Slade

“We’re closed,” I say without looking up.”

“I’m sorry. I was hoping to get here sooner.”

My heart stops at the sound of her voice and my breath catches in my throat. I feel every muscle in my body tense as I bring my eyes up to see the woman that has been haunting me for the last few weeks. She’s standing there in a little green dress with those sexy strappy heels that I love on her.

Holy shit, she steals my breath away.

She smiles shyly when her eyes lock with mine. She looks nervous. “I can wait outside,” she says while pointing to the door. “It’s not a big deal.”

I get ready to respond, but Cale jumps up from the ground and hops over the bar to stop her before I can. “Holy shit! What are you doing back?”

Aspen looks at me for a second longer before turning her attention to Cale as he reaches in for a hug and shakes her back and forth. “Did you miss me that much,” she asks out of breath as Cale squeezes her half to death and then releases her.

“You know it.” He takes a step back and I can’t help but to watch them. Everything in me wants to jump over that bar and kiss her, but I’m trying my best to hold back. “So, what the hell are you doing here? Are you staying with us again?”

My heart speeds up just at the thought of her being under the same roof as us; a chance for me to show her that I’ve changed; a chance to let her fall for me.

“No,” she says. “I’m actually here because well . . . I moved here.”

Holy f**king shit. It’s suddenly hard to breathe.

“I just couldn’t stay with Jay anymore. As soon as we got back home I told him it was over. I started looking around for a new job and packed up all my shit.” She stops to smile at Cale. “I found a job here in a salon and decided I wanted to be back home. I’ve missed it here and there’s nothing left for me back in Rockford. Riley is moving back in a couple months, anyway.”

Cale looks paler than a f**king ghost, but I ignore his reaction and focus on Aspen. I can’t help the excitement that rushes through me. Every part of me is screaming to f**king kiss her and make her mine while I can. I can’t hold back. I need to do this. If I don’t, someone else will.

Fuck it!

I jump over the bar, grab her face and slam my lips against hers, tasting her with desperation. The feel of her lips give me a f**king rush and I know that after this I won’t be able to go on without having her as mine. I need her and I’m going to show her she needs me too.

When we’re both short of breath, she pulls away and her eyes search mine. She looks scared and lost. The feeling makes my chest ache. I don’t want to do that to her.

She just stares, breathing heavily, with her body trembling. Then without a word, she turns and rushes for the door. “Wait. Don’t f**king run away again.”

I step up behind her and grab her arm right as she’s reaching for the door. She yanks it out of my grip and takes a step back as I take a step forward. It seems to be our little game. “Why? Why should I wait?”

I don’t hesitate to tell her the truth this time and I don’t give a shit that everyone is staring at us as if we’re some kind of f**king soap opera. This time, I’m not letting her get away; I can’t. “Because I love it when you touch me. It makes me feel as if I’m breathing; makes me feel . . . alive.”

Her breathing picks up as I run my lips over her neck and brush her hair over her shoulder. “You make me want to be a better man. I want to take care of you. I want to make you feel wanted like you deserve.” I stop to kiss her neck before gently tugging her hair to the side. “I may not be perfect all the f**king time. I’m far from it, but you make me want to be as close to it as I can be. Give me a chance to make you feel good; feel wanted. I want you to be mine. I want to be the one you snuggle with and watch a movie with at night. I want to be the one you stay home with because you don’t like to go out. I don’t like f**king cats, but I’ll love them because you love them.”

“I don’t know,” she whispers. “I’m scared. I can’t handle being crushed by you. It will only f**king destroy me, Slade.”

“I am too. Trust me. This feeling is new to me. You’ve done something to me and I can’t stop f**king thinking about you. You’ve f**king ruined me. I’m not giving you up so easily.”

Her lips part and it takes everything in me to not press my lips against them again and make her mine. I want her so bad, but I want her to want me just as much. I can’t force her to want me this time. It will never work that way.

“You really can’t stop thinking about me?” I nod my head and run my thumb over her lip. “What about all the other women, Slade? I can’t be with a man like that again. I just can’t.” She looks around the room at the group of women watching us. She looks upset by them and a bit jealous. I don’t like that look on her. “I didn't mean for my presence to distract you from your job. I just wanted to let you know you'd be seeing me around more. I didn’t come looking for this."

I cup her face in my hands and step closer to her to show her I don’t give a f**k about those women. “I haven’t been with any other women since you. The closest I got to having sex with a woman was before you left and I was still being a horny, heartless dick. I was confused and not ready for change. I won’t lie to you about that. I’ll never lie to you. I haven’t had sex or have even wanted to since you f**king left me that night. That’s a big f**king deal for me.”

A tear falls down her cheek, but she tries to hide it before I can see it. She’s too late. I catch her face and rub the tear away with my thumb. She seems a bit surprised and torn. I don’t blame her. I was a major dick and I don’t deserve her trust. “I don’t understand why, Slade. You can have anyone that you want. I do mean anyone and everyone.”

“But I want you. I know I’ve been an ass**le and I’m sorry. I don’t even know how I let things go so far and let myself become an ass**le . . . but when you fall it happens all too fast.” I step closer to her so that my lips are brushing hers. “All I’m asking is for you to give me a chance. We can take things slow. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I can’t stop thinking about you, Aspen. No one has been able to make me feel the way you do. No one has been able to make me feel at all.”