Not Without You [Chris Evans]

53

Chris' POV

I sighed in relief when I finally heard the timer go off. I swear that was the longest five minutes of my life. I was almost afraid to walk back into the living room, unsure of what I'd find waiting there. I let Dodger back in and followed him to the living room, watching as Megan pulled Tom to his feet with a smile and gave him a hug, her arms around his waist as she spoke quietly to him.

"Of course," he replied, just barely loud enough for me to hear. He met my eyes for a moment before giving her a quick kiss on her forehead.

My gut twisted and I was suddenly terrified that I was too late to convince her that she belonged with me, but when Tom let go of Megan and walked into the kitchen, she didn't reach for him or try to stop him. It wasn't until I realized her eyes hadn't followed him that I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe, she hadn't already made up her mind.

Megan held out a hand to me, curling one finger in a come-hither motion. I forced my feet to cooperate, slowly walking over to her. "I'll ask you the same question I asked Tom," she said, resetting the timer.

I blanked my face of expression at her serious tone. I could feel my heart trying to beat its way through my chest as my anxiety tried to take over. I ruthlessly forced it down, refusing to believe it was over before it even started. She sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside her, waiting for me to sit down.

"Chris, we both know you could have any girl you want, so why me?"

I licked my lips before answering, my eyes holding hers. I knew this wasn't an idle question - she really needed an answer. "Because you're you. You're funny, smart, beautiful - everything I never knew I needed until I met you. You're the first person I look for when I walk into a room," I said, reaching for her to pull her into my lap. "I guess I'm really saying that you're my favorite hello and the hardest goodbye. Not having you here yesterday was so hard," I admitted, taking her small hand in mine and kissing it. "I missed you like crazy."

"I missed you, too," she admitted quietly, setting her other hand on my heart. I felt her quick intake of breath as my lips covered hers, desire flaring between us. Without looking, she started the timer and set her phone down. I shifted her so she was straddling me, but wanted her closer still with nothing between us.

I could never get enough of her and I was positive she felt the same the way she touched me. When the timer went off, she drug her lips from mine long enough to turn it off before looking back up at me. "If you want to be with me, no more jealousy, Chris."

"No more jealousy," I agreed, holding her unwavering gaze.

"Good, because I won't deal with it when there's no reason for it. You talk to me before you jump to conclusions, okay?"

I cupped her face with my hand, my thumb stroking her cheek lightly. "I will do my best. No more kissing other guys, though - I'm the only guy that gets to kiss you."

She nipped at my thumb, smiling. "I suppose that's reasonable. I know it's not quite the same given your line of work, but if it's not scripted, I expect the same from you."

I kissed her forehead gently. "I will tell you if I know I'm going to be kissing someone for work. Like Emily - I think we have to kiss again later on."

"Emily's engaged, so I'm not worried about her. It's the thousands of other girls throwing themselves at you that I'm concerned about. I know there's a line a mile long of your fangirls."

I shook my head. "They're not you, Megan. You've got nothing to worry about there; I have no problem with being a one woman man."

"You'd better not be lying to me, Evans," she said, studying my face.