“How did you do it? You were a kid yourself,” I asked, staring at him intently. His life was like a sad storybook that would give you nightmares if you read it. I admired him more and more. How he could go through all of this and still be the kind of person he was today was beyond me.

“Sometimes, when your back’s against the wall, you can do things that you didn’t know were possible. We were in survival mode, you know?” He shrugged like it was nothing, but the sadness in his eyes told me otherwise. He looked so vulnerable and young. I wanted to wipe his pain away.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, reaching up to rub the lines that formed on his forehead. He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm before clasping our hands on the table.

“Don’t be sorry. I used to wonder what my life would be like if that day never happened, if my sister was still here, but I learned to let go of the things I can’t change. Mistakes make us who we are.” Tears welled in my eyes as I listened to him. He was so honest with himself; I wished I could grab onto some of his strength and use it as my own.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a great job. You’re in school, you’re working and you’re creating some of the most beautiful sculptures I’ve ever seen.” His expression relaxed.

“Thank you.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful person in front of me and my heart warmed when he smiled back.

“Tell me a little more about you,” he said, leaning in toward me.

I told him about Jade and how we hated each other for a couple weeks before deciding we actually really liked one another. I told him about Gwen and he asked me some questions about Ryan. I avoided talking about my parents; going there would only remind me why I shouldn’t be here and right now this was the only place I wanted to be.

When we left, he walked me to my car. “Where’s your car?” I asked, remembering that I had never seen it.

“I sold my truck before school started to pay tuition. Now I just have my motorcycle and it’s a little cold out here for that puppy. I’m just going to grab a cab.”

“Get in the car.” He smiled, but didn’t argue.

We took the short drive in silence. I was content to steal occasional glances at him and breathe in his familiar scent. Every time I stole a peek at him, he had an incredibly sexy smirk on his face. I wasn’t sure if I was the cause of that smirk, but I sure hoped so.

I pulled up in front of his building and put my car in park, leaving the engine running. “Do you want to come upstairs?” He had a hopeful look on his face and I hated to wipe it off, but I had homework to do and I wasn’t quite ready to be back in his apartment alone.

“I should really get back. I have a paper to finish and it’s getting kind of late.” I gave him a soft smile, which he returned. I had never felt so much emotion from one smile. There was something so genuine and warm and I tried to capture it in my mind to hold for later.

“I understand.” He reached over and cupped my cheeks in his hands, planting a light kiss on my lips. “See you in class tomorrow, Baby”.

“I thought I was Gorgeous.”

“You are gorgeous, Baby.”

He rubbed his thumb over my lower lip and I couldn’t help but kiss it. “I kind of like the sound of that,” I whispered, leaning into his hand.

“Goodnight, Baby.”

“Goodnight.” He kissed me one more time before getting out of the car and disappearing into his building.

At that moment, I felt like everything was right in the world. It was something I had never felt before and if this was what following my heart felt like, I might never get back up again.

Chapter Nine

When I woke up Monday morning, Jade was moving around the room making way too much noise. I’d lived with her for over four months and I’d never seen her up this early. “What are you looking for?” I said, pulling the blanket over my head.

She plopped herself down on my bed, clapping her hands together. “Nothing, I wanted you to wake up and tell me all about last night. Don’t leave anything out.”

Really? It only takes a little bit of girly gossip to get her out of bed?

I sighed, pulling the covers down off my face. I texted her yesterday and told her my plans to make things right with Dane in case she happened to come home last night. Since she was out when I arrived home, I didn’t get a chance to tell her how it went. “Well, I went to the gallery, which was really nice by the way. Dane was an exhibitor. Jade, you should see his work; it’s unbelievably good. I didn’t know what was going to happen when I saw him, but it didn’t go exactly as I had expected.” I paused while I debated whether to tell her the rest. I liked that Dane was mine, and part of me wanted to keep him as my little secret, but it would have been for completely selfish reasons. Plus, I couldn’t stop the huge smile that touched my lips whenever I thought of him. The moment he kissed me and asked me to be his girl was one of the best moments of my life. I could still see the look in his light green eyes and taste the mint on his lips.

