Play With Me - Brittany Cournoyer Page 0,80
left without giving me a chance to say anything, and that was the last time I’d seen him until tonight.”
“Let me guess—he was trying to get back with you.”
“Pretty much. Evidently his marriage didn’t work out as he’d expected, and he thought it was the perfect time to rekindle what we had.”
“I see,” I said tersely. “Sounds like the night for annoying exes.”
“What do you mean?”
I rolled my eyes and briefly explained my call from Jennifer. “But I let her know about you and that there was no chance of ever getting back with her.”
Stellan’s jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth before he spoke again. “Now maybe you can see why I lashed out. Not that it’s an excuse or justification for my actions. But seeing him was a slap-in-the-face reminder of how scared I was that history might repeat itself. You’d never been with a man before, and I piqued your curiosity, much like I did his. What if…what if you got your fill of me and decided to move on? Or wanted to take Jennifer up on her offer? What he did to me hurt, but losing you would break me, Foster.”
I rose from the couch and closed the distance between us. I wrapped an arm around his waist while cupping his cheek with my free and pulled him close to me.
“There are so many differences between our relationships, Stellan. I want everything with you. I want you to go to dinner to meet my parents and face the awkward inquisition from my father and witness my embarrassment as my mom tells you stories of me as a child. I want us to go on dates, hold hands in public, and kiss on street corners for everyone to see. What started out as intrigue has morphed into so much more. My curiosity was settled long ago, and I am still here. Your time with Matthias doesn’t hold a candle to our relationship, because what we have is real. And yes, you hurt me earlier, but I’m not going anywhere because of a fight. I’m in this for the long haul, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m so sorry for hurting you. So fucking sorry. Can you please forgive me for being such a dumbass?”
I brushed my thumb over his cheek. “I already have.”
Stellan closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them again, my breath caught in my throat at the raw expression in his eyes. “Did you mean what you said earlier?”
“I meant all of it, but which part are you referring to?”
I had a feeling I already knew, but I needed him to ask. “That you were falling for me.”
I gave him a tentative smile. “If I am, will you be there to catch me?”
Stellan’s answer was to wrap his arms around me. “As long as you promise to do the same.”
“How about we just hold on tightly to each other and fall together?” I suggested. My heart was beating wildly in my chest while my stomach decided to show off its acrobatic routine.
“That sounds like a plan to me.”
After a thorough kiss that sealed our promise to each other, we retreated to my bedroom where Stellan showed me with his body how sorry he was. An apology I gladly accepted.
28
Stellan
“Relax. It’s going to be fine,” Foster reassured me as we walked up the flower-lined walkway that led to the front door of his parents’ house.
“I am relaxed,” I responded, though we both knew it was a lie.
I wasn’t relaxed at all. In fact, I was a nervous wreck. This meeting the parents thing was a huge deal, especially since Foster had never brought a man home before. What if they were really close to his ex-fiancée and preferred her over me? What if they disapproved of my long hair and tattoos? Would he still want to be with me if that turned out to be the case?
“Are you ready?” he asked when we paused in front of the door.
“Yup,” I replied with false bravado and a jerky nod. I wasn’t ready at all, but we were there, and I was sure his mom was already waiting on the other side of the door for us to enter. Or it was a ghost who had the curtain in front window moved to the side.
“Did I tell you how great you looked?” Foster asked.
“Twice,” I said with a smile before planting a kiss on his temple. “But I wouldn’t be opposed to a third.”
“You look great.”
“Thanks.