. I knew she’d leave. I wouldn’t have stayed either. I can’t blame her. Last night was a train wrec
“And yet, here I am,” I say acidly.Cataleya considers me, like she might be willing to change her mind. Or maybe not. I’m slower and fuzzier than when we started this conversation, and I can’t make heads or tails of her expression.“You really don’t care about the house, do you?” Her eyes are asses
I give him a dark look. “Why don’t you tell me what you think you know, then?” Levi is like a dog with a bone. He doesn’t let go of things.He looks all too pleased at the prospect of telling me how smart he is. He even sets his beer down so he can put that hand in the air. “One, you’ve never been a