Right at that moment there was nothing more urgent than hearing those words coming from her gorgeous lips in person. Jesus. There was nothing more critical than actually hearing her say that.
“She loves me,” he rasped, trying to wrap his head around that information. Hell, he loved her, too. Probably had for a long time, although he’d never put it into words. “I should have told her.”
Dante felt the plane start to turn so it could execute takeoff, and he punched the button for the cockpit. “Turn the plane around, Captain. I need to get the hell off now,” he growled.
A reply came back through the intercom. “Did you forget something, Mr. Sinclair?”
I forgot a lot of damn things. I forgot to tell the woman I love how much I love her. I forgot that I like it here in Amesport. I forgot how much I miss my siblings. But aloud, he simply answered, “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”
He breathed a sigh of relief as the plane started to taxi back to the airport, and he traced Sarah’s words on his phone as he waited impatiently. Part of him wanted to text her back, tell him how much he loved her, too, but he needed to tell her in person, hear her say it aloud. They would be the sweetest words he’d ever heard.
Dante sprinted down the steps of the aircraft as soon as it stopped.
“What time can I expect you back, Mr. Sinclair?” the captain called after Dante.
“Never,” he hollered back with an exhilaration he’d never experienced before, his heart lighter than it had ever been. “I’m already home,” he said to himself as he jogged into the airport, looking around in vain for Sarah. He knew she’d already left because his flight had been delayed, but desperation made him hope.
“Need a ride?” an amused male voice asked from behind him.
Dante turned to see his brother Jared lounging casually against the wall. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I figured you wouldn’t make it into the air before you realized you wanted to stay.” Jared pushed off the wall and walked the few feet that were separating them.
“How did you know?” Hell, Dante hadn’t even known that himself. If he had, he would have stayed home in bed with Sarah. Why had he been such an asshole? Why hadn’t he reasoned all of this out before he’d gotten on the plane?
Jared shrugged. “You love her, don’t you?”
“More than anything,” Dante answered honestly. “I didn’t tell her.”
“Let’s go. I’ll take you home,” Jared told his brother blandly, but his lips were twitching, partially turned up in a small smile.
Dante fell into step with Jared, who was making his way to the outside entrance, still perplexed as to why his brother was here but grateful that he was. Right now all Dante wanted to do was go home to the woman he loved, and Jared would get him there as quickly as possible.
Sarah halfheartedly packed a few things into a suitcase in Dante’s guest room with a sigh. He’d wanted her to stay here in his home, but she didn’t really want to be here when he wasn’t. It didn’t feel right. She decided to put some clothes together and head back to her own cottage. Maybe she wouldn’t miss him as much if she wasn’t staying in his house. There were just too many memories here.
I have to quit moping. I’ll see him in a few months. Missing him already isn’t even logical.
Smiling sadly, she dropped a pair of shoes into the suitcase and wandered down the hall to Dante’s room, knowing the old, analytical Sarah was gone. Loving Dante hadn’t affected her IQ, but it had changed her priorities. Love wasn’t at all reasonable. It was a complicated, messy emotion that robbed her of all sensible thought. The problem was, she didn’t care, and she didn’t even try not to feel it. She’d much rather feel alive and burn in Dante’s arms than to go back to being the woman she was before: a woman of reason who felt . . . almost nothing.
She curled up on Dante’s bed and pulled his pillow to her face, taking a long, deep, intoxicating breath of his scent until his essence made the sensitive flesh between her thighs start to pulsate with need.
Startling as Coco launched herself onto the bed, Sarah laughed when she saw the little canine and pulled the dog against her chest. “You miss him, too, don’t you?” She scratched the top of Coco’s head the way that Dante usually did and hugged her warm body, grateful that she wasn’t the only one already pining for Dante.
The door slammed downstairs, and Sarah sat up, alarmed. She hadn’t locked the door or set the alarm system. She’d only planned on being here for a short time, and the imminent danger was over. Dropping Coco gently to the floor, she rolled out of the bed and cautiously walked into the hall, taking the steps slowly. Maybe it was Jared or Grady. It could also be the lady who cleaned his house once a week, although she usually cleaned on Mondays.
Don’t panic. It could be someone Dante knows. It most likely is.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and looked around.
Nobody.