He shifts closer to me and lifts his left hand to my face. He brushes my hair back and leans closer. “I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am for what I did and said to you. I did what I felt was right at the moment and it ended up being the biggest mistake of my life. I didn’t mean any of those things I said to you. Fuck, Kris, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re beautiful. You were amazing in bed. I hated myself for saying those things to you. All I could think about was saving Andrea. I was blinded by my own pain.”
“It just hurt so much,” I say, choking up on tears.
“Come here,” he whispers, and he pulls me against his chest. I rest my head in the crook of his neck and take the comfort he’s offering. “It was ten fucked up days. I really think we can work together to deal with it and put it in the past.”
I wrap my arms around his waist, scooting closer. It feels good to have him tell me I’m not nothing.
~*~
Chapter Thirty Seven
Garrett~
Stan just notified me that my delivery is on its way up. I’m excited to give it to Kris. I think she’s going to like it. She’s showering at the moment which is good, she won’t hear the doorbell. I open the door and smile at Jill. She’s a computer whiz at the company. “Thank you for getting this done.”
“Any time.” She hands it over and I’m glad when she turns to leave. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Will do.” I close the door and run up the stairs. I place it on the bed and switch it on. Everything looks perfect.
“Why are you working up here?” Kris asks, surprising me.
A smile cracks wide on my face. “Come here. I have a surprise for you.” I hold out my hand for her. She places her hand in mine and I pull her body in under my arm. I love holding her. “I got you an e-reader.” Her eyes widen and she looks at the thing as if it will bite her. “I figured you love books so much, you might be missing them. It’s linked to my account so you can get any book you want.”
“Really?” She brings her hands to her chest, as if she’s trying to hold herself back from taking it. “But, it’s too much. I can’t take it.”
I pick up the e-reader and go to the main menu. There are lots of covers of books on it. I hold it right in front of her. “Read me,” I say in the best squeaky voice I can muster, “you know you want to read me.”
She laughs but instead of taking it, she throws her arms around my neck and hugs me. It’s the first time she’s initiated something like this. We stand hugging each other for a while. I pull back and brush my knuckles over her cheek. She has the softest skin. I lean down and place a kiss on her forehead. When I hear her breath catch, I trail kisses down the side of her face, stopping at the corner of her mouth. Quick puffs of air fan over my face and I can’t hold back. I press my mouth to hers, desperate to taste her. She kisses me back with the same intensity I remember and got addicted to. She lets me in and tasting her is heaven.
Before things get too hot, I pull back. I pull one of her arms from around my neck and fold her fingers around the e-reader. “I want to see you download all your favorite books.”
Her cheeks are a beautiful pink. “Thank you so much,” she whispers shyly, it’s a side of her I haven’t seen yet and I love it.
This is how we should’ve started, two normal people getting to know each other.
I use the first week we’re in New York to get all the work out of the way. I’ve just sent off the last email. I close the laptop and sit back on the couch. Kris is curled up on a sofa by the window, deep in a book.
“Will you go to dinner with me?”
Her head lifts slowly from the e-reader. A small smile starts to play around her lips. “Are you asking me on a date?”
I smile widely. “I guess I am.”
“That would be nice.” Her eyes fall back to the screen, though the smile remains on her face.
I hate to disturb her when she looks so peaceful. “It’s already six, why don’t you go get ready so we can go?”
She sets the e-reader down and gets up. Halfway up the stairs she stops and looks down at me. “What should I wear? I don’t know where we’re going.”
“That blue dress you had on the other day.” I really liked her in that dress. I’ll take her shopping next week. She’s going to need a lot more clothes than what she has at the moment.
When she comes down the stairs again, I stare shamelessly. The blue makes her pale skin look like silk and her hair hangs in soft curls past her shoulders. She’s not wearing any make-up, except for some lip gloss.