All Falls Down (49 page)

"Ever since she told me she was in love with you, I've been waiting for you to realize how much better she is for you than I am," I confess, the words soft and quiet. "She's everything I'm not – beautiful and successful. I'm a mess. Why
would
you choose me over her?"

"Because I'm not in love her," he says without hesitation. "I've told you before that I'm just a man, Savannah. And you don't know your own self-worth. Because of Toby, you don't see what I see when I look at you. You don't know how phenomenal you truly are."

"I'm trying," I say.

His grip on me tightens, his voice dropping so low I can barely hear him. "When I heard you talking to him – when you yelled about what he did to you… I wanted to kill him for that. Before he ever raised his hand to you, I wanted to rip his fucking balls off. And I wanted to kiss you. I've never been more proud of you than I was when you told him to go to hell."

"I was proud of me, too." I bit my lip.

Jared sighs softly. "I'll never forgive myself for letting you go with Stewart." Agony burns in his gaze. "I thought it was going to kill me when I realized he'd taken you from me. That destroyed me, Savannah. You were gone and it was my fault.
I
let him take you away from me. I was terrified he was going to kill you, that I wouldn't get to you in time, that you'd never know that I wasn't going to marry Lexi or how much I love you. He's so fucking lucky Chris took care of him before I could get my hands on him because I would have ripped him apart." He brushes his fingers down my cheek. The bruise is all but gone now, the gash healing. I don't think he'll ever forget it was there though.

"That's why I left when you woke up, Savannah. You were in that bed because of
me
. And even though Stewart was gone, I saw the fear in your eyes when you asked about Toby. I couldn't take back what happened with Stewart – I still can't – but I had to make sure that you were safe. I wanted you to
know
that you're safe. I owed it to you to ensure that Toby couldn't hurt you anymore."

"And now he can't," I whisper.

"No one will ever hurt you again, beautiful girl.
No one.
" There's so much heat in his voice, so much promise, I don't doubt him for a minute. "I'll spend the rest of my life ensuring that if…." He takes a deep breath and exhales, his expression suddenly uncertain, hesitant.

"If what?"

"If you'll let me." Those jade eyes bore into me. He reaches out to cup my cheek, offering me a small smile. Hope and fear linger in his gaze, twined so tightly together, they make my heart ache. "You asked if I was done with you, but I should be the one asking that of you. You're it for me, beautiful girl. I think you have been since the first moment I set eyes on you. And God knows I don't deserve a second chance after everything you've gone through because of me, but I'm asking anyway. Please give me another chance, Savannah. Let me prove to you that I can be good for you. Let me show you the fucking brave, beautiful woman I see."

His words fill me with light, with hope.

My heart is so full, I think it's going to explode.

"You're it for me too, Jared," I whisper, more tears spilling over to slip down my cheeks. They're happy tears this time, the best kind. The ones that cleanse the soul, washing away all the bad things that linger in the corners. The ones that drown the demons in happiness.

I have a home, and a family… and I have Jared in my corner, willing to fight with me, to fight
for
me.

"I love you," I tell him, my heart completely full of him. "Forever."

"Savannah." Hope grows in his eyes, blotting out fear, blotting out everything but me. His lips meet mine again, soft and sweet. "Beautiful, sweet girl."

His kiss changes, his lips growing more insistent against mine, as if kissing me breathes life into him, igniting a fire only I can put out. I cling to him, crying and kissing him back. My hands tremble and shake when he pulls me into his arms, lifting me up like I weigh nothing. His mouth doesn't leave mine as he carries me to the bedroom.

"I need to be inside you, baby," he whispers, laying me down on the bed.

"Yes." I arch beneath him when he follows me down, his body pressing against mine.

He strips me naked, his hands and lips worshipping every inch of my skin as he works to gently pull my clothes from my body. I'm a big ball of sensation by the time he slips my panties down my legs. I need him so badly, I ache everywhere.

I think he knows it.

He nudges my legs apart and slips between them.

"Look at me," he says to me.

I cry out when I see the way he's gazing at me – like he's going to devour me. There's so much heat and promise and love in his eyes… I'm in heaven. I know I am because I've never felt so perfect before.

"I will never let you go again, beautiful girl. I will fight for you every day for the rest of my life if that's what it takes to make you realize how much I love you. How much I need you." And then his mouth is on me, his tongue pressing against my clit. He holds me still as I cry out and moan and shake beneath him. Within minutes, he's catapulted me over the edge, but he still doesn't stop. He makes love to me with his tongue and his lips and fingers until I beg for him to fill me.

When he pulls his clothes off, his gaze stays locked on mine. I'm caught in his stare, unable to breathe. He looks so fierce, so radiant – as if being here with me is the greatest gift in the world.

"I'll be gentle," he promises me, sliding back between my legs. He hitches my thigh over his hip, and then I feel him pressing against me, hot and hard, and, oh, God–

"More," I moan.

He doesn't make me ask again. He thrusts forward, filling me. And god, I've missed this. I've missed the way he fits so perfectly inside of me, and the way he throws his head back and moans my name when he's all the way in – like he can't believe how good it feels to be in me. I've missed the way my breath catches in my throat when he looks at me while he's making love to me. And the way every part of me is full when he's kissing me.

I've missed him.
Us.

He makes love to me as gently as he promised, slipping almost all the way out before slowly pushing back inside of me again. His eyes stay locked on mine the entire time, even when he dips his head to pull my nipple into his mouth.

