My Chance (Chance #2) (4 page)

“Is that what you’re doing? Or are you just afraid?”

“Afraid? I’m terrified of everything: of never being with you again, of being blind forever, of you moving on. But am I following my heart?” I gently shook my head. “Not just my heart. I’m following every part of me. I’m sorry I lied to you last night. I’m sorry that I lied to myself. I’m sorry for everything.” I exhaled and felt my breath squeak a little. I didn’t want to have a total meltdown. I didn’t feel anxious or apprehensive; I just felt empty.

I rested my cheek on the seat. I lifted my right hand and felt for his face. I moved his head so he was facing me. I couldn’t see him, but I needed him to see me.

“I love you, Alex. I never stopped. I never will. I want you by my side, and I want to be by yours. I just don’t want to be a burden. You deserve better. If you think you’d be happier with someone like Lauren, I don’t want to stop you.”

“You wouldn’t be a burden, I told you that. I don’t want to be with her,” he said.

“Then why did you ask her out?”

He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. He let out a breath and said, “I don’t know. I guess I was trying to forget you.”

“You wanted to forget me by sleeping with her? Would you have slept with her if I hadn’t been here?”

“Aubrey. I… What do you want me to say? I don’t want to hurt you and say yes, and I don’t want to lie and say no. The truth is, I don’t know what I would have done.”

I hated that answer, but I’d asked the question. It was the second time I’d asked that question in less than twenty-four hours. “I see.” I didn’t, but what was I supposed to say? “I have another question.”

“Okay.” He sounded uncertain.

“Well, you don’t have to answer this now, but will you think about taking me back? No more secrets, no games, just me and you. We’ll talk about everything. We both made mistakes and we’ll make more, but we’ll talk this time. No jumping to conclusions, no lies, no hidden truths.”
Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes.

I felt his hand brush mine, and he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Then his lips met mine in a loving kiss. Our lips just stayed pressed against each other’s as we were inhaling each other. He pulled back, and I licked my lips, wanting to taste him. I wasn’t sure if that would be our last kiss.

“No,” he said.

My heart dropped. I felt as if each of my ribs were cracking and going straight into my heart, piercing it. The weight on my chest was excruciating. I lowered my head. “No?”

“That’s right. I don’t have to think about taking you back because I never let you go. I’ll never let you go. You’re mine, and if you want me, I’m yours. You own my heart, and you have since I first laid eyes on you.” He exhaled, and I felt his lips near my neck. “Don’t you get it? It’s just you. It will always be just you.”

He kissed the corner of my jaw, and my head instinctively went back. He ran kisses down my neck, making me squirm.

“I take it plans changed?” Lauren said.

Neither of us said anything. I had no clue if Alex was making any gestures toward her.

“That’s okay, handsome. From the looks of you two, it would have been a waste of my time.”

I was pretty impressed by her impassiveness. She must get propositioned a lot. Alex asked for some champagne for us, and he asked her to offer it to the other passengers on the plane.

“You’re one lucky lady,” Lauren said to me. “Your Alex is very good looking and apparently a romantic.” To Alex she said, “I’ll need a credit card to charge the drinks to.”

I felt Alex shift. I could only imagine the way she was looking at him. She left after saying she’d come back with his card.

When I was satisfied that she was gone, I spoke. “You’re a good-looking, romantic man, but you’re my man. Got that? Just mine.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’ve got it. Just yours.” He kissed me. “Always yours. Forever yours.”

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder until our champagne arrived.

“Here you go,” Lauren said.

I felt for the champagne glass with my right hand. “I’d like to propose a toast to the most wonderful man I’ve ever met.”

He clinked his glass against mine. “I’ll toast to that. I really do love you with all that I am. I meant what I said in Paris. I want forever with you.”

I nodded and swallowed a sip of champagne. He gave me a soft kiss and ran his nose next to mine. I felt his eyelashes against my cheek.

“When we get off this plane, I’m taking you home,” Alex said. “I don’t ever want to be without you. So, my place or yours?”

His voice was so tender it sent shivers down my spine. The thought of being with him made me throb in places other than my heart. Did he want to live with me? “My place. I know my apartment, and I’ll be more comfortable there.”

“Okay, your place it is.”

I thought about my parents. They were planning on staying with me when they came in. I couldn’t have Alex there with my parents. That would be way too weird. “My parents planned on staying with me, so you can stay until they get here.”

“Your parents can stay at my place or with us. I want to be where you are. We’re in this together, got it?”

I wondered what my parents would think. My mom would love Alex’s place, since it was “posh” and mine wasn’t, but they would most likely want to be with me too. “I’ll ask them when I speak to them.”

Lauren asked if we were all set before she settled the champagne tab with Alex. Apparently he was the passengers’ favorite person. I could only smile when I heard her say again that I was a lucky woman.

Lucky… I hadn’t felt that way lately. Dr. Griffin had said I was lucky when I woke after my accident. I guess if I thought about it, I was. I was alive and loved. “Thank you. I’m… truly very lucky.” I felt Alex’s lips on my forehead. I rested my head on his broad shoulder and fell asleep.

“Babe, we’re here.” Alex gently shook my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to darkness. “We’re in New York?”

“Yeah, I got your stuff. Let’s go.”

He placed my purse in my hand and guided me out of our seats. I felt his hand on the small of my back as we walked. When we entered the airport, he laced his fingers with mine.

“We need to go through customs and then baggage claim,” he said.

Alex held my hand through customs. At baggage claim, I listened to the beat of the conveyor belt as it went around and around. Before long, Alex said he had everything. He put my hand on the handle of the cart, placed his over mine, and we pushed the cart through the airport. I wondered how we were going to get home. I realized I’d never called Julie to tell her I was coming back today. I figured we would take a cab until I heard Julie shriek my name. She practically body-slammed me and told me Alex had sent a text to Brett saying I was with him.

