AlwaysYou by Karen Stivali Read Free Book Online Page B

was until he took his first
bite of food, then he was ravenous. He not only polished off his omelet, he
finished the second half of Shari’s along with a huge plate of home fries and
at least three muffins.
    He left a tip on the table and slipped his arm around
Shari’s waist as they made their way toward the elevator. He nuzzled her neck,
inhaling her sweet scent.
    “Don’t forget we need to make a purchase at the shop,” she
said, smiling.
    “I haven’t forgotten.” He kissed the side of her head. “I’ll
do that now.”
    “I’m going to head up and take a quick shower.”
    The thought of her in the shower rushed through him in a
single pulse of heat. “I’ll be right up. As soon as I buy out the store.”
    He opened the hotel room door, purchase in hand, and was
disappointed to find the bathroom door closed. He’d hoped to get into the
shower with her. Maybe she needs some time to herself.
    He stowed the box of condoms on the bedside table then
grabbed his laptop and headed onto the deck. It had been three days since he’d
checked his email and he needed to see what he was missing at work.
    Shari wandered out onto the deck just as he finished sending
off his last reply. She was wearing a deep purple tank top and a pair of fitted
black shorts, her damp hair loose around her shoulders. He could have stared at
her all afternoon.
    She took a seat on the chair next to his. “You working?”
    “Not really. Just checking in with Derek to make sure
everything’s running smoothly. It’s all good.”
    “He must think you’re crazy, running off with me at a
moment’s notice like this.”
    “Not really. He knows I’m in love with you.” Jon felt as if
the breath had been knocked from his body as he realized what he’d just said.
He heard Shari inhale and looked up to find her staring at him, her eyes round.
    “What?”
    Jon’s heart pounded irregularly, his stomach falling as if
he’d just stepped into an elevator shaft. You’ve already said it, say it
again. “I’m in love with you.”
     
    Shari’s mouth hung open. Jon’s eyes flitted back and forth
between her gaze andthe ground. He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly,
then looked up at her again.
    She still couldn’t speak. You’re in love with me? The
words wouldn’t come out.
    Jon rubbed his forehead then scratched the back of his neck.
“I can’t believe I said that out loud.” The color returned to his face in the
form of a red flush that crept from his cheeks down his neck. He looked
irresistibly cute.
    You’re in love with me? “I….” Her breath rushed out
but nothing else.
    “Don’t feel like you have to say anything. I didn’t mean to
put you on the spot.”
    She couldn’t take her eyes off him. “How come you never said
anything before?”
    He shrugged, his hair swinging low over his eyes. He looked
vulnerable and more adorable than she’d ever seen him. “I thought about it,
lots of times. Every time you broke up with someone. But you never stayed
single for very long. I never wanted to be that guy.”
    “What guy?”
    “The rebound guy. Or the jerk who swoops in while the
woman’s still confused from the last guy.” His eyes met hers. “Look, this
doesn’t change anything. You’re going through a lot right now and the last
thing you need is to feel pressured.”
    Shari shifted from her lounge chair onto his and silenced
him with a kiss. He seemed startled but quickly recovered, digging his fingers
into her hair. She tried to tell him with her lips what she hadn’t been able to
say with her voice. She rested her hand on his chest and felt his heart
pounding. I think he really means it. Her mind was swimming. The
dizzying effect of his tongue wasn’t helping her to think any more clearly.
When her phone vibrated in her pocket she nearly fell off the chair.
    She broke away and fumbled to open it. “Hello?’ She felt as
though she might pass out.
    It was Hank Reynolds, her lawyer. She and Jon had known