Face-Off at the Altar Read online

  She never wanted to lose it again.

  She didn’t want to lose him.

  Pulling back, she looked up at him and smiled as he asked, “So tell me something?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Why did you move to Florida? I thought you loved it here.”

  She shook her head as she moved out of his arms, leaning against the counter with him. “I needed a new start.”

  “I knew you didn’t want to be a doctor.”

  She smiled. “You had called me on that before.”

  “I had. Your passion wasn’t for saving people, it was for preserving moments on film.”

  Her heart fluttered as she nodded. He used to lie in the quad with her and watch as she would take random pictures of people on campus. Pictures of leaves, squirrels, and birds. Anything that moved, she took a picture of. She loved it; it was her passion, and he always knew that. “You’re right.”

  “I know,” he said with a wink, but then his face turned a little serious. “I thought you moved because of everything that happened.”

  She nodded. “I did.”

  “Of course you did,” he said sadly, looking up and exhaling hard.

  “Yeah, I had to run. I had to get off that campus. I swore I would see y’all together.”

  He scoffed. “No way. I never wanted Skylar. Never. She went through the whole Bullies’ house, and even if she hadn’t, I wasn’t attracted to her. I was attracted to you.”

  Their eyes met, and she smiled as she nodded. “I know, but it scared me because she made me believe that you wanted her.” Her voice broke a bit as she looked away. “I felt like if I stayed, I wouldn’t get over you. Over what happened.”

  “Yeah.” Looking over at her, he asked, “Did it work?”

  “Not at all,” she answered and he smiled. “Obviously, since I just jumped you like a cat in heat.”

  He laughed at that, nodding his head. “Yeah, I never expected that. And really, how in the world were you still a virgin? It’s been almost two years.”

  She shrugged, looking down, a little embarrassed. “I don’t know. I’ve been busy with work, and I really didn’t know anyone in Florida, and then I didn’t meet anyone. It just didn’t matter, you know?”

  He didn’t seem to understand as he held her gaze. “Well, I wasn’t a virgin.”

  “I know,” she scoffed.

  “And I slept with people while we’ve been apart,” he admitted cautiously.

  “I’m sure you did,” she said, though it did sting a bit that he had been able to move on. But she appreciated his honesty. He was laying his cards out, and she wanted to do the same.

  “In no way had I moved on, though.”

  “Oh,” she murmured, pressing her lips together and fighting back her grin.

  “At first, I did it to see if I would remember. I mean, I would be drunk and I would go home and I would remember everything that happened that night, like I’d always been able to before. That’s why I started to believe she had drugged me. Then I was just fucking women to forget. To forget what happened completely. And I did for a little while. I compartmentalized what had happened with Skylar, and I chalked it up as a loss. But I learned very quickly I couldn’t forget you,” he admitted, his eyes burning into hers. “I know this isn’t easy to hear.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “I’m sorry, I just want to be honest. I don’t want anything to come up either and have you feel betrayed. I want you to know, and also know that I was just lost without you.”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I appreciate that, and I couldn’t forget you either. I think, in a way, my virginity was yours.” She paused, looking away as her eyes started to cloud. “I was so mad at you, hurt and broken, but I wanted you back. I never got over you, and I missed you something insane.”

  “I missed you too, a lot,” he admitted, and her face hurt, she was smiling so hard. “So, do you like Florida?”

  “Not at all.” Shaking her head, she shrugged. “I love Nashville. I love all four seasons, and this place is my home. I haven’t been back for any real length of time since I left, and being here made me realize how much I miss it.”

  “Yeah, I’ve missed it too. I don’t like it down in Florida either.”

  “Really? I thought you would.”

  “No, I want to play for the Assassins, the team I grew up dreaming of playing for. I want to live here and have a house and make a life. If I were to get traded down the road, that would be fine, I guess. But first, I want to play for my dream team.”

  “You’re doing that, Markus. All I hear when I’m around the team is how much you’ve impressed. You’re living your dreams.”

  “Finally,” he laughed, shaking his head. “I hadn’t realized how fucked up I was from everything that happened until I saw you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah,” he said, looking down. “Seeing you made me realize why I hated my life so much. It wasn’t because I was playing for the Ninjas or living in Florida, it was because I hadn’t accepted that someone hurt me. That someone broke my heart and took away my happiness. I remember, at first, all I wanted was to apologize to you, get closure, and let you move on. I wanted you to be happy with someone who deserved you. I knew a good man would never fuck up the way I had. But the more I saw you, the more I looked into your eyes, the more I re-memorized everything about you, I wanted to be the good man who deserved you. And that’s when I knew I had to get closure from her, so I could be honest with you and tell you everything. And then maybe, just maybe, I could try to be happy again. With you.”

  Reaching out, he laced his fingers with hers as his thumb moved along the back of her hand. His eyes searched hers as her heart pounded in her chest, and all she could do was draw in big breaths as she fought back the tears. She had wanted to hear those words from his mouth for so long. So much so that she almost asked him to say them again, just so she could keep them forever. He was a good man; she knew that. Hell, everyone knew that. But they were two good people who were put in a shitty situation because of someone who was hell-bent on having company in her misery-filled life.

  Mekena would not be a part of that.

  “I called Avery before I jumped in the shower,” she said, looking up at him, and he grinned.

  “Of course you did. Can she stop hating me now?”

  Mekena laughed as she nodded. “Yeah, but that’s not my point. I told her I slept with you, because she’s my best friend, and she asked me if this was it. If we never went any further, would I be okay with it? Would I be okay with losing my virginity to you? I said yes, but the thing is, Markus, I don’t want this to be it. I don’t want to walk away with this being our last hurrah or whatever you wanna call it. I don’t know what you want from this, but—”

  Before she could finish, his mouth was on hers, his arms tightening around her as he held her close to him, their bodies molding together. Melting into his arms, she held on to him as he kissed her, his mouth, his tongue moving sensually with hers. There was a time when she’d lived for his kisses, when they were what she looked forward to. And what a thing to look forward to. As his hand came up her back, threading through her hair, she squeezed her eyes shut, knowing she would never love anyone the way she loved him.

  Pulling back, way too soon, he held his mouth a breath away as he whispered, “My intentions are pretty straightforward.”

  “They are?”

  He nodded, his lips curving ever so slightly. “I want all of it. All of you. I have no clue how, and I sure as hell don’t know what the future holds, but I want to figure it out, Mekena. With you. Only you.”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded her head, her nose moving against his as his beautiful caramel eyes bored into hers. As her hands came up, cupping his face, she loved the contrast of his dark skin against her pale. The way his face fit perfectly in her hands, how his eyes fell shut a tiny bit as she moved her thumbs along his thick bottom lip. Chills ran up her spine as he held her gaze, his eyes con