Chapter 45
She wouldn’t quite meet my eyes at first. It worried me. I just waited, gazing at her softly. I didn’t want to pressure her into giving me an answer that wasn’t completely honest.
But the truth was written all over her. It was the same way I felt. Still, I didn’t want to hope for too much. That would be foolish.
When she finally looked up at me, there was a quiet resolution in her eyes. She’d finally come to a decision and now she’d let me know. I braced myself for what was to come, knowing that I’d go ahead with whatever she wanted.
“You’re not a distraction.”
I blinked.
“This… whatever this is, it’s not just some casual thing to me, Aaron. I need you to know that.”
I heaved a sigh of relief and kissed her gently on the lips. “Thank God. I wasn’t ready to take a step back.”
Jane was smiling at me in that beautiful way. And her eyes… God her eyes they were going to be the death of me.
“I don’t want to mess this up.”
“Neither do I,” I responded.
She looked down again, lips pressing into a thin line. “I’m scared,
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Aaron,” she whispered. “I’ve been through enough already. I don’t…” She took a deep breath. “I can’t do it again. I can’t be wrecked by someone I care about again.”
My chest tightened at the thought of that, but I nodded. I understood. I would never make her feel like she wasn’t worth the effort.
Fen stirred inside me, growling with the need to protect her. She’s special to us. Give her time. Give her everything. Fen was right. Jane is special.
I wanted to touch her, to lace my fingers through her. But I didn’t. “I’m not going anywhere,” I said instead. “We can take this slow. I’m good with slow. Hell, I’ll be a bloody snail if that’s what you need.”
Jane giggled into her palm.
“You don’t have to be ready today, or even tomorrow. Just… let me be here. We’ll figure this out together.”
She nodded. “I know. I trust you.”
Coming from Jane, that was everything. I pulled her into my arms, leaning back into the dry part of the sheets. I was already half–asleep, the sound of our breathing mixing together. And then…
“God, I almost forgot!”
She shot up like there was something hot underneath her. I snapped my eyes open, blinking against the sudden absence of her. “What?” I asked, dragging myself upright. “What’d you forget?”
She ignored me, rushing to the dress and rustling through a gift bag. “Hold on. I meant to give you this earlier, but then… you know.”
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I watched her, a bit amused. Then she turned, holding a small black box wrapped with a ribbon in a similar shade.
Jane held it out to me. “For you,” she said, looking nervous for a second.
I took it slowly, dragging it into my lap. “Is this a bomb?”
“Why don’t you find out.”
I eyed her once more before tugging at the ribbon. It slipped off easily and I proceeded to lift the lid.
My breath caught. It definitely wasn’t a bomb. Nestled inside was a Patek Philippe watch. Black leather strap, silver dial, awfully expensive.
“Jane…” I exhaled, brushing my fingers over the gift. “This is…”
“Too much?” she asked quickly. “I know how much you like watches and well… I saw this and it just reminded me of you.”
I looked up at her, and damn it if it didn’t knock the air right out of my chest. She was grinning at me, looking more beautiful than ever. I almost wanted to not take things slow. Almost.
“You realize this thing could probably feed a whole town’s worth of people. How did you…?”
“Xander unfroze my account,” she answered almost casually.
I lifted my gaze from the watch. “He did?”
She nodded. “Why don’t you turn the watch around.”
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I gave her a look but did as she said anyways and turned it over. I squinted, and the words For Aaron: From Jane was carved deep into the smooth silver.
A lump rose in my throat. My heart gave this strange, little stutter, like it wasn’t sure what to do with this much affection. Fen knew exactly how to react though. Being that he was howling loudly.
“Jane.”
She was already biting her lip. “Too much?”
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