Never Enough: A New Adult Romance

by Annie Green

  And when I broke apart, I didn’t care that I said I loved him over and over again until I couldn’t breathe.

  I was just happy he was alive and safe. All that mattered was that he was with me. That I loved him and he was home.

  And the relief of that moment caused me to choke on a sob and break down completely. I was sure that he wouldn’t want to deal with my crying fit while he was still inside of me, but to my surprise he softly pressed a kiss to my temple and said softly, “Tempie baby, don’t cry. Don’t cry.”

  Just hearing that term of endearment made me sob even harder until I was shaking so badly he carried me to a chair in the room and held me against him.

  “You didn’t finish,” I said and he shushed me.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “That’s not important right now.”

  I clutched as his shirt and buried my head in his neck. I inhaled his familiar scent. “I missed you. I’m glad you’re home.”

  “I’m glad I’m home too,” he said, his strong hands running up and down my back in long, languid strokes.

  “You’ve lost weight,” he said finally.

  “I haven’t had much of an appetite.”

  “I’m sorry, that’s my fault,” he said.

  “It is, but let’s not go there. I’m just glad you’re here.”

  “God, what did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked softly, running his fingers across my wet cheeks. I didn’t answer him because I felt the same way. Even though his decision to disappear for two weeks had nearly ruined me, I still felt like I didn’t deserve such an amazing guy. He really was too good to be true.

  We sat in silence for a while, my head on his shoulder, our hearts beating in sync. Finally, I sat up and looked at him. It felt so good to look into those eyes. I could forgive him anything. The past two weeks seemed like they hadn’t even happened. It was all forgotten at the moment.

  “I’m not with Nik,” I said, wanting him to believe me.

  “I know. I’m sorry I accused you of being with him. I just went a little nuts when I saw you with him…with his hands all over you. You know me. I don’t like other guys touching you.”

  “I know, but you want to know a secret? I kind of like that you feel possessive of me.”

  “I feel like a caveman when I’m around you,” Damien said softly, his lips brushing across my neck. “You just drive me crazy, Temperance.”

  “I love when you say my name like that, all low and sexy. Turns me on.”

  “Jesus, yes.”

  His lips pressed against mine and when we finally came up for air, I said, “I think you should know that Jonathan told me about Sophia too.”

  “I had a feeling.”

  “You’re not upset?”

  “No. I’m just sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I should have. I’m sorry I kept that from you, but I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “I just wish you would have told me. This whole thing could have been avoided. If I knew, I wouldn’t have left. I would have understood…”

  Damien was shaking his head. “I know, but I needed it to happen so I could get my priorities straight. I’ve been living with this guilt for much too long.”

  “What guilt?” I asked.

  “Guilt for moving on so soon after Sophia died, for breaking the promise I’d made to Sophia…”

  My breath caught in my throat. “What promise?” I asked, wanting him to tell me, even though I knew what he was going to say.

  “The promise I’d made to never love anyone else again.”

  My eyes closed and my chest swelled. “You broke the promise?”

  When I opened my eyes, I could see a small smile forming on his lips. “You know the answer to that.”

  I tapped my lips, feigning ignorance. “No. No, I don’t.”

  “God, you’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine. You.”

  My heart thumped wildly against my ribcage and I pressed a hand over it to steady it.

  “You love me?” I asked, wanting him to hear it.

  “I do.”

  “Say it.”

  “I love you, Temperance Cole. I think I have for a long time,” he said softly.

  “When? When did you start loving me?” God, this was a dream come true. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

  “When you showed up with those purple streaks in your hair, looking sexy as hell.”

  “Really? Why then?”

  “Because Peter told me how controlling your parents were and then you showed up all rebellious and I knew you were courageous to be who you wanted to be. After that, I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

  “How random,” I said. “I would have thought it would be after I went down on you at work.”

  “Jesus, that just proved what an amazing woman you are. You really take no prisoners.”

  “I don’t. I take what I want and I wanted you…every part of you.”

  I felt him harden beneath me and my heart fluttered in my chest.

  “Just say it again,” I said after pressing my lips against his.

  “Say what?” he asked, feigning ignorance.

  I straddled him and placed my lips just centimeters away from his. Our breath mingled between us. “You know what.”

  He was still hard beneath me and as I rubbed myself against him, his eyes fluttered closed. I could see his cheeks flush in the dark of the room.

  “God, I missed you,” he breathed and when I sank down on him he added, “I love you, Tempie.”

  And I was lost.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Damien

  I wanted to get Temperance home, away from the thumping speakers in this strange house and the prying eyes. I wanted to get her away from the perverts who had been eyeing her since I’d arrived. Her skirt was way too short, showing off her sexy legs and her shirt exposed way too much of her stomach and that damned unfinished tattoo. And now she didn’t have any underwear because I’d torn it off. It was probably strewn on the floor for anyone to find.

  I took my jacket off and placed it over her shoulders and she shot me a look.

  “I don’t need this,” she said.

