Breathing hard, I turn a helpless circle, wishing I’d come to this conclusion just a little bit sooner. When Jet was still here.
It’s before I turn and start to head back inside that I hear the slam of a car door. I jerk my head left, following the noise down the street. That’s when I see Jet standing in the dark, bathed in the glow of moonlight reflected off the shiny black hood of his car.
I stop and stare, my heart swelling at the sight of him.
He steps onto the sidewalk and moves closer to me, walking slowly, cautiously, until only a few inches separate us. “Please tell me you were coming for me,” he breathes quietly.
I’m shocked. And thrilled. And excited. I’m caught in the surreal moment like light caught in the facets of a diamond—trapped in the brilliance, in the beauty. I do the only thing I can and nod, turning to face him more fully.
“Tell me,” he whispers. “I need to hear you say it.”
My heart is pounding so loudly, I wonder that he can’t hear it, too. “Yes, I was coming for you.”
As though that’s all he was waiting on, Jet raises his hands to cup my face, his touch desperate. “I’m sorry I hid it from you, Violet. I only did it because I love you. And I wanted to help you. But I knew you wouldn’t want anything from me. Please, please, please forgive me,” he says softly, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against mine.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Jet. I know why you did it.”
He pulls his head back to look down at me, his eyes boring holes into mine. “I’m so miserable without you, it’s the only way I can sleep at night. Knowing that I’m doing something to make you smile, something to make you happy. It’s the only thing that has kept me going.”
“But you don’t have to do things like that.”
“I know. But I wanted to. It was tearing me up inside to think that you believed I only wanted you in order to win a bet. Violet, you are the only thing in my life that makes it worth living. I knew that if I couldn’t be with you, I’d still have to be involved in your life, in your happiness somehow, even if you didn’t know it.”
I smile. “Well, some of it I’ve figured out.”
“You did?”
I nod. “Suspected, I guess. But still. There are only so many things I can write off as coincidence.”
“Please don’t be mad. I just wanted you to be happy. I just wanted to help you like you always help other people. Like you always helped me.”
“You did. And I appreciate it.”
“Will you ever be able to forgive me for what I did?”
“I already have. Why do you think I came out here?”
“When I saw the door open and you came running out, I prayed that you were coming for me. I promised God that if He would just make you run to me, that I’d never disappoint you again.” Jet sprinkles kisses over my nose and my cheeks. “I’ll never lie to you. Never hurt you. Never make you sad or give you reason to doubt me. I just want to make you happy, baby.”
When he pauses, our noses touching and his lips hovering over mine, I feel the moist warmth of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard, settling over my skin and my heart like a soft promise. “I love you, Violet. I’ve loved you even before I met you. I had no idea what I needed in life until I found you. I didn’t know that there was a person who could make me whole. I didn’t know that there was a woman who could rock my world like no guitar ever could. I didn’t know that all the music in my life was missing something until I found you. You are the beautiful notes in every song I sing. You are the beautiful face behind every lyric I write. You are my reason, my muse. You’re the love I was waiting for, the one thing I can’t live without. Please tell me that you love me, too.”
“I love you, Jet,” I whisper. “I loved you when I didn’t want to because I couldn’t stop. I won’t ever be able to stop. You changed something inside me, something that can never go back to the way it was. Without you, I’m empty and miserable. And more alone than I’ve ever felt before.”
Gently, Jet strokes the side of my face, brushing his lips over mine. “You’ll never be alone again. You’ll always have me. Always. Forever.”
When Jet finally presses his lips to mine, I feel a sigh that permeates my entire being, body and soul. I melt into him like he’s the missing piece of my puzzle. And he fits me perfectly. Because, even though neither of us knew we were missing our other half, we were. But now we’re whole. Together, we’ll always be whole.
FORTY-SIX: Jet
Violet’s lush little body is plastered against mine. The taste on her silky tongue is awakening more than just my heart. I lean away from her so that I don’t do something stupid like drag her into the woods across the street and pin her up against a tree.
“I can’t remember the last time I actually looked forward to life. In one way or another, I’ve tried to drown out huge parts of it for so long, I feel like I’ve only been half alive.”
I see Violet’s lips curve into a suggestive smile as she swivels her hips against mine. “Let me guess which part is coming back to life first.”
I growl, leaning forward to nip her full lower lip with my teeth. “It’s a good thing I can’t see you very well right now.”
“And why is that?” she whispers, flicking out her tongue to taste me, her voice as sexy as ever.
“Because if I saw that damn little blush of yours, I’d probably do something stupid.”
“Like what?”
“Like carry you into those woods right there,” I confess, crushing her lower body against mine and then wishing I hadn’t. “Dammit, why do we have to be right in front of your dad’s house?”
“I can fix that, you know.”
“Is that right?” I reach between us to pull her loose-necked shirt down enough that I can press my lips to the top curve of her breast. “Because as much as I love the taste of your mouth, there are other things I’m dying to dip my tongue into.”
Violet arches her back, pushing against me, needing the contact as much as I do.
“Like what?” she asks again, her voice noticeably breathy.
“One thing in particular,” I reply, moving my hand to her ribs, down her side and into the elastic band of her pants. I reach around to cup her ass first, grinding her into me, loving the way she gasps. “It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. I’d easily walk a hundred miles to have it. Just once.” I move my hand to her hip, slipping my fingers under the thin edge of her panties and running them around to her stomach. “But once would never be enough,” I groan into her ear. “I’m addicted. I’ll never be able to get enough of you.” I move one finger into her crease, rubbing the hard knot of her clit. “You’re all I can think about. The way you laugh, the way you smell. And, oh God, the way you taste.” I push my finger into her, my dick throbbing when her muscles clench around it, wet and hot.