“We have . . . just not soundly.”
I lean down and plant a soft kiss on Blake’s forehead. I trip sleepily to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Leaning against the sink, I stare into the mirror.
Being away from Blake all this time was painful, but the hurt isn’t over yet. I know he’s angry, as he should be. If I were him, I’d be pissed at me too. Turning the cold water on, I splash it onto my face, trying to wake up fully.
Soft voices reach my ears as I come out of the bathroom. I stop, lean against the wall, and listen.
“I’m sure she feels terrible, Blake,” Sammi says.
“I know she does. I can see it in her eyes, but that doesn’t stop me from being pissed.”
“Lily has always done what she thought was right. I’ve never seen her the way she is with you. Give the woman a break,” she says curtly.
He sighs loudly. “I feel like my heart is going to explode, Sam. All this time . . . I thought I’d lost her, and then she just shows up.
It’s like kissing a ghost,” he whispers.
“Blake, don’t give up on her yet,” Sammi whispers.
When he doesn’t respond, I step around the curtain into view. His eyes meet mine. Whatever he sees in me makes him frown. I glance at Sammi. She sighs, grabs her book, and walks from the room.
“Say something, Lily,” he whispers as the door clicks shut.
I run my hands angrily through my hair. “What do you want me to say, Blake?”
“Anything to make my chest stop hurting,” he says, pain shining in his eyes.
“Nothing I say is going to fix this. I’m here, and I want to make it right.” I take a deep breath as my throat tightens. “But . . . if you don’t love me, then I’ll stay long enough to do my job and then I’ll go.”
He sucks in a ragged breath. “Lily, I’m angry, not an asshole. Nothing you do could make me love you any less than I did the day I got on that plane. You’re my future. My everything.”
“Then please stop bouncing back and forth. One minute you kiss me like I’m everything and the next you look at me like you want to punch me in the face,” I say sharply.
“Come here,” he says, a grin playing at his lips.
I walk to the side of his bed, pressing my legs against the side, my breath catching in my throat.
“Lily, I can’t exactly get up. Sit down,” he laughs.
I sit on the edge of the bed and as I turn my head toward him, he cups the side of my face and presses his lips to mine. My stomach clenches as desire waves through my body and I pull away from him. His eyes are on fire, our breath already accelerated.
“Why are you pulling away from me?”
“Blake, you’re in a hospital bed. You need to heal. If I keep kissing you, I’m going to hurt you trying to fuck you.”
He grins a wide, seductive smile. “That sounds like a great idea right now.”
I chuckle. “No. You need to rest.”
“Lily,” he says in a husky tone.
“Don’t say my name like that. My answer is no.”
He huffs, trailing his fingertips across my collarbone, moving around the outline of Sorina’s name.
“Will you lay with me at least?”
“This bed is for you, not me,” I say trying to sound firm.