After one feverish night with Tyler Evans, Rory is never supposed to see the man draped in enigmas and devilish charms again.
Six months later, she's deep into a summer fling with Chace. As their fling becomes a committed relationship, she's adamant...
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I can't stop smiling. All I can think as I shove my key into the front door is seeing the face of my beautiful woman. Midnight is minutes away, and if I know anything about Rory, it's that she's getting her beauty sleep right now. Classes resume in a couple of days, and no doubt she wants to be fully charged for a hellish return. There's also the reality that she'll be staying in her own apartment again, and I want to enjoy every bit of her company while she's still here.
The house is dark, and I'm careful to enter as quietly as possible. My bedroom door is shut, but I'm surprised to hear a gentle humming behind it. Was she expecting me? I didn't tell her what time I'd be arriving, just that it'd be sometime between today and tomorrow. My heart skips, thinking about her waiting for me all of this time. I push open the door and am met with the perfume of flowers and a dozen candles lit around the room. Ruby red rose petals cover the entire bed. Rory is staring out the bedroom window, dressed in a sheer robe, singing softly to herself.
"Wow," I say. She whirls around with wide eyes and her hands to her chest. "You were expecting me, huh?"
"Chace," she whispers and closes the distance between us in seconds.
"I've missed you," I say. She scoops me into her arms, bringing me down to her height. I go to hug her back but am worried when I feel her trembling. "What's wrong?"
She looks up with tears in her eyes. "I love you."
Everything stops. I blink slowly as my mind tries to keep up with what she just uttered in a tone so gentle I could have imagined it. "I-"
"I-I'm in love with you," she stammers.
"Ha," I breathe as my lungs collapse against my heart. I wipe a single tear from her eye in fear of doing the same. "You beat me to it. I love you too."
She exhales in relief and her voice cracks as she asks, "Y-you do?"
I nod vigorously with joy expanding throughout my entire soul. Every nerve and fear I had before walking through this door has vanished. "I think I fell for you a long time ago. You're the first woman to ever make me feel the way I do. I'm thrilled every time I see your face, hear your voice, or merely think of you. You make me feel peace and danger at the same time. I don't even know how that's possible."
Something sad and regretful stains her expression, and she presses her cheek into my palm. "I can't even begin to tell you what you mean to me. How much I love you...it'd take too long to describe. I can't even begin to." Yet she sounds so disheartened as she says this. Something is off about her, and I can't quite place what it is.
I scoop my arms around her and pull her into my body. She's warm and soft; always so soft. "I'm so happy you feel the same way. I've been wanting to tell you all week. It's been torture."
She bunches up my shirt between her fingers. "It really has."
I hesitate. Something is wrong. Why does she seem so sad when I feel the happiest I've ever been? "What's wrong?" I mumble into her hair.