She studied me like my expression would tell her everything. “Keep talking. I can tell there’s more, and you better spill it.” She looked right into my eyes; I couldn’t lie to her. When I was a kid, I tried to tell little lies about where I was or whether I had stolen a cookie from the cookie jar, but I always failed. I couldn’t look someone in the eyes and lie. Honesty is a positive personality trait, but sometimes I wished I could twist the truth a little without feeling guilty.

“Well, he planted the best kiss of my life on me. Said that we couldn’t be friends and then told me I was his.” I bit my lip, watching Jade’s eyes double in size. Before I knew what was happening she had me wrapped in a hug, swaying us back and forth.

When she finally pulled back, her smile hadn’t diminished at all. “So, are you guys together? By the sound of your voice, I would say you are.” My mother may not like my current boyfriend if she ever met him, but Jade was over the moon. Having one person who supported me made me feel more at ease. Dane made me happy and for whatever reason, I felt like I could be myself around him. What happened yesterday made me forget everything I was supposed to be for one day. I was exactly who I wanted to be and no one could ever take that away from me.

“I think so,” I said with a sheepish smile.

She hugged me again before jumping off the bed. “Well then, I’m going back to bed.” She walked back over to her side of the room and wrapped herself back up in blankets. “Alex, love can change your life. Don’t run away from it,” she said before she drifting off to sleep. It took a minute for her words to sink in, but when they did it all made sense. The way this felt right now, I would never want to run from it, but it may not be up to me. Life can be unfair and unkind, but sometimes we just have to let go and let fate take over. I believed there was a reason Dane came into my life and I was done fighting my attraction to him.

My phone buzzed.

Dane: Good Morning, Baby

This one simple text put a huge smile on my face.

Alex: Good Morning

I got up and started to pick out my clothes for the day when it buzzed again.

Dane: What kind of coffee do you drink?

Alex: Skinny mocha, why?

Dane: I’m going to bring one to class.

Alex: Really? Thx!

Dane: See You Soon.

I could get used to this if he was going to bring me a coffee to class every morning. Guys had done nice things for me in the past, but it meant something coming from Dane. He was slowly tearing down all my second thoughts and reservations. Maybe he couldn’t be my forever, but while he was my now I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

I returned from the shower wearing my robe with my hair wrapped up in a towel and was about to apply lotion when I heard a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone and Jade would never invite anyone over this early. She mumbled something that sounded like “get the damn door”, but it was hard to tell with her head wrapped under the comforter. I opened the door just enough to see Dane standing there with two coffees.

I stood there for a moment just staring at him. His green eyes sparkled and he looked edible in his long sleeve black t-shirt and jeans. I’d never seen a guy pull off simple like Dane could. I finally found my voice as I moved my focus back to his face. “What are you doing here?”

His smile fell slightly. “I’m bringing you coffee. I was going to bring it to class, but I couldn’t wait to see you.”

“Oh,” I said as I fidgeted with the belt of my robe. I was at a complete loss for words as I stood there staring at him.

He looked behind me. “Can I come in?” I glanced down at my robe and contemplated whether or not this was a good idea. I was wearing next to nothing and my super sexy boyfriend wanted to come in my dorm room. I decided it was relatively safe since Jade was here and we had to leave for class soon.

I opened the door all the way and motioned for him to come in. He handed me my coffee before placing a kiss on my cheek. “I’m sorry it took so long to let you in. I’m not used to having guys in my room, much less with me in my robe. Thank you for the coffee by the way,” I said, trying to hide my blush.

I noticed his eyes scanning my robe-covered body as the corner of his mouth turned up. “I’m glad I stopped by. I may make this a daily habit,” he said as he winked at me. I felt my heart rate pick up. Dane was a total flirt and it was starting to grow on me.

“If you want to bring me a coffee every day, go right ahead. I won’t tell you no.”

He sat next to me and it dawned on me that Dane Wright was on my bed while I was one cotton garment away from naked. “I just might,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Something about the way he looked at me paired with his proximity to my body sent heat through me. For the first time ever, I felt desire to be close to a man, desire to fall and let him catch me. It was a dangerous game I was playing and one I wasn’t sure I could win.