Tears start to swirl in her stormy eyes, and I don’t want them to douse the flames that were just there, I want her to fight for us. I refuse to hold back any longer.
“Stop pushing me away, Lainey.”
She stands, crossing her arms, trying to protect herself, keep the truth of my words from touching her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,Remington.” She emphasizes my name, as if proving her point.
“Ever since the cemetery.” She stiffens at my words, knowing that I know, that I see her better than anyone ever has, ever will. “You think I didn’t see it? That I don’t see you building new walls and hiding behind your fear?”
“I’m not!” she protests, even as a tear sliding down her cheek betrays her.
I step into her space and grip her chin. “I will not let you do this to yourself, to us. I am right here, Lainey. I’m right here.” At my words she falls into my arms and the tears she had been keeping at bay fall freely, soaking my shirt and baptizing me in her fresh waves of pain. “It’s okay, baby,” I whisper into her hair.
“It’s not okay, it’s not,” she croaks. “It could be you.”
“It could be anyone,” I counter.
“No, Remington.Youhave a very dangerous job. Deck had a very dangerous job. You literally walk into fires and unpredictable situations constantly. I don’t know what to do with that.” The fear painted on her face and trembling under my touching is real, powerful.
“My jobisdangerous, I won’t deny that. But I can’t walk into it with fear. I have to go in with confidence in my training, my brothers, and myself.” I pull up my shirt and point to part of my sleeve tattoo on my inner bicep with the script under the FGFD shield that reads “If not me, then who?” Her breathing stops as she takes in the words.
“Why you?” Lainey whispers, kissing the tattoos softly.
“It’s my calling, my life. It’s who I am. I can’t stand here and promise you that nothing will ever happen. I pray to God it doesn’t. But Irefuseto not live, to not allow myself to love you deeply and fully because of the what-ifs.”
She sucks in a surprised breath. “You, you just said ...”
“I love you, Lainey Quinn. Deeply and fully.” I capture her mouth as she gasps, not giving her time to respond. I can’t. I need to let the words live in the world for a moment before she has a chance to refute them or deny them. She parts her soft lips, and I deepen the kiss, giving her everything, telling her with my body what I desperately have been locking up for the past few months, trying not to scare her away.
Breathless, Lainey pulls back. She searches my face and says, “I love you, too, Remington. I don’t think I even knew what love truly was until you. And I still don’t feel like I am worthy to be loved by a man like you.”
I cup her soft, tear-stained face in my rough hands and make sure she is looking at me when I say, “There is nobody in this universe more worthy of my love than you. You were made for me, Lainey, in every possible way. My perfect fit, my missing piece. I will spend every day, until my last breath, making sure you know that you are the treasure of my life.”
There is no holding back the flood of her emotions that my words unlock within her. Lainey flings herself into my arms and I catch her, hauling her up my body and holding her tight, kissing her neck. Knowing that she has never been lovedby her family is painful, but I am her family now. I am her man, her lover, her protector. I will be here and do everything I can to let our love be more powerful than the fears and anxiety that whisper to her in the darkness.
I carry Lainey to our bedroom and lay her gently on the bed. Her tears are spent, and she is looking up at me with relief. She sighs as I kiss my way across her cheeks and bridge of her nose. Contentment and comfort flow through her limbs and she melts into the mattress.
“I love you,” I whisper, and she moans at my admission.
“I love you, too.”
Slowly, I strip the layers she is wearing off of her perfect body. First her loose band T-shirt that was hanging off one shoulder. It reveals a black lace bra that makes my mouth go slack-jawed at the sight. I have never seen a woman as sexy as Lainey, and she doesn’t even have to try. Next, I pull down her yoga pants and discover simple lace panties that match her bra. My dick throbs at the image of my woman laid out before me.
“You are stunning,” I tell her as I run my hands over her body. She arches into my touch, and I know she missed our connection, our true connection, as much as I did.
“Please, Remington, I need you.”
“You know I can’t deny you when you beg, baby.” I nip her inner thigh and then rip her panties down her legs in one swift tug.
Lainey gasps, eyes blown wide with lust and wanting. She bites her lip, a lipIwant to be biting. I lean forward and claim her in a kiss, nipping and licking. I suck her bottom lip into my mouth and grind my erection onto her needy center.
“You are overdressed,” Lainey sasses at me, giving me a small push and tugging at my shirt.
I pull it over my head in one fluid motion that makes hergroan in appreciation. I quickly shed the rest of my clothes and hover back over her. Trailing my hand to her pussy I find her already soaked and ready for me. Bringing my finger back to my mouth I suck the needy, rich taste of her arousal off as she watches my every move.
I line myself up, and Lainey grinds into me, desperate for me to fill her, but first I lock my eyes on hers and say, “No more walls, Lainey. Promise me you won’t push me away again. We are in this together from now on, okay?”
Her eyes flood with emotion as her small, soft hand finds my face. “I promise,” she whispers. “I love you so much, Remington. I’m yours.”
“I love you,” I say. “I am yours.You are mine,” I vow as I drive home and claim her body. This feels different. No more walls, no more hiding how I feel, worried it will make her run scared.
