Pulling back, he stays nose to nose, his fingers tracing my face, and finally, I sniff back the newest tears, gulping down an onslaught of more.  

“Talk to me,” he pleads, his eyes never leaving mine. “It kills me to see you this way, Bambina.”  

“I miss you” is the only thing I can force out, and it’s true; in only a day, Jake felt a million miles away from me, my security shaky in the name of the game. The carpet ripped out from under me in ways I don’t even ...