Page 79 of Fallen Flame

“What if you’d looked down?”

“What if—”

“Lark.” His voice was low. It stopped the spiral before it could really begin. “As long as I’m breathing...” His eyes never left mine. “...anyone who wants to get to you is going to have to go through me first.”

Something squeezed around my heart.

“You can’t promise nothing bad will ever happen.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t. But I can promise I’ll never stop standing between you and it.”

My throat tightened. I believed him. Not because he thought he was invincible, but because I knew he’d die trying.

I reached up and rested my hand against his jaw. “You know...”

“What?”

“I really like you.”

A smirk spread across his lips. “I know.”

I laughed. “You’re supposed to say you like me too.”

“I do.” He said it so matter-of-factly that it made me laugh even harder.

“I should probably check on Ever,” I sighed. “I know she said she was okay yesterday... but yesterday was yesterday.”

He nodded. “We’ll go find her.”

I sighed dramatically. “I suppose that means I have to leave my warm biker pillow.”

“You do.”

“Tragic.”

“It is.”

Reluctantly, I untangled myself from him, and the second I rolled away, I missed the warmth. That seemed ridiculous. We’d shared one night, yet somehow it already felt strange not touching him.

Oliver sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots while I dug through my duffel bag.

I grabbed a clean pair of jeans and an oversized charcoal shirt before turning toward the bathroom.

Then I stopped to see Oliver politely looking at the floor.

I smiled. “You know...”

“Hmm?” he said, still not looking at me.

“You’re allowed to look.”

His eyes flicked up. “I know.”

“So... why aren’t you?”

“Because I’m trying to behave.”

I laughed. “I didn’t ask you to behave.”