Page 75 of Falling in Between

My jaw tenses. I’m not the one leaving. He is. And I’m not running from him; I’m fleeing the broken heart I’m on a crash course with. I don’t know what he expects me to do. The longer I stare at him, the more unfair this all seems. Anger at the situation slowly eats away atme.

“Demi.” He inches closer to me. “Don’t dothis.”

“Don’t do what? You’re leaving in four days,” I say, tears threatening myeyes.

“And?”

“This was supposed to be casual and easy and fun, and now I’m…” I shake my head. “I’m in over my head withyou.”

“I am, too.” His expression crumples, and his fingers sweep through my hair. “And I’ve never been in over my head in mylife.”

“Then why keep doingthis?”

A soft smile reaches his eyes. “Why wouldn’t we?” He goes to press a kiss to my lips, but I turn my face toward the wall. “Not everything’s black and white,Demi.”

“But this needs to be,” Iwhisper.

“Avoiding this won’t make it goaway.”

My chest grows unbearably tight. “But continuing it will only make itworse.”

“If you knew you were going to die in a week, would you stop living?” His fingers trail along my jaw before he turns my face back toward his. “Or would you embrace the days you hadleft?”

I stare at him, searching his eyes for answers I know I’ll never get. “This was supposed to be safe, because it could gonowhere.”

“We’ve passed the point of it going nowhere. Come to London withme.”

My brow wrinkles. He can’t beserious.

“I know it’s fast,” he says. “But I’ve thought this through. I’m not a man who makes rashdecisions.”

“Elijah I can’t. I have my job and my…mylife.”

“I can give you whatever you want.” He takes my arms in his hands and inches his face toward mine. “Come withme.”

“We don’t even know each other,and—”

“I know enough to know I can’t lose you. You are every-fucking-thing I’ve ever wanted and not had.” His gaze grows stern. “I told you, youaremy fantasy. Don’t take thataway.”

I close my eyes, and his warm lips press over mine. I give into him, knowingly falling somewhere in-between heartache andruin.

“If you won’t come,” he says against my lips, “I’llstay.”

I grab his face, kissing him deep and hard. “This isreckless.”

He laughs against my lips. “It is, but if I can’t love you recklessly, I can’t love you at all. Let me love you,Demi.”

My heart pounds as Elijah scoops me into his arms and carries me up the stairs, his teeth nipping at my neck, myear.

When he reaches the top step, he fists my hair, yanking my head back. “What are you afraidof?”

I take a breath. Thenanother.

He lays me on the bed, slowly unfastening my jeans. “Demi? What are you afraidof.”

My pants come off, followed by my shirt. “How this feels,” Iwhisper.

“That makes two of us,” he says. His hands roam over mybody.