“I love a good game of poker,” I counter.
“At worst, I’m a lost cause.”
“I think you’re perfect.”
“You really aren’t going to listen to me are you, Reed?” She looks at me and even in her panic I can see her exasperation. I grin at her, only adding to it.
“I’m going to take you out on a date instead.”
“A date?” she squeaks.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t go on a date. We’re two days away from the wedding. Tomorrow night is Katie’s bachelorette party.”
“Of which you’re not going. Katie already told me that.”
“Well, yeah, but still—”
“Why aren’t you going, Callie? You’re Katie’s best friend, right? Why are you skipping the party?”
“I can’t function around crowds or loud places. I don’t like to talk about it, but maybe that will convince you to give up on me.”
“Doubtful.”
“You sound so sure of yourself,” she gripes.
“I gave up on you twice before. I may be slow, but I eventually learn. I am not giving up this time.”
“You’re insane. It’s been five years. There’s nothing to ‘not give up’ on!”
“I don’t think you believe that, and I know that I don’t.”
“I do believe that. In fact, I absolutely believe that,” she argues stubbornly.
She gets out of the car, and I know she’s worried. She’s practically running. I get out to follow her. I reach her just as she gets to her door. I grab her hand and take her keys.
“Don’t run away, Callie. I’m not doing this to scare you.”
She blinks, her face is pale, and there’s fear in her eyes. Hell, I can practically see her heart beating in her chest.
“Well, you are. You’re being crazy. We haven’t seen each other in five years, Reed. You’re like this millionaire with legions of fans, and me? I’m still nobody living in Macon in her doublewide trailer trying to survive. There’s no future for us, Reed. It’s time you face the facts that there never was. I accepted that long ago.”
“I refuse to believe that, Bluebird. There’s a reason we’re constantly drawn to one another.”
“Insanity,” she suggests in a whisper.
“Maybe love is meant to be insane.”
“Reed—”
I don’t know what else to say to make her believe, so I take the only option I can think of. I kiss her.
CHAPTER 23
Callie
I gasp as Reed’s lips touch mine. Of all things I expected him to do, kissing me wasn’t even in the ballpark. I stand, stunned, stiff, and unmoving. Part of it is because of shock, but the bigger part is because I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of terror and panic. I love Reed. I’ve always loved him, but I’ve learned to live without him. I’ve learned to be alone and find a level of happiness—a level which is probably more than I deserve. I don’t want that disrupted. I’m not sure how I could—or would—handle the change. That keeps me resisting the lure of the man in front of me.
Then, he wraps his arms around me, pulling my body into him. I’m still trying to resist, but I weaken when I feel the heat of his body and the pleasure of his arms going around me. Almost against my will, my body softens, and I lean into him. I let Reed support me as his tongue slides into my mouth. He groans, the sound vibrating inside of me as he deepens the kiss. His tongue slides against mine, dancing, teasing, enticing. I can barely breathe as my heart runs away in my chest. He coaxes me, pulling me into the kiss, even though I should push him away.
This is Reed, though. The man I’ve always loved. The man I thought I would marry and have babies with before Chas and Mitch wrecked our lives. I know Reed and I both let them have opportunities they never should have had, but we were young and way too naïve. Now, I look back and I see so much clearer than I did. Of course, I’m aware of the bullshit that Mitch could weave with soft words and a gentle touch. Before marrying him, I had no idea that much evil could exist—at least in one person.
“It’s just you and me,” Reed whispers against my lips as if he knows what I’m thinking. Hell, maybe he does. He knows me, even the bad parts of me and yet, he never made me ashamed. If anything, he made me feel accepted. “Just you and me, Bluebird. Let the rest go for now.”
“Reed—” I whisper, and whether it’s to beg for more, or beg him to stop, I have no idea, because suddenly he’s kissing me again. I’m too far gone to do anything other than to kiss him back. I lean into him, giving him everything he’s demanding. I forget rational thought, letting our kiss take me away into a fantasy where the world doesn’t matter. It’s just the two of us and the magic that only this man can create. I’ve forgotten how good a kiss can feel. I’ve forgotten how alive Reed can make me feel. Most of all, I had somehow erased from my mind how good the two of us are like this. So, I give in completely, taking every ounce of pleasure and emotion he gives me, feeding off his hunger for me and storing it up. Soon, he will return to the world he belongs in—the world that I have no part of. Or worse, he will remember I’m not worth his time.