  “You may not be cold, but you’re showing off way too much skin. You’re mine now, Temperance. I don’t want other guys thinking about fucking you while I’m around. What possessed you to buy this anyway?”

  She looked away and said softly, “Promise you won’t get mad?”

  I pulled her into my side. “Why would I be mad?”

  “Because Nik bought this for me.”

  My eyes narrowed. “I’m seriously going to punch that guy for all the shit he’s thrown my way. Why the fuck did he buy this for you?”

  She turned those beautiful green eyes on me. “Because I was too depressed to buy my own costume, and Nik’s been a good friend since you’ve been gone. He was the one who insisted I come tonight and I’m glad I did.”

  I was glad she was here too. I wasn’t happy about Nik buying her the sluttiest outfit on the planet, but I was happy that she’d been easily accessible earlier. If she’d been wearing pants I probably would have ripped them in two. And then we’d have a huge predicament.

  “So you want to stay or get out of here?” I asked, tugging on her skirt to make sure she was covered up.

  She gave me a small smile. “You were the one who tore my underwear off.”

  “It was worth it. I’ve missed you and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t missed the sex.”

  “And I’ve missed you being inside of me,” she said and I was ready again. “Let’s get out of here. I didn’t want to be here anyway.”

  I guided her out of the house without saying goodbye to anyone. I didn’t care about being polite. I wanted to get her alone so I could talk to her without any interruptions. And maybe make love to her as well.

  I helped her into my truck and she snuggled into my side as we drove the busy streets home. She felt so good again
st me. If I had been unsure about coming home before, I wasn’t anymore. She was made for me.

  When we got into the house, I wasted no time. I picked her up and carried her all the way to my room. Deidre was still at the Halloween party, so I knew that I could make love to my girl without having to worry that my sister would hear us.

  Temperance seemed to have the same idea because once we were in my room, she undressed me slowly, taking time to kiss almost every inch of my body along the way. Needless to say, she was sufficiently driving me crazy and I was losing control. And she was still dressed in that sexy costume, which was showing off her tight little ass. Not that I was complaining. This is what I’d been fantasizing about since I’d left. I probably jacked off a dozen times in my truck just thinking about her and that sexy little mouth that was currently moving across my body.

  “I don’t think I can take much more,” I said panting.

  “Good. I think you deserve a little torture after everything you put me through,” she said. So I let her take her time and by the time I flipped her over and sank myself into her, I knew wasn’t going to last much longer.

  And I made sure to tell her I loved her the entire time.

  Which was about two minutes.

  ***

  “That was amazing,” I breathed, pulling her into my side. I’d done this so many times with her before, yet this seemed brand new. Maybe it was because I’d confessed my feelings for her and we both knew where we stood. There was no more guessing. Everything was laid out for the two of us to pick apart and discuss. Before being vulnerable like this made me nervous, but now I actually really liked it. It was liberating. If I hadn’t been so fucked up with guilt, I would have done this sooner. It would have saved the two of us from a ton of heartbreak.

  “It was,” Temperance said, pressing a kiss to my arm. Her fingers were tracing the ink on my skin and I knew what was coming. Not that I minded. I was actually happy to explain, to come out of the shadows and let her know me in an entirely new way. Temperance might have been my future, but Sophia was my past. I’d never forget her. She’d always be with me, both literally and spiritually.

  “Can I read them?” she finally asked, her eyes on me expectantly.

  “Yes.”

  I pushed myself up, completely naked and turned to my side. Most of my tattoos extended from my front to my back, so I needed to be standing or sitting for them to be read properly.

  Temperance followed suit, her eyes close to my skin. “Tell me about this one,” she said, her fingers running across my ribcage where small gothic print was sketched across my side and onto my back.

  “That was a poem Sophia wrote about love. She wrote it when we were traveling around Italy. I think it was the atmosphere that inspired her.”

  “Jonathan told me you two traveled around Europe. How romantic,” she said as her eyes read the poem.

  “It was. It was perfect until she started to get sick.”

  “Well, it’s beautiful. Sophia was very poetic.”

  “Yeah she was, but you should have heard the mouth on her. She could swear with the best of them. It was what made me fall in love with her in the first place.”

  “I bet, you like your women to have dirty mouths.”

  “I do,” I said bringing her fingers to my lips.

  Temperance smiled as her eyes scanned my left hip. “And this one?”

  “That was the chorus of a song I’d written for her when she was in the hospital,” I explained. “It was her favorite song.”

  “I’d love to hear it,” she said and my heart fluttered in my chest. Only Temperance could be this understanding.

  “Maybe one day I’ll sing it for you,” I offered, surprising her.

  “I’d be honored,” she finally said moving to the few tattoos on my arm. I explained each tattoo etched on my skin to her, ending with the promise I’d gotten finished on my shoulder only three weeks ago. It was the one I got filled in before I saw Temperance at the tattoo parlor.

  “It’s beautiful,” Temperance said, her fingers tracing Sophia’s full name on my shoulder blade. She leaned in a little closer and read over the small script underneath it. “That’s the promise, isn’t it? I promise to love you and you only.”

