And whomever he loved next would be the luckiest woman on the planet.
“Don’t leave me, Eve.” His mouth hovered above hers. The heat of his body warmed her.
“We have to. We’re not the same people. I’m not the woman you loved. Please, Alex. Let me go. It hurts too much. I want what we had, but I can’t have it. We can’t be those kids who were wildly in love and knew they could take on the world. I’m still in so much pain. Staying in this place, wishing for what I can’t have, it’s an ache inside me.”
“Angel.” His breath hitched. His hands shook as he touched her face, cupping her cheeks and looking into her eyes. “I don’t want you to ache. I love you so fucking much. I never thought you were dirty. You were always innocent, and I’m so sorry I failed you. I fucking failed you and that was the last thing I wanted to do.”
“Let it go.” She could barely talk, but she forced the words out. This was the last gift she could give him. His freedom. “Please, let it go. You want to know how you can make me happy? You can be happy, baby. You can let go of all this pain and I will, too, and we can start over. We won’t be together, but we can let go of those kids we were. They died. And we can mourn them, and we can try to find the new people we are. Please. Let go.”
“I love you, Eve.” His lips brushed hers, tears flowing freely now.
Soft, sweet. He pressed his mouth against hers and they held for a moment. Eve let it wash over her, memorizing every second. His hands moved to her hair, gently tangling there as he pulled her closer.
She hugged him to her, wishing this moment never had to stop. They could stay here. They could stay suspended in this moment and they wouldn’t have to move forward. They wouldn’t have to find new lives.
Please let it all stop right here. Let this be it. Forever. Forever with his lips on mine and our hearts beating in time. Alex and Eve. Together.
But time didn’t stop. It never did. No matter how she prayed and fought and tried to force the world to stand still, it just kept moving.
Alex broke the kiss, his arms wrapping around her, holding her so tight she could feel his heart pounding. “Will you let me hold you tonight? No sex. Just let me hold you. Let me say good-bye.”
She nodded. He wouldn’t kiss her again. God. Somehow she hadn’t thought this kiss would be their last. How could it be over? And yet she knew it had to be. And she owed him a night of everything she’d denied him for five years. “I’ll hold you, too.”
He took her hand and led her back to bed.
She clung to him, praying the dawn would never come.
Chapter Eight
Eve could hear the group talking in the kitchen. Sean said something in a low tone and Adam laughed. A feminine voice groaned, and Alex told them all to be serious.
She hugged her robe and hoped she looked somewhat presentable. Kristen had knocked on her door five minutes earlier and told her to wake up because Alex had called a meeting and he wanted her in there pronto. No time to shower or get dressed. Alex was having a meeting and they were all supposed to fall in line.
She’d touched the side of the bed where Alex had lain. It had been cold, proving he’d left their bed a while before. Sometime before dawn, she’d fallen asleep, her tears dried up because she simply had no more to shed, and she’d woken alone.
She felt different, a little less burdened, but the sadness of letting Alex go was still an ache in her heart.
And she had to work with him now. God, how was she going to get through this? How was she going to sit in the same room with him and pretend like everything was normal when a wealth of pain sat between them?
The early morning light streamed through the big bay windows, illuminating the whole dining room.
“Eve? I’m glad you could join us. There’s coffee if you would like some.” Alex sat at the head of the table. He stood, holding a mug in his hand. He was dressed simply in sweat pants and a T-shirt that clung to his every muscle. “I’m getting some for myself. Cream and sugar?”
She shook her head. He knew very well she drank it plain. “Black, please.”
He looked her up and down. His eyes caught on her breasts for a moment, and she wished she’d worn less leisurely leisurewear. “Huh, I would have thought you like it sweet. I will note your preferences for the future. You should know that we meet every morning at seven sharp for discussion and breakfast. I’ll wake you myself tomorrow morning. I know you’ve worked with Ian and Liam as leads, but I like to run a very tight ship.”
So he was going to go the professional route. She could handle that. It might be for the best. “All right. I’ll be here on time.”
Alex nodded and gestured to the table. “Good. Now, we’re bonding over Kristen’s excellent homemade cinnamon rolls, and I want reports on the day.”