I run my hands all across his body, unable to stop myself from touching him everywhere I can reach. He feels so good on top of me. He belongs there, fits there perfectly. Sweet words and little groans fall from his lips in a litany, each one searing me, burning me with the truth as he sees it. To him, I'm beautiful, perfect… just like he is to me.

"I love you," I whisper when his pace increases, pulling us both toward the edge. I moan and arch and twist beneath him, unable to stop myself as he pushes me higher and higher. My rib throbs faintly, but I barely notice it. All I feel is Jared and love and peace.

We tumble over the edge together, crying out in unison.

"Forever," he whispers against my lips.

Epilogue: Hold You in My Arms Forever

Four months later-

I stand at the edge of the stage, my heart hammering. There are so many people here and it's so loud.

"You're next," the woman standing on the steps says quietly.

I step up, take a deep breath. I feel like I'm going to pass out or vomit.

"In first place is
Jade
, a story by Miss Savannah Martin."

I slap a smile on my face and hurry up the steps to the stage. Maddi, Chris, and Demetri yell my name from the sea of faces in the crowd, whooping and hollering. Tears stream down Kit's face when I catch sight of her beside Grayson and Lexi, who's smiling ear to ear. Jared stands beside them with the rest of his family, the biggest grin on his face. Even from this distance, it takes my breath away.

The crowd claps and cheers until I feel like I'm a rock star as I hurry toward the Dean to accept my award: a scholarship. He reaches out and shakes my hand, smiling at me.

"Congratulations, Miss Martin. I can't wait to see your name in print."

I grin at him, taking the award in his hands before hurrying across the stage. His assistant hands me a little bag and smiles at me, too. As soon as my feet hit the bottom step, Jared's there, scooping me up into his arms. He kisses me hard, his eyes shining.

"I'm so fucking proud of you, beautiful girl," he whispers against my lips.

I grin and fling my arms around his neck, hugging him hard. I'm so happy, I'm floating inside. "I did it," I say, laughing.

"You did," he confirms, laughing with me. "I told you that you wouldn't be a bad student."

I want to jump up and down and squeal.

Instead, I kiss him again.

He groans against my lips and sets me back on my feet. "You better get back to your seat," he says, still smiling at me. His eyes are darker, like they get when he's dying to make love to me but can't.

"Soon," I promise him, standing on my toes so I can kiss his cheek.

He groans again when I drop back down to my feet and hurry toward my seat, suddenly desperate to get through the rest of this ceremony so my fiancé can take me to bed. My fiancé….

Jared's on his knees before me, smiling up at me. He's surrounded by flowers, a blanket of them rolling across the grass in our little clearing at the Gardens. They should be dead now – it's too cold – but he's filled the clearing with them anyway. I don't know how
…
I don't think it matters.

I can't breathe as I stare down at the ring in his hands.

"I love you, Savannah Martin. I've loved you since the moment I set eyes on you. And I will love you until the day I die," he whispers, his voice shaking with sincerity. His jade eyes shine with promise, with love and tenderness and hope. "I told you before that I'd spend the rest of my life making you happy, and I meant it. I still do. I will never let you forget how priceless you are, and I will cherish you, protect you, and love you with everything in me. I will fight for you when you need me to do so, and help you fight for you, too. Please, please marry me, beautiful girl."

My hands shake, tears slipping silently down my cheeks as he pleads with me, trying to convince me to marry him. As if he needs to convince me. As if I'd ever tell him no. My heart is full of him, every minute. It has been since the first time he wrapped me in his arms.

"You belong with me, beautiful girl," he whispers. "Let me show you."

He doesn't need to show me. I know I belong with him. Every little part of me believes that now – every little part knows he's mine. That I'm his.

I think I always have been.

"Yes," I say, laughing through my tears. "Yes."

The smile on Jared's face is blinding, beautiful.

He slips my ring onto my finger.

"I love you," he says, rising to his feet to pull me into his arms. His lips meet mine.

"Forever," I whisper to him.

I slip into my seat, a wide smile plastered across my face.

I feel like Cinderella again, the one who gets to keep her prince. It's the most amazing sensation in the world, and I don't ever want it to end.

When Jared catches my gaze and smiles at me again, I know it won't. This is just the beginning.

We still have our entire lives ahead of us.

We still have forever.

Promises: An Outtake – Jared's POV

"Jared?" Lexi's voice drifts down the hallway and into Matthew's study where I've been entrenched for the last two hours, going through his papers in search of anything we might have missed. I'm tired, but I can't stop. I promised Lexi… I feel like I've failed her, Katrina, and Madeline all three.

Their father is dead and I never saw it coming.

"Dammit." I toss the stack back down onto the desk, scrub my hands down my face, and sigh heavily. "In here, Lexi." I call, leaning back in the chair to wait for her.

She comes through the door moments later, looking haggard. Her eyes are red-rimmed, her face splotchy. She's still in the silk pajamas she's had on all day. She's a mess.

"Come here," I urge, opening my arms to her when her bottom lip quivers.

She crosses the room in three quick steps and flings herself at me.

I pat her back as she burrows into my chest, shuddering.

For long moments, neither of us speaks.

"I miss him, Jared," she finally whispers, her voice raw with grief.

Anger rushes through me at the sound, burning like lava.

She's grieving and it is my fault. Had I just….

"I know you do, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."

"S'not your fault," she whispers.

I rub her back, appreciating her platitude even though I don't believe it.

She might not blame me for her father's death, but I do. How can I not?

I was supposed to protect him, and I failed. He's dead because I screwed up.