“Yeah, they seemed really happy with it. Emily looked so gorgeous too!” Corey nodded but looked to be thinking about something else.
“To be completely honest—I have no recollection of what she looked like.”
“She was the only woman in a large white gown—how did you miss that?” He continued to draw circles on my leg; it took everything in me to keep my cool.
“Because, there was a captivating woman in a black dress, that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from.” My face pulled into a grin, as I fed him another bite of cake.
“So, was that who I thought it was?” Corey’s tone was clipped and I sighed; wishing we didn’t have to discuss this tonight.
“Yeah, it was Oliver. My Grandmother invited him, not me.”
“Did you know she invited him?”
“Not until he showed up and told me.” I glanced up at Corey’s face and saw that even though he was trying to keep his cool—this really bothered him. There was only one more bite of cake left, I finished it off and set the plate on the table. After a long drink from my beer, I crawled astride Corey’s lap and placed my hands on his nicely sculpted chest.
“What’s wrong?”
His hand reached up and brushed aside a strand of my hair away, before cupping my face. It wasn’t difficult to tell he was debating whether or not to confide in me, with a sigh he had made up his mind.
“I’m trying so hard not to be bothered by that guy, but it’s a lot easier said than done.” “Do you just not like Ollie?” I asked, trying further to understand. Corey thought for a second and shook his head. He sat up so our faces were just inches apart.
“I don’t like seeing another guy’s arms around you, Dani. I’m very well aware of what we are and what we aren’t. That doesn’t change the gut feeling I have to strike out at guys like Oliver or hell—the other dozens of guys tonight that had you in their sights. It’s probably ridiculous, but there it is.” His face fell and I realized how much I hated seeing him this way—in complete agony over me.
Corey was doing this the exact way I wanted but was also going against everything he wanted. I loved being near him and in all aspects he was the one I wanted to spend my day with. The one thing he wanted more than anything—was the one thing I couldn’t give him. Whether it was because of my fear about Corey changing his mind, or because of all I’ve been through—I just couldn’t do it.
I couldn’t force it. I wasn’t ready. At least not yet.
That didn’t change the fact that I hated seeing him brokenhearted, especially when I was the one causing that pain. My arms wrapped around his neck, holding him to me.
“I’m sorry I’m so screwed up, but if it means anything Corey—you’re the only one I wanted to be with tonight. Hell, you’re the only one I want to be near most nights. I just can’t give you what you want.” His forehead fell against mine with a sigh.
“I’m not trying to pressure you into anything, Dani. You’ve shared your past with me and I understand your hesitation. No matter what though, I need you to know I’m not going anywhere.” His sapphire eyes locked with mine and if I had any doubts before—they were slowly dwindling away.
I saw and felt the way he did. He didn’t want to hurt me just as much as I didn’t want to hurt him. My lips pressed against his forehead.
“I know you’re not and I’m trying, I really am. If it makes you feel any better, my hesitations aren’t because of you. They’re because of me.”
His chest rumbled mine with a single laugh. “I can’t tell if that’s better or not—at least if it was because of me, I could make it better.”
I took his face in mine and smiled. “You deserve so much better than me, Corey. Someday you’ll see that and thank me for being a hot mess.” He smiled but it didn’t touch his eyes. His hands moved to my face and pulled my lips down to his.
Our conversation didn’t make him happy but he understood it. That was all I asked for. When I returned to Serenity Cove, I hadn’t intended to stay around long enough to fall for someone.