Alex said, “Whoa, Julie, take it easy. You’re going to knock her over!”

I laughed, regained my balance, and hugged her back.

“Shut up, Alex. You’ve been with my best friend and I haven’t, so back off, pal!”

Alex chuckled. “Okay! Just don’t break her.”

I pictured Alex with his hands up in surrender. I wished I could see it, but I knew that was what he was doing.

“Yo, man, how the hell they hangin’?” Brett was just being Brett: low key and funny.

I adored him. I pictured the guys “bro hugging” as I heard backs slapped.

Brett touched my shoulder and kissed my cheek. “Hey, Aubrey, glad you’re home. Your BFF is making me crazy!”

I heard a smack and then Brett said “ow.” I smirked. Julie hit Brett for that comment. They must be really happy.

“Aw, come on, hon. You know I love ya.” Brett sounded so cute.

“I know. I love you too. Now let’s get outta here.” Julie was almost giddy.

Julie and Brett were in love? I was happy for them, but I’d lost so much time with them. I shouldn’t have left. I wondered what else had changed. As I thought about all the good times we’d had together, shadows formed. I didn’t see much of anything. I lowered my head because I didn’t want anyone to see me sad when they were happy. I felt selfish and a little ridiculous. I should be happy.

Familiar arms wrapped around me, and a hand on the back of my head pulled me into a muscular chest. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I can’t wait to see the doctor and get this corrected for good.” I held Alex tighter.

“Let’s go home.” He kissed the top of my head, took my hand, and we left the airport.

The ride home was comfortable. The guys talked about what Alex needed to do when he got back at the club, and Julie talked to me about work. I wished I was still there. When the car stopped at my apartment, Alex helped me out of the car. The guys grabbed our bags while Julie and I waited on the sidewalk. When the guys had everything, we went upstairs.

I reached into my bag and grabbed my apartment keys to give to Alex. I held them out. “Here you go.”

He didn’t take them. “I think you can unlock the door, don’t you?”

Julie gasped. I nodded. He was right; I could do it. I felt for my door key and held it with my right hand while my left found the keyhole on the knob and the deadbolt. I unlocked them both and grinned. Alex put his hand on the small of my back as we stepped through my door.

I kicked off my shoes and felt my carpet under my feet. I walked toward my sofa and dragged my hand along the microfiber fabric.

Brett kissed my cheek. “We’re gonna take off now. Glad you’re both back.”

Julie did the same and told me she’d call me later. I sat at the end of the couch next to the end table, where the phone was, so I could call my parents. My mom answered, and she was happy I was home. She asked me if I was with Alex, and I told her yes, and that Julie and Brett had just left. She sounded relieved.

“Mom, I was wondering something. You don’t have to say yes, but Alex suggested that you and Dad stay at his apartment. It’s closer to the medical building.”

Silence.

In her best “Mom” voice, she said, “If we stay at his apartment, where will he stay?”

“He’ll be staying with me.” I scrunched my eyelids closed, which was silly since I was twenty-five years old.

“I take it you had a nice flight?” I heard the smile in her voice.

“Yes. If you don’t want to stay at his place, you can stay here.” I felt like a teenager asking if I could go to a boy/girl party.

She cleared her throat. “No worries, dear. We’ll stay at his place as long as you’re sure he doesn’t mind.”

“No, he offered. Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you on Wednesday, and we can work out the details.”

We hung up, and I exhaled. Apparently I had been holding my breath.

Alex sat next to me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek. “We all set?”

“Yup. My mom said that she and my dad will stay at your place. Do you think we can go together to pick them up when they arrive?”

“Of course we can. Whatever you want, babe.”

My back was against his chest, and my head rested on his shoulder. Alex felt like home, my home. I thought about everything that had happened that year and what the future held. Life had become one big unknown, but one thing I knew for sure was that I was in love with that man. I raised my chin and angled my face toward his. He lightly kissed me.

He rubbed the tip of his nose on mine. “Why don’t we go to bed? It’s late, and you’re going to need your energy tomorrow.” God, his voice was sexy as hell.

I nodded. I was tired, but I knew we weren’t going to sleep. “Why will I need energy tomorrow?”

“Because I’m going to make love to you all morning. I’m going to make your body feel things it never has before, all afternoon, and then we’ll get out of bed so I can take you to dinner.”

“Hmmm.”

He laughed. “That is all you have to say? Hmmm?”

I straddled his lap and brought my hands to his face. My palms rested on his cheek bones, and my fingers rubbed his temples. Alex moaned. I leaned in and brushed his lips with mine, then ran my tongue down his chin to his Adam’s apple, which I gently sucked.

“Babe… what are you doing to me?” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he spoke, as did his erection.

“Shhh… Let me play. I’ve missed loving you.”

I shifted my hips back and forth, creating the friction I needed for the time being, while turning him on too. My hands ran down his hard chest and then back to his shoulders. I let them rest on his biceps. “I love you so much. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you.” I tossed my head back which pushed my breasts forward. That did it.

He stood, and his hands went under my ass to support me. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked. I heard a light click on.

“Take off your shirt, Aubrey.”

With his hands still under me, I reached for the hem of my T-shirt and brought it over my head. My breasts were freed from my bra before I even felt him undo the clasp. My man definitely had skills. He laid me on my back on my bed and rid me of my jeans and thong.

I lay there completely naked. I felt the bed shift and assumed he was taking off his pants. I felt his hands on my legs as he bent them and pushed my knees back.

“Relax, it’s my turn,” he said.

I relaxed my legs, and he dipped his head between them, sending a wave of pleasure through me. He moved his lips over mine—well, my lower ones—and I felt myself pulse and swell underneath his tongue.