Alex stared at her dumbfounded, with deep sincerity in his eyes, "Shut up. Why wouldn't I?"
Jo watched him bewildered as she felt her muscles tense and her breathing speed up. She realized she was going into textbook 'fight or flight' mode. She didn't know how to handle this. No one had ever looked at her this way before. Had ever made her feel so special. So safe. So wanted. So…so loved? Is that what he was trying to tell her? Surely not. Who would possibly feel that way after what she had put him through over the past twenty-four hours. She held his gaze, "What are you saying?"
He let out a dry laugh, "You need me to say the words?"
Jo bit her lip and looked down, "You shouldn't." But oh how she wanted him to. She wasn't sure when, but somewhere along the way she had fallen for him. Hard. And despite trying to ignore that and go on as if nothing had changed, she couldn't help how her affection for him had grown stronger each day. Well past being "just friends." And that terrified her.
He took a step for her, "Jo.."
She shook her head, "I'm not good at this. The feeling thing? When people actually care? I'm not good at it, I mess it up every time."
Alex gave a half-grin, "And I'm so great at it?"
Jo smiled slightly and retorted, "Well that makes me feel better."
Alex took another small step forward, "So, we figure it out as we go." He stared deeply into her eyes and hesitated briefly before declaring strongly, "I love you, Jo."
Jo couldn't stop the wide grin that overcame her face as she breathed out, "Yeah?"
He immediately grabbed her waist and pulled her into the most emotional, passionate kiss she had ever experienced. Her nerve endings were all on fire with little jolts of electricity wherever he touched her. She hadn't even realized he had picked her up off the ground until her feet made contact with the floor once more. When the kiss finally ended, his lips continued to kiss a trail from her mouth to her ear where he whispered, "Yeah. I do."
She pulled back slightly, her fingers still tangled in his wet hair, "You never explained why."
Alex grinned and kissed her softly as he murmured low, "Are you kidding? Why wouldn't I?"