Her tone was anything but convincing. She and Jade were best friends, not she and Melanie. If she was speaking to Melanie, it was probably because…
None of my business.
Still, I loved this woman. She meant everything to me. Had she…? Had I…?
“Marjorie, I—”
“Not about you,” she said abruptly, interrupting me. “Not everything is about you, Bryce.”
“I didn’t think—”
“Of course you did, and after my blubbering the other day, I can’t blame you. But I’m over it. In fact, you won’t see me around much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Leaving the ranch?”
She nodded. “The ranch. The state. The country.”
My heart dropped to my stomach.
No. She wasn’t leaving. She couldn’t leave. “The country?”
“I’m going to Paris. If I can’t get into Le Cordon Bleu, I’ll find somewhere else to study.”
“But…Jade. The baby.”
“Jade understands.”
“I’m sure she does, but—”
“No buts. The decision has been made. I leave next week.”
“No. You can’t.”
“I assure you I can, and I will. Now if you’ll excuse—”
I stalked toward her, closing the space between us. Already the heat was building. I could feel it, hear the inaudible drumbeat it produced in tandem with the rhythm of my heart. Even see it, a pulsing red that enclosed us.
She dropped her mouth open, and I gripped her shoulders and swept into her with a kiss.
Her lips were already parted, and I thrust my tongue into her mouth. She resisted at first, pushing against me, but I was determined. Determined that, if she insisted on leaving, she’d know what she was leaving behind.
No more thoughts about how I couldn’t be with her. Only this kiss. This woman and this kiss.
She still felt resistant against me, but soon she melted, softly sighing into my mouth.
I kissed her and I kissed her and I kissed her, tasting her unique sweetness, letting it float on my tongue and infuse everything in me. If we had only this one last kiss, I’d make it count.
Oh, yes, she was responding. She was kissing me ba—
She pushed hard against my chest, breaking the kiss. “No! Damn it, Bryce.”
All rational thoughts fled, and only feeling remained. Feeling, so much feeling coiled within me, building up pressure and ready to break.
“You’re not leaving,” I said calmly. “I can’t lose everything. Henry, my mother, and now you.”