A Long Time Coming by Heather Van Fleet Read Free Book Online Page B

just hallucinating after all. And just as
he called her name, he fell to the floor on his face, his world blackening away
to nothingness.
    * * *
    A soft, cool compress, warm
hands brushing the matted curls from his head—hell yeah, now this was a
dream he could get used to. Soft whispers and the scent of warm cinnamon
covered his mouth and nose as her voice settled over him. Holy shit. He was in
dessert heaven here.
    “Hey, David, please open your
eyes. I need to get you home, okay? We’ve got to get your pills…”
    Since when did she talk in his
dreams? God though, her voice was as soft and as sweet as the last time they’d
been together. Three months. Two long, agonizing months since he’d touched her
last—since he’d left his heart with her for good. Fate was being a motherfucker
if it was going to continue teasing him like this.
    “Seriously, wake up, please.”
He blinked. An instant burning sensation rocketed through his skull. Fucking
hell, he wasn’t dreaming, he was dying, right there in the arms of an angel. He
grinned, wincing too as the pain crept back into his skull. It was okay though,
because he was going to die one hell of a happy guy.
    “Abigail,” he sighed, unable
to stop his hand from reaching for her neck. He felt her shiver as his
fingertips traced her collar bone. His eyes were still blurry, but he could
just barely make out her pale skin, her wet, bright blue eyes. Stunning…absolutely
stunning . He stiffened, wincing more as he fully focused upon her face.
Shit, why was she crying? He hated when she cried. “Don’t cry,” he croaked out,
finally seeing her perfect face. She pressed her palms to his cheeks and
squeezed. The cool wet rag still sat in her hand, and water dripped like tiny
pebbles down onto his neck.
    “Well you dumbass, when you
fall on your face in the middle of the room between the skank ho twins, I kind
of have a reason to cry. You scared the crap out of me.”
    He grinned, loving her
jealousy. It meant she was still as crazy about him as he was her—even though
he knew, without a doubt, that she was way better off without him. “Skank ho
twins, huh?” He laughed, reaching up to grip her hands with his own. He pulled
them against his chest, pressing her palms over the steady beat of his heart.
She narrowed her eyes, but her lips quirked into a smile that had his entire
body thrumming. “You know I don’t like to garden, Abs. I’m more of a meat and
potato kind of guy,” he winked, smiling as she giggled. It was the sound of
deliciousness. The sound of all things perfect.
    “Come on, super stud; let’s
get you home, okay?” Her face turned serious, and she brushed a piece of his
hair from his temple. She bit her lip… Was that sudden longing appearing behind
her blue–grey eyes? God he hoped he wasn’t just imagining it, experiencing it
alone here.
    He held her stare, needing her
to lower her mouth, needing to feel her lips just one more time. He’d spent one
night with those lips, but he should have known that one night would
never be enough. Maybe, just this one more time was all he needed, right? Then
he’d never ask for anything, ever again. “Abigail…” he whispered longingly,
stroking her fingers with his. She blinked and a sudden knowledge appeared
throughout her face. Her mouth formed a tiny O, and her face darkened to a red
that matched her lips. She was his untouchable perfection, and the only girl
who would ever make his heart beat like it was again.
    “Don’t, David…” she sighed,
closing her eyes just as one last random tear dripped from her left lid. His
throat constricted at the sight. Okay, he was officially the biggest son of a
bitch. Ever.
    He finally gained enough
balance to push away from her warmth, just as a rush of blood raced to his
face. The dizziness grabbed at his vision, but he pushed through it because he
had to get up, he had to go. “I’ve got to find my ride. What time is it?” He
scooted off her lap, noting