Tasting Never (21 page)

“
Guess
he isn't ready for that kind of advice,” Ty says to me, just a
blur in my watery vision. I'm trying so hard not to look at him
because if I do, I'll never be able to look away again. I'm in love,
big time. I've fallen so hard for Ty that if I don't get away now,
I'll never be able to get back up. Ty adjusts himself and puts the
suitcase down. “But I wasn't talking to him, anyway, I was
talking to you.”

“
Go
away,” I say, but I don't really mean it, and he can tell.

“
Is
this seat taken?” Ty asks as he points to the bench, rings and
bracelets jangling, dripping water across the last bit of dry
pavement that there is. I don't answer him. “Never,” he
says again and I look up at the sky, eyes so full of tears that I can
barely see it. “You can't run away,” he tells me as he
steps close enough that the toes of our shoes are brushing together.

“
I
wasn't running away,” I tell him. “I'm going home. I
have to go home, Ty. There are so many loose ends that I have to tie
up. If I leave them hanging, there's a chance I might get tangled
up, and I don't want that ever again.” He smiles and my heart
breaks in two. When he reaches a hand up and tries to cup my face, I
turn away.

“
Don't,”
I say, convinced that if he touches me, I'll shred my ticket and
never leave his side again. He doesn't listen; Ty never listens. He
slides his fingers across my chin and even though they're cold and
wet, they're still warm somehow. It doesn't make any sense, but it's
true. “Ty,” I breathe as his other hand comes up and
tangles in my hair. Then his mouth is on mine, hot and desperate,
and I'm dropping my suitcase to the ground and reaching up, pressing
my hands into the soggy fabric of his T-shirt.

“
Never,”
he says, pausing for just a moment with his lips pressed into the
skin of my forehead. “You're so fucking stubborn sometimes.”
I shake my head and dodge his next kiss, determined to say what I
need to say.

“
You
said you've never loved anyone, Ty, but I have, and I still do. I
have to go home and make things right, and I can't just dismiss my
feelings anymore. I love you, and I can't stand around and watch you
not loving me.” He chuckles and I nearly sock him in the face
for it. Instead, he grabs my hand and presses a kiss to my trembling
fingertips.

“
You
misunderstood what I was trying to say. I said I've never loved
anyone
before,
meaning before this moment, because Never, I
love someone now.”

“
Who?”
I ask and Ty laughs again, pressing his forehead against mine.

“
Oh
come on,” he says, but I won't let it go, not anymore. I need
to hear it now, from this person, this way.

“
Say
it,” I tell him as more tears fall and I find myself wondering
what the hell I was doing running away from my best friend, from the
person who helped me see the light. I might be getting better, but I
guess I still have a lot to learn.

“
I
love you, Never,” Ty says, and I bite my lip to keep my
emotions in check. They're all swirling around inside of me,
flickering like fireflies and lighting up my soul. “Now,
promise you'll take me with you,” Ty pleads, and I nod because
I'm having a hard time speaking through the kisses and the feel of
his hands in my wet hair. “Thank god,” he says.
“Because I put in a notice at my apartment this morning. If
you'd have turned me down, I would've had nothing to go back to.”
I laugh, but it's all wrapped up in tears and doesn't sound very
pretty. “Now, kiss me again,” he commands and I do.

If
you enjoyed this book, look for Broken Pasts!

Books by C.M. Stunich

The Seven Wicked Series

 


Houses Novels


• The House of Gray and Graves
  
• The House of Hands and Hearts
  and Hair
  
• The House of Sticks and Bones
  

 


The Huntswomen Trilogy


• The Feed
  
• The Hunt
  
• The Throne
  

Indigo Lewis Novels


• Indigo & Iris
  
• Indigo & The Colonel
  
• Indigo & Lynx
  

Stand Alone Novels


• She Lies Twisted
  
• Hell Inc.
  
• DeadBorn
  
Broken Pasts

About
the Author

C.M.
Stunich was raised under a cover of fog in the area known simply as
Eureka, CA. A mysterious place, this strange, arboreal land nursed
Caitlin's (yes, that's her name!) desire to write strange fiction
novels about wicked monsters, magical trains, and Nemean Lions
(Google it!). She currently enjoys drag queens, having too many cats,
and tribal bellydance.

She can be
reached at [email protected], and loves to hear from her readers.
Ms. Stunich also wrote this biography and has no idea why she decided
to refer to herself in the third person.

Happy reading and carpe diem!

www.cmstunich.com