  I nodded, swallowing harshly. “I just needed to remember,” I said. “I was losing her and I was terrified.”

  “I know. I’ve never lost someone like that, but I feel like I understand.” She pressed a kiss to my back before asking, “Was this what you got done the day I got my tattoo?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, it was when I was starting to really fall for you and I was freaking out because I was starting to forget about her and the promise. So in order to remember, I went to the tattoo shop and got it filled in. It helped me remember until you went down on me. Then I was fucked up all over again.”

  She smiled widely at me. “I never want you to forget Sophia and I know you’ll always love her, but maybe one day you will be able to fill that part in with something else because now that I have you, I’m never letting you go.”

  “I’m never leaving…ever again.”

  “You better not or else I’ll have to kill you,” she said sweetly.

  “Kill me with sex?”

  She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yeah, you wish. God, you’re such a guy sometimes.”

  “Would you rather I tone it down?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Hell no.”

  I lowered myself onto the bed and she wrapped those sexy, long legs around mine. I could feel her breath on my neck and her fingers running over my collarbone.

  “So what made you change your mind? What made you turn around and come home to me?”

  “I missed you so fucking much and I realized I loved you and I needed to be with you.”

  “It took you two weeks to figure that out?”

  “It took me two days of being apart from you to figure that out.”

  Her eyebrows met in confusion and hurt. “Then why were you gone for so long?”

  “It was more than just the promise, Tempie. It was the guilt. The guilt of loving you only a year after my wife died. The guilt of breaking my promise to her, or being weak, of resenting Sophia. Everything. I felt fucking guilty and I couldn’t bear it.”

  “So you stayed away?”

  “Yeah, I stayed away so I could figure my shit out. I didn’t want to come home and half ass it with you. You deserved more.”

  Her eyes shone with love for me and I felt my chest swell. “Do you still feel guilty?”

  I shook my head. “Not really.”

  “Not really?” she lifted her head to look down at me. “That doesn’t sound promising,” she added, worry lining her voice.

  “I’ve been living with the guilt for a year. It won’t just go away because I want it too…even with the letter.”

  “The letter? What letter?”

  I ran my hand over my face before reaching for my pants on the floor and pulling Sophia’s letter from my back pocket. I handed it to her and watched as her eyes ate the words up.

  “How beautiful,” she whispered, her eyes full of tears. “When did you get this?”

  “It’s weird, really. I think fate was on my side because Sophia’s best friend wrote this for Sophia before she died. Sophia told her to give it to me on the one year anniversary of her death.”

  “When was that?”

  “A month ago. So Beth was a little late, but she ran into Jonathan and I at this barbeque place and gave it to me.”

  “When was this?” she asked.

  “Today. When I got in, I went straight to Jonathan’s and I apologized for the shit I said to him at the warehouse. We were grabbing dinner and we ran into Beth. And she gave that to me and that’s when I knew. I can give you everything now.”

  “You couldn’t before?”

  “I was going to tell you that I loved you, but to be patient with me because I still felt guilty as fuck, but now I just feel free. Like I can bre
athe again.”

  “I’m glad you feel free. And I’m even happier now that you’re mine.”

  “God, I’m happy too. I never want to lose you again. The day you broke it off…that was the second worst day of my life.”

  “And the first was when Sophia passed away?” she asked and I nodded.

  “Yeah, but it was a little worse when you left because I knew I’d be seeing you around, that I might see you with other guys and it broke me.”

  “Well, be confident in the fact that you’ve ruined me for other guys. You ruined me the moment you pressed your lips against mine.”

  “Jesus, I can’t thank my truck enough for breaking down that day. That piece of shit gave me the best gift ever.” And didn’t I mean that. That night had changed me forever.

  She smiled down at me, those green eyes widening. “And that was?”

  “You, Temperance Cole. I’m fucking head over heels for you.”

  “I love you too.”

  And I was damn grateful for that. Because if it wasn’t for her, I’d be lost. But now I was free and I was going to show her everyday how much I loved her.

  And I figured I’d start right now.

  Epilogue

  Temperance

  The day after Damien came home, I moved into his room. Deidre was going to be living with us while she saved up money to move out. Not that we minded. Damien owed his sister big time. She’d saved his job for him. Peter, our boss, liked her so much that he’d actually hired her on part time. Apparently she was really good with numbers and helped Peter out with the books a few times, so that made her an asset Peter didn’t want to lose.

  It was sweet, really. Damien had cleared out half of his closet and a few of his dresser drawers so I could put my stuff there. And because we lived in the same house anyway, the transition was easy as pie.

  A week after Damien got home he took me to get my tattoo filled in. He held my hand while I swore and instead of pretending like he didn’t care a whit about me, he told me he loved me almost the entire time. I was pretty sure Gio was sick of us by the time we’d left. And when it healed, he kissed his way across it. Apparently he’d wanted to do that since he’d found out I was getting a tattoo. Not that I minded. He could kiss me anytime he wanted.