He shrugs again.
“Anywhere you are is where I want to be.”
I take a step closer, still unsure.
“Why didn’t you come inside?”
“For one, you need a ticket, and Noah has been MIA for work, so he couldn’t snag one. And two, I worried I might be a distraction. Things aren’t exactly on solid ground between us.”
“And whose fault is that?” I reply coolly.
“Mine. It’s all my fault,” he replies with his hands out. “I let Andre’s bullshit get to me. I acted like you weren’t worth dealing with all the extra attention. I doubted your feelings for me. It was all my fault.”
I huff, disconcerted.
“You’re kinda taking the wind out of my sails here, Damon.”
He has the nerve to smile.
“Do youwantto stay mad at me?”
“Yes!” I insist. “You can’t just show up with my favorite flowers and expect everything to be all good.”
His face goes serious, and he takes a step towards me. I let him pull me into his arms because I’m weak and horny as hell.
“I don’t expect everything to be all good. I fucked up. You should punish me accordingly.”
I almost writhe against him.Punish?!My kitty starts purring at the thought of dominating him again. I’ll make him crawl before I give him even a taste. It’ll be the most exquisite torture…for the both of us.
“You knew what you were doing when you said that, didn’t you?” I whine, biting my lip. He cracks a smile.
“All’s fair in love and war, baby.”
We both go quiet, sizing each other up. I’m the first to break the silence.
“Love, huh?” I murmur, scared to say the word too loud lest it shatter like an icicle on the street. “Is that what this is?”
“It is for me,” he answers, his voice strong. He squeezes me tight against him. “You’re the love of my life, Kendra. Please forgive me for being too dumb or too scared to tell you sooner.”
“But…,” I swallow, suddenly hoarse. “I’m broken. Are you sure you want someone who’s damaged goods as the love of your life?”
He looks into my eyes, and it’s all there. All his love, his understanding, his certainty about us. It’s intoxicating.
“In sports, injuries are common,” he says, moving his hands up and down my arms in that soothing way of his. “A sprain or a broken bone.” He shakes his head.
“A sprain might cost you a game or two. A broken bone might take you out for a whole season, if it’s bad enough. But bone...”
He leans in to kiss me slowly, sweetly, then pulls back.
“Bone almost always heals back stronger than before. You are strongerbecauseof what you’ve been through, not in spite of it. You’re not broken.”
My heart clenches almost painfully in my chest.
“Well, shit,” I say through watery eyes. “That was just about perfect.”
This time, I lean in, kissing him deeper, letting him feel all the unfulfilled need of our time apart. When we finally come up for air, we’re breathing heavily, resting our foreheads together for support.
“I love you too, by the way,” I whisper into his neck. “I have for a while now.”
