Gavin searched her face. “You mean the way I was willing to change mine for you?”

“Yeah. I guess we were both willing to do that, Gavin. I was ready to take that plunge and never look back. Never. I was ready to risk everything for you, to push away the overwhelming fear I had because I knew you and I are worth it. We fell in love in a second. I was barely able to blink, and you had my entire world upside-down. I was scared you weren’t… real. I was scared no one could be as magnetic as you are to me. It still scares me. You still scare me.” Pausing, Emily shook her head. “Then I saw Gina, and all my fears came back. My heart wanted to believe you, but my head wouldn’t allow it after I’d already taken that risk on us. I’m so sorry, Gavin. I don’t know what else to say other than I love you and need you with everything inside me.”

Gavin cleared his throat but didn’t say a word.

Once again unable to resist her want, her need, Emily moved closer, pushed up on her tiptoes, and placed a soft, lingering kiss on Gavin’s cheek. She closed her eyes as his heat radiated over her body.

Gavin lifted his hands, burrowing his fingers tight around Emily’s waist. Emily felt his lips brush against the crown of her head and heard him suck in a steeling breath, but before she could open her eyes, he let go. With her heart pounding, she watched him duck back into his car, his tires screeching as he veered out of the parking lot.

Feeling as though Gavin couldn’t get away from her quick enough, Emily hugged her stomach, sickened by what she’d done to them. All hope gone and head in a daze, she looked at the bellboy who’d been waiting with her luggage. Sporting a warm smile, he nodded and led her into the hotel lobby. She followed, her breathing shallow as she tried to unscatter her thoughts long enough to show the proper ID to the woman seated behind the front desk.

After handing Emily’s passport back to her, the young, dark-haired woman smiled. “Thank you for choosing the Royal Playa del Carmen, Señorita Cooper. Rafael will show you to your room. The presidential suites are located in a separate building, but they’re within walking distance.” She slid a pamphlet and room card across the clay-colored marble counter. “Any information about your suite and the amenities the resort offers can be found here, or you can call the concierge desk at any time. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.” Emily turned to Rafael and shook her head. “I don’t need any help with my bag, but thank you.”

“Are you sure, señorita? I’m more than happy.”

“I’m sure.”

He nodded, and Emily made her way out of the pristine lobby and into the humid night air. Glancing at the pamphlet with her room number on it, Emily rounded the corner and followed a cobblestone path to the back of the resort. A mariachi band in the distance and laughter from vacationers hummed through her ears. She pulled her luggage and tried to drag her attention from several happy couples dancing under the woven diamond of stars above. Envy pierced Emily. That should’ve been her, and she’d ruined any chance at having that. At her building, she slid the room key into the glass door, shuffled into the small lobby area, and slipped into the elevator. With her heart aching for Gavin, she wondered why she was even staying the night. She didn’t belong there, and she knew it. Her reason for being there was gone, lost from her life forever, and there was nothing she could do to change his mind.

When the elevator doors slid open, she stepped into a hallway housing six suites. Scanning the numbers on each, she eventually found hers and swiped her card through the entryway scanner. Emily pushed open the door and flipped on the lights. Pain continued to crush in around her as she made her way through the expansive suite. Exhausted and mentally spent, she curled her hand around the sleek bamboo of one of the four posters of a king-sized bed. She slid off her heels and dropped them onto the cold marble floor. Feeling depleted—mind, body, and soul—she sank onto the bed and pressed her face into the pillow, a rush of tears falling from her eyes. He was gone. Her Yankees-loving, bottle cap-giving, dimpled smile other half was gone, and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to turn back time.

However, her time was up.

Eyes fluttering open, Emily rolled to her side and yawned. For a second, she didn’t know where she was. Her gaze caught the clock on the nightstand. It was just past two in the morning. Then reality hit. Unrelenting sadness lashed her as she sat up on the edge of the bed. Staring around the empty suite, visions of Gavin swam in her mind. He clearly wasn’t coming back. She sank deeper into a cesspool of pain. She gazed at the clock again before grabbing her luggage and tossing it onto the bed. After rummaging through it, she padded into the bathroom.

Weariness pulled at her, and regret weakened every muscle as she stepped into the shower. Standing under the hot spray, she decided to leave. She couldn’t stay, even if leaving meant she had to spend the night in the airport. Though a part of her begged her to call a cab, head over to Gavin’s house, and plead with him to take her back, the other part shielded her from any further hurt. She heaved an exhausted sigh, reached for a towel, and wrapped it around herself. After blow drying her hair, she changed into a pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt. She tugged her bag from the bed, gave the breathtaking room one last look, and left.

In the hallway, Emily turned and felt her legs buckle. Her eyes locked on Gavin stepping from the elevator. When their gazes caught, Emily tried to swallow, but her throat felt too dry and tight. She drew a shuddering breath and let it out as he moved slowly toward her. Her heart tripped, stopped, and restarted when he came within inches of her. His heady, masculine scent engulfed her.

His gaze zeroed in on her mouth, his voice soft. “I stared at the ceiling half the night wondering if I could honestly go the rest of my life without kissing these lips ever again.” Gavin grazed the pad of his thumb against Emily’s mouth. Letting it linger, he traced the top and bottom. She parted her lips, her mind desperately trying to remind her how to breathe as she stared into his eyes. Gavin stepped closer. “I paced the house when I couldn’t sleep, imagining another day of not feeling this body against mine. This body was made to fit me in every possible way.” Gavin’s fingertips ghosted across her cheek, along the curve of her neck. Coiled heat simmered through Emily’s stomach as his hand drifted down her shoulder, brushed the side of her torso, and finally settled on her waist. He squeezed, and desire jolted up her spine.

Trembling, Emily dropped her head to the side, but Gavin found her chin and gently lifted her face. She swallowed back tears and turned her green eyes to him.

He rolled his tongue over his lips and took a breath. “The thought of not seeing your eyes when I wake up, or not hearing your heart next to me when you’re asleep made me sick. With all of that, I decided no, I can’t go another day without you. I don’t want to go another day without you.” Gavin stepped closer, and suddenly, Emily’s back was against the suite door. “You’re mine,” he added. “The second you showed up at my place that night, you sealed your fate.” Emily’s heart pounded. He placed his hands on the sides of her head. “Do you love me, Emily?”

Her belly knotted, and her breathing became shallow. “Yes, I love you,” she whispered, staring into his blue eyes.

He licked his lips, dropped a hand to the door, and leaned into her ear. “Do you know you’re mine?”

She heard the door unlock. “Yes,” she breathed.

“Say it,” he growled, his lips hovering above hers.