The Reality of Everything - Rebecca Yarros Page 0,138

Hadn’t been prepared for any of this.

He pushed off the door and came toward me but stayed on the opposite side of the line of worktables that divided the small room in half.

My gaze flew to the door.

“You can leave at any time. I’m not trying to trap you. Just talk to you,” he said softly, bracing his palms on the table between us.

“Nothing’s changed.” It couldn’t. It didn’t matter how I felt about the incredible man standing in front of me. Survival had to be my first priority.

“I know.” He nodded, a slight smile curving his kissable lips as his eyes dropped to the necklace he’d given me. “I didn’t really get a chance to talk last time. And while you’re free to walk out that door any second you see fit, I’m really hoping you’ll give me five minutes.”

“Five minutes?” My pulse jumped. Five minutes with this man was dangerous to my heart, but didn’t I owe him that? Hell, I owed him far more. “And you stay on that side of the table?”

If he touched me, I’d be a goner.

“Five minutes, and I stay on this side of the table,” he agreed.

“Deal.” I tucked my hair behind my ear, wishing I’d worn it up today.

“I love you, Morgan.” He nailed me with those eyes, and his words shattered what little defenses I had against him.

“Jackson, don’t,” I whispered as my heart thudded to life.

“Five minutes.” He lifted the corner of his mouth into a sinfully sexy smirk.

Ugh. I nodded.

“First, I have a really bad habit of not telling you things first, so I’m telling you that Claire is living at my house with Finley while I’m gone.”

I sucked in a breath, and that heartbeat that had started slugging its way to a dependable rhythm stuttered. Ten days. It had only taken ten damned days.

“Kitty, it’s not what you think, and damn, that face is making me want to jump this table and hold you, but I made a promise, so I won’t. Claire and I aren’t together. We’ll never be together. She’s living at my place so Fin can keep her life as normal as possible. Plus, Juno raked her claws down Vivian’s couch, so that option is off the table.”

I smiled, then pressed my lips between my teeth so he wouldn’t get encouraged.

“She’s moving out when I get back. It’s just for Finley, and it’s probably the most maternal decision she’s ever made…after moving back. But now you know, so you won’t be shocked when she’s coming down the stairs or asking to borrow sugar…not that she bakes. You’ll probably see a ton of takeout.”

I glanced toward the clock and raised my eyebrows. You’re using your five minutes, Jackson.

“You’re right. Morgan, I love you. Taking a three-month trip isn’t going to change that. I’m not sure a lifetime would change that, honestly.”

My eyes widened and my stomach tightened, but there was no anxiety…at least not yet. If it came to that, I was going to have to leave for my own good. He didn’t use the D word.

“And I understand why you had to end this, and I don’t blame you for choosing your own health. You’ve earned every inch of ground you’ve gained, and it would kill me to take that from you. I never want to be the cause of your pain.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, knowing I was now the cause of his.

Weren’t we just a pair?

“You told me that if I loved you, I would walk out the door and wouldn’t come back. But the truth is that I love you enough to walk out the door and come back.”

My breath hitched.

“You can give me up. That’s okay. My love is strong enough to carry us both through this.” He leveled a look on me that said he was completely serious, and despite every plea my brain sent my heart, my posture softened. Defenses gone. His eyes flared, and he took a quick breath. “I’m not giving you up.”

“I’m sorry?” My eyebrows reached for the sky. “That’s not your choice to make.”

“Five minutes.” He pointed to the clock.

I folded my arms under my breasts and felt no small satisfaction when his eyes followed and heated. Ten days hadn’t squashed the chemistry between us. If anything, it apparently had the same effect as a starvation diet—I was ravenous. Hungry but not stupid enough to take the cheese from a time-delayed trap.

He looked at the ceiling, and I could almost see him count to five