Free The Final Act (#4 Bestselling Spotlight Series) by JS Taylor Page A

distraught.
    “James,” I say carefully. “Did you think this would make me love you less? Knowing this about you?”
    He stares into my face, assessing.
    “You mean, you don’t?” he says, finally.
    “No,” I whisper. “I don’t.” I smile. “Of course I don’t. I think you were strong. And I think it’s no surprise you turned to drugs to try and wipe out the pain you were feeling.”
    James looks down, thinking about this.
    “Do you still feel you’re to blame for her death?” I ask.
    He shakes his head slowly. “No. I’ve had enough therapy to deal with that.”
    James frowns. “I feel… tainted,” he decides. “This awful stain on my past. I feel it taints me. As a person. As a man.”
    He pauses.
    “I feel,” his eyes are on mine, “as though I have no right to someone as pure and good as you are.”
    I smile at him. “What makes you think I’m so pure and good?”
    “You are. I know you are. And I don’t think your purity should be… associated with a man like me.”
    “What did you think?” I ask. “That if you didn’t tell me this, you could be someone else? Someone new?”
    He gives a little smile. “Yes . I guess I did.”
    I kiss his cheek and his forehead.
    “I love you more,” I decide, “for sharing this. For being open with me.”
    His face is so utterly confused, that I can’t help smiling softly.
    “It’s a female thing,” I explain. “We love more when men give us more to love. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad.”
    “Really?” he whispers . His face is a picture.
    “Really.” I nod. I kiss his forehead again. “I love the whole of you,” I say. “You don’t have to be strong and in control all the time. Sometimes, you can let me be the strong one.”
    Something about his face collapses slightly, as though a long held strain has suddenly slipped away. I have a flash of a youthful innocence.
    “Thank you,” he says. I feel his weight rest more deeply against me, and I wrap my arms tighter. At this moment, I am ready to defend him against anything.
    I pull him close, channelling my feelings for him through my body.
    There are no words for how much I love you, James. If you are broken, I will fix you. If you are hurting, I will care for you. And no matter what, I will love you always.
     

Chapter 9
     
    We stay clasped in one another’s arms for a long time. And then James raises his face to mine, and it’s like the sun rising.
    Some thing profound has happened since our conversation. I can see it in him. It must have been a real burden, I realise, to shoulder that confession and not know whether I’d love him at the end of it.
    But he should have known. I’m bound to him now.
    The place where my heart feels at home.
    As if reading my mind, James repeats the words.
    “ Mo content toi ,” he whispers, stroking my cheek.
    “ Mo content toi ,” I murmur back. “The place where my heart feels at home.”
    He hands me my Champagne, and we chink glasses, looking deep into one another’s eyes.
    The cool liquid brings my mouth alive in the dark summer evening. Something about being here feels so delightfully clandestine. I can understand why the people of old built these secret gardens. They’re the ultimate romantic getaway.
    “Try the caviar and blinis,” says James, pointing to one of the little plates of food he has laid out. “It’s a good match for Champagne.”
    “Champagne and caviar,” I laugh, taking a sip. “Life’s little necessities.”
    “That and good tailoring,” he agrees, lifting the plate for me to try.
    I take one of the soft little buckwheat pancakes and bite into it, letting the salty eggs wash over my tongue.
    “That’s really good,” I agree.
    “Take a sip of Champagne,” he urges. “It has a texture which complements perfectly.”
    I take a sip, letting the spark ling wine join with the caviar.
    “Mmmm,” I agree. “I can see what all the fuss is about.”
    “Let me feed you something else,” says