Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina) novel Chapter 79

Even If It’s Just Pieces of You

I push at his chest and he relents, pulling away and letting me sit with my back tot he headboard.

He’s watching me carefully, as if trying to gauge my reaction to his words, to his suggestion. With my hand shaking, I reach for the mug of tea he had brought and sit cross–legged.

The tea warms my hands, and the room is quiet, except for the occasional sound of him shifting on the bed.

I take a sip, slow and careful. It burns my tongue a little, but then it soothes my throat, the sweetness of the honey making me close my eyes in comfort.

My nerves shoot in my stomach and I force myself to look him in the eyes. me what you meant, Jake?”

He flinches like he’s terrified of the idea.

I reach for his hand and squeeze. “Please.”

“Can you tell

He presses his lips together and looks away, jaw tightening as if he’s trying to gather his thoughts. The furrow in his brow makes me want to reach out and smooth it away, like I did with Zaid.

I want none of them to feel so troubled, none of them to struggle with me.

In the quiet, I take him in. The faint stubble on his jaw shadows his face just enough to make him look rugged. The lines at the corners of his eyes, put there by years of laughter and smiles, make me happy that so far he has had a life well–lived despite its hardships.

He’s so heartbreakingly handsome, and it makes me understand just why Aiden and Zaid can capture me the way they do.

Finally, he breaks the silence. “I’ve been thinking about it, Alina.”

I swallow hard. “Thinking about what, exactly?”

He shifts his gaze back to me, his brown eyes warm. “You.”

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Even If It’s Just Pieces of You

I take a sip to busy my trembling hands, though I’m sure he notices the way my entire body shivers and warms. “Me?”

He nods, eyes dropping to my lips. “You. Me. What I want.”

The air thickens between us, my breath hitching. “What–what do you want?”

“I want you, Alina,” he says, each word deliberate, like they’re fragile enough to break.

I have to swallow the tea in my mouth before I make myself spit it out from the delicious wave of warmth that passes through me at hearing those words.

“Can you honestly tell me that you don’t want me?”

My eyes drop to the covers because it’s so much more complicated than that. It’s so much more than yes or no.

“Baby?”

Exasperated, I look at him. “No, but it’s so much more than that.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

I shake my head.

“If you want to be with Aiden, then I won’t stand in your way. I won’t try to tear you two apart.” He pauses, his eyes darkening.

“I don’t understand,” I frown.

“As long as I get some of you. As long as I get to love you, even if it’s just pieces of

then you can do whatever you want.”

you,

His words crash into me, stealing the air from my lungs. My mind flashes to Aiden’s face

earlier tonight. The anger, the betrayal when he saw Zaid and me. A fresh wave of guilt rises, and I grip my mug tighter. “That’s impossible.”

“Aiden wouldn’t, he wouldn’t be open to that,” I say, the thought of Aiden’s reaction

His eyes widen just a bit, and he scoots in closer. “But you would be?”

Jake shrugs, his voice quiet but firm. “Well, we could do it anyway. Try it.”

My eyes widen. “What? No. I can’t lie to him. I can’t sneak around.”

“That’s cheating, Jake.”

His eyes lift to mine. “Like we aren’t guilty of that already.”

I ignore the pang in my chest. Technically, he’s right, but it doesn’t feel like that in my

Jake’s gaze drops to my lips, and the heat there makes my skin prickle. I place my mug on the bedside table and move to stand, needing distance, needing clarity.

“Jake…” I start, but he cuts me off, his words tumbling out.

“I just want to sleep. I just want you near. I’ve missed you, Alina. So much.”

The vulnerability in his voice tugs at something deep inside me, and I hesitate. My heart aches, torn between the lines I shouldn’t cross and the man who’s always felt like home.