“That sounds like a warning.”
“It is.”
I pull in a shaky breath.
Maverick lifts my hand to his mouth and presses a kiss against my cold fingers.
“But I swear to you, Amelia. If you choose me, I will spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret it.”
My eyes burn.
“And if I don’t choose you?”
His expression softens.
“I’ll still protect you.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No,” he says. “It isn’t.” His thumb brushes over my knuckles. “So it stands to reason that you should choose me. Choose us.”
The words settle deep.
I look at this impossible man sitting beside me, holding my cold hand like it’s something precious. LikeI’msomething precious.
And maybe I should be scared.
Maybe I am.
But not of him.
Never of him.
“I already have,” I admit softly.
His eyes still.
“I made that decision when you were feeding me spaghetti last week.”
For one breath, he says nothing.
Then his mouth curves.
“Spaghetti?”
“It was very persuasive.”
“Rosa will be pleased to know her cooking helped secure my future.”
“Don’t give her all the credit. You did say some decent things too.”
“Decent?”
“You’re fishing for compliments.”
“I’m starving for them,bella.”
A laugh slips out of me, small and shaky.
