Over Before She Loved Me novel · Chapter 8 of 24

Chapter 8: Not Gratitude

Dustin ended the call and stood with the phone in his fist.

Joelle watched his face.

"He lied to both of us," she said.

"Yes."

"I want to hurt him."

"You will. Tomorrow." He put the phone face down on the hall table. "Tonight there's something I want more."

She had stopped crying.

Her eyes were dark green and very steady, and they did not leave his mouth.

"The anniversary," she said. "When you asked me if it was gratitude."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want you sorry. I want you to hear me." Her voice shook once and steadied. "You asked it like what I gave you was a payment. I lay awake the whole night after, and I couldn't stop hearing it."

"I was a fool."

"You were."

"Tell me what it was, then."

Joelle took his hand and put it flat on her ribs, over her pounding heart.

"It was never gratitude," she said. "It was you."

He kissed her again, harder, and she opened for him at once.

He walked her backward up the stairs, one hand in her hair and the other splayed across her back.

At the top she dragged his jacket off his shoulders and threw it somewhere behind him.

In the bedroom she turned her back to him.

"Zipper."

He slid the zipper down slowly, an inch at a time, and kissed each bump of her spine as it showed.

The green dress fell around her feet.

She wore nothing under it but a pair of black lace panties.

"Jesus, Joelle."

"Take off your shirt."

He undid the buttons so fast he nearly tore one.

She pressed her palms against his chest and pushed him down on the edge of the bed.

Then she stepped between his knees and kissed him with her hands in his hair.

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