“No. You’re so much more than what they are.” Heath’s fingers slipped to mine. “I’ve never met a girl like you, H-bomb. I don’t want any other girl. The truth is, I haven’t gotten laid since I met you.”
“Bullshit. I’ve seen you with lots of girls.”
“Doesn’t mean I had sex with them.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “Why?”
He sighed. “Because none of them were you.”
“Heath, that’s crazy.”
“What’s crazy, is how I feel about you H-bomb,” he said with sudden enthusiasm, his eyes warm and soft. “You’re in every corner of my brain. From the moment I wake up to when I fall asleep. You’re all I can think about.”
I looked away. It was hard to look at him. Because when I did, I wanted him.
“Heath, what I said last night … I’d had too much to drink …” I said.
He frowned but my words didn’t deter him. “Don’t say that. Don’t reduce it to that level. We both meant what we said last night.”
“I’m leaving in a few weeks. If we … it won’t work … I don’t belong here.”
He took my hands. “You belong with me.”
I looked at him and bit my bottom lip. “What you want is impossible.”
“What I want is you.”
He was making it hard.
“How do I start something that I will only have to finish in a few weeks?”
His smile was soft. “We can face that when the time comes. We’ll work it out. We can do this, Harlow.” He gave my hands a gentle shake. “I want you to be my girl. My only girl.”
I found his eyes and was momentarily lost in the infinite blue. It would be easy to give into him.
But giving in would mean risking everything.
If I jumped into something with him and lost myself in him, it would only end badly. He was surrounded by too many temptations. Yes, he said he wanted me as his only girl. But for how long?
Until another challenge came along?
Could I risk my future when that was a real possibility?
Look at how quickly he had changed his mind about me the night I’d picked him up from hospital. One minute he wanted me; the next he was rejecting me.
Was that the sort of guy I could give up my future for?
I needed to go for a walk. I felt so muddled. I needed time to myself to think. My heart and head were fighting and it was an all-out war. My heart was begging me to take the plunge; while my head was gripping onto the edge for dear life.
“I’m going for a walk.” I grabbed my coat from the back of a sofa and put it around me. At the dining table I slipped my feet into a pair of Nikki’s sandals.
“I’ll come with you.”
“No. I need time.”
“Harlow …”
“You don’t know what you’re asking of me,” I said with more force than I had intended.
Choosing Heath would mean giving up everything. My life in Georgia. My plans for college. I’d have to face the wrath and immense disappointment of my daddy. Not to mention the venom of my mother. All for … whatever this was.
“You don’t have to be afraid of anything with me. I will never hurt you,” he said gently. “I’ll give you everything you need. Everything you want. If you’ll just be mine.”
I stopped at the door but only half turned. “I just need some time to think.”
He looked gutted. “Will you be back?”
I nodded but couldn’t meet his eyes as I turned and walked out.
Needing to feel the sea breeze in my hair and the tang of salt on my skin, I headed to the Pier. My head was filled with fog and I needed to clear it before it drove me crazy. I hadn’t expected to meet anyone. And I certainly hadn’t expected to meet Heath. But I had and he had become my best friend and now I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
What if I pursued something with him and went too far to turn back? But hadn’t I already gone too far?
As the street beneath my feet turned into the Pier, I felt the gentle tingle of light rain on my face. The smell and sound of the ocean was an immediate comfort and I drew in a deep hearty breath of salty sea air.
It was late afternoon and the sun was bleeding into a horizon heavy with grey clouds. Foggy coach lights along the Pier created a welcome glow. The rain and approaching storm had driven visitors from the Pier, leaving behind only a few die-hard fishermen. Waves rushed beneath us and thunder rumbled in the distance.
Midway along the Pier I sat down on a bench and raised my face to the sky. I closed my eyes against the light rain on my face.
Yes, I was afraid of starting something with Heath, because I was only staying for such a short time and didn’t want the heartache of ending something when I left. But in reality, hadn’t we already had started something?
Yes, I was afraid of falling for him and having to end it. But hadn’t I already fallen for him?
Yes, I was afraid of having to turn my life upside down so I could be with him. But hadn’t he already turned my life upside down by making me love him?
Most of all, I was afraid of giving him my heart and having him break it. But he had already taken it from me.
It seemed clear then. Sitting there, feeling the gentle rain on my skin and the ocean air in my lungs. All my fears were pointless. Because they were too late. I was already one hundred percent, head over heels in love with him.
In that one crazy beautiful moment I felt a bright burst of hope. My eyes opened. It was time to give up fighting something so powerful. I would be okay. It would work out.
I stood up, suddenly filled with so much damn love for Heath I could feel it tingling throughout my body.
“What am I doing?” I asked myself incredulously, wondering why I was so hesitant, when it all seemed so clear now.
I had to get back to him.
I had to tell him I loved him and to hell with everything else.
Not hesitating a moment longer, I made my way back down the darkening Pier as the clouds opened and released a heavy downpour. I quickened my step.
Up ahead in dim glow of the Pier lamps I saw the effigy of a man walking towards me through the rain. I slowed as it neared and when it paused, I paused. Then my heart gave an almighty thump and I took off as fast as I could towards it.
I crashed against Heath and mashed my mouth to his. My arms encircled his waist and pulled him to me. Strong hands cupped my face to his and we kissed as the rain poured over us.
“Did you mean it when you said we could make it work?” I yelled over the rain.
He grinned and even in the dim light I could see the brilliant blue of his eyes and the deep crease of his dimples. His lashes were wet. Raindrops fell from his lips. “I will do whatever I have to do to stay by your side,” he said, still holding my face between his hands. “Just say you’ll be my girl and I promise you we will work it out.”
Now that the wall had crumbled, I was flooded with an overwhelming love for him.
“I think I’ve been your girl since the moment you asked me my name.”
He grinned broadly and kissed me again. I closed my eyes and was lost in the slow rhythm of his mouth against mine.
Yes, I was his girl.
Every single morsel of me. And I was done fighting it. I would give myself completely to him.
* * * * *
HEATH
It was all I could have wanted, and more. Harlow telling me she loved me. Telling me we had a chance. It was magical and I couldn’t stop smiling like a lovesick fool. The walk home took a ridiculously long time because despite the rain, and despite being soaked through, we couldn’t stop kissing each other. We walked through the rain soaked streets, our hands entangled, laughing and stopping to kiss, letting the rain pour over us without a care. I’d never known a feeling like it. I was so crazy for this girl; I didn’t know what to do with myself.
As we climbed the steps to the porch I stopped her and took her face in my hands.
“Tell me this is real,” I said, suddenly serious. “That you’re